Uber launches prescription deliveries as it doubles down on non-rides services

• Uber is partnering up with NimbleRx to deliver prescriptions to patients in the Dallas and Seattle area markets.
• As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to suppress ride-hail demand, Uber's looking to grow its delivery businesses.
• This comes as companies such like Walgreens and CVS Pharmacy have created delivery services of their own.

As its core ride-hail service continues to suffer amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Uber is looking to expand into one area where it has logged impressive growth: delivering stuff to the people who in healthier times may have used its services to get out of the house.

The San Francisco-based ride share company announced on Thursday its plan to establish pharmaceutical delivery services with NimbleRx, a startup that collaborates with pharmacies across the US to deliver prescriptions to patients. The companies will start their service in Seattle and Dallas, with plans to expand in the following months.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage in the United States, Uber and NimbleRX are looking to meet increased demand for home delivery of medications.

"Over the last several months we have seen a significant increase in demand for prescription delivery from both consumers and retail pharmacies," Talha Sattar, Founder and CEO of Nimble, said on Thursday in a press release.

"Through this partnership with Uber Health, we are able to dramatically increase the availability of on-demand delivery of an essential product like prescriptions, which is leading to a further increase in demand in all markets we are already active in," Sattar said.

Uber made its move into this space in March 2018, establishing Uber Health to help medical businesses move goods. Since then, it has collaborated with a variety of partners across the healthcare sector and even constructed its own HIPAA-secure platform. As it looks to expand into medication delivery, it will compete with pharmacy giants Walgreens and CVS Pharmacy, which have also entered the healthcare delivery market.