Amazon launches online pharmacy in India

US tech giant Amazon launched its first Indian online pharmacy service on Friday as it attempts to grab more of the country’s burgeoning e-commerce market.

Amazon is battling Walmart-backed Flipkart and JioMart, owned by Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani, as well as local companies in the vast market of 1.3 billion people.

India has seen nearly 2.5 million confirmed coronavirus infections — more than any other country besides the United States and Brazil — and healthcare startups are seeing huge demand for services as a result of the pandemic.

Customers in Bangalore, India’s IT hub, will be able to order prescription and over-the-counter medicines and basic health devices from certified sellers, Amazon India said in a statement.