Boots delivers prescription medicines by drone to the Isle of Wight

UK pharmacy Boots has completed a test flight from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight which involved prescription-only medicines being delivered by drone. The flight departed from the British Army's Baker Barracks on Thorney Island near Portsmouth and arrived at St. Mary's Hospital on the Isle of Wight. Boots collected the medicines and transported them to its pharmacies across the island, where they will be distributed to patients with prescriptions for them. Rich Corbridge, chief information officer at Boots, said: "Drones have huge potential in the delivery of medicines, and it is incredibly exciting to be the first community pharmacy in the UK to transport them in this way. "An island location like the Isle of Wight seemed like a sensible place to start a trial of drones and their value to the delivery of medicines to more remote locations is very clear.