NC first in flight again with drone deliveries of prescription drugs in Cary

UPS and CVS teamed up to carry out the feat in Cary last Friday.

"This could be a life-changing event, especially for the elderly or sick people who cannot leave their home to pick up a prescription from the store," said Bala Ganesh, vice president of UPS' Advanced Technology Group.

The prescriptions were packed up by a pharmacist at a Cary CVS and picked up by a drone operator before being sent skyward. The drone hovered 20 feet over a Cary home before lowering the package by a cable to the ground.

A second delivery went through the same sequence to get a prescription to a local assisted living facility.

Drone deliveries don't come without risks, according to addiction specialists.

Tad Clodfelter, president and chief executive of SouthLight, which provides addiction treatment services, said there's an opportunity for misuse any time a prescription is not passed hand to hand.

A spokeswoman from UPS said in an emailed statement, "UPS has extensive experience transporting medical samples and supplies; however it is ultimately up to the medical professionals to determine what is appropriate or not appropriate to send via drone."

"That’s just the beginning. We are going to move into other uses as we test and learn these environments," he said.