Cleveland Clinic has launched a prescription drone delivery programme in partnership with Zipline, allowing eligible patients to have medications lowered into their gardens rather than collecting them in person. The scheme aims to ease the burden of pharmacy trips for people who are unwell or caring for others, and Cleveland Clinic says it represents the first long-term, ongoing deployment of a prescription drug drone delivery service by a US health system, rather than a short-term trial.

The first successful deliveries took place in and around Beachwood, Ohio. While other American hospitals have previously tested medical drone deliveries, Cleveland Clinic's programme is designed to run continuously to patients' homes rather than as a one-off pilot. Separately, related drone testing efforts are also examining faster transport of lab samples, blood and donor-matching materials between smaller communities and larger hospital hubs, with potential future expansion to transplant-related deliveries, particularly benefiting rural patients who face longer travel times for care.