United Parcel Service Inc. today said that it has completed a proof-of-concept trial with CVS Pharmacy Inc. in which they used drones to deliver prescription medication to patients’ home.

The test, conducted on Nov. 1, represents the latest milestone in UPS’ fast-paced autonomous air freight initiative. The logistics giant unveiled its collaboration with CVS just two weeks ago. Earlier in October, it secured permission from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to operate an unlimited number of drones and conduct night flights.

The Nov. 5 test was carried out at a CVS location in the North Carolina city of Cary. There were two flights in total, both of which began with a UPS employee loading patients’ prescriptions onto an M2 drone (pictured) made by Menlo Park, California-based Matternet Inc. The drone flew itself to each patient’s home and dropped off the package from a height of about 20 feet using a cable before returning to home base.

“This drone delivery, the first of its kind in the industry, demonstrates what’s possible for our customers who can’t easily make it into our stores,” CVS Pharmacy President Kevin Hourican said in a statement. 

Though it’s not UPS’ core business area by any means, medicine delivery has emerged as a central focus of its drone push. The company said in October that it will initially bring its drone delivery service to U.S. hospitals and branch out to other industries from there. UPS is already working with North Carolina-based WakeMed Hospital to move items around the institution’s Raleigh campus.

Transporting medical supplies could potentially become a focus in Amazon.com Inc.’s rival drone delivery initiative. Amazon has a sizable prescription delivery business thanks to its 2018 acquisition of PillPack Inc. and this June, the company said its drone fleet would start making flights within months. 

The industry effort to automate the transport of goods is not limited to the air. Amazon and a number of startups are experimenting with courier robots that travel on the sidewalk, while Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo unit is using its autonomous vehicles to deliver car parts. Alphabet has a drone delivery subsidiary to top it all off that recently announced plans to launch commercial operations to Virginia. 

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