Amazon lays off some employees in its Pharmacy unit

Amazon has let go of some of the employees in its Pharmacy business, the company confirmed to CNBC.

A “small number” of staffers in the Amazon Pharmacy division were informed Thursday they were being laid off, Amazon spokesperson Brad Glasser said in a statement. Roughly 80 employees were laid off, according to Semafor, which previously reported the news.

“Like many businesses, we are always improving our processes, for both quality and efficiency, and identifying how we can deliver on the best customer experience,” Glasser said. “As a result, we have made the decision to adjust resources and a small number of roles have been eliminated on the Amazon Pharmacy Services team.”

The cuts come as Amazon recently wrapped up the largest layoffs in its 29-year history. The company laid off 18,000 employees over several months last fall and earlier this year, then announced an additional 9,000 employees would be let go in March. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has been aggressively slashing costs across the company as the e-retailer reckons with an economic downturn and slowing revenue growth. Jassy has targeted some of Amazon’s more unproven bets like grocery and devices, while freezing corporate hiring and slowing warehouse expansion.

Amazon’s healthcare businesses were affected by the layoffs earlier this year. Some employees in the company’s pharmacy, digital health tools and Halo fitness band units were laid off, CNBC previously reported.

Amazon has spent years trying to crack the healthcare market. The company launched its own online pharmacy in 2020, a service that was born out of its acquisition of PillPack in 2018. Amazon introduced, then shuttered, a telehealth service called Amazon Care, and announced in July it would acquire boutique primary care provider One Medical for $3.9 billion.

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