In 2014, Keller Rinaudo set out on a mission to enable medical deliveries via drones. Headquartered out of San Fransisco, by 2016, Keller’s Zipline drones had begun the humanitarian work of transporting medical supplies like blood, vaccines, and medications to remote regions of Rwanda. With the success of the pilot drone program, Zipline expanded operations into Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya. Soon thereafter, Zipline entered a program to use their medical drone delivery system in North Carolina. This US drone delivery program proved to be vital in supplying medical centers and the community at large with necessary medical supplies during the height of the COVID 19 pandemic.

Several other companies around the world have taken up the mantel of developing drones specifically catered to delivering medical supplies. In March of 2022, Australia’s Swoop Aero, England’s Skyports, and Germany’s BD Rowa announced that they would be joining forces to enhance medical drone deliveries. Swoop Aero, founded in 2017, uses drones to solve logistical supply chain problems. Skyports, also founded in 2017, is an urban mobility solutions company. They build the infrastructure necessary for drone delivery management. And BD Rowa, which has been in operation since 1996, develops technology systems to support the medical industry.

By working together to supply drones, drone delivery ports, and the equipment to safely package medical supplies, the 3 companies have committed to solving the supply chain lag that the medical industry is currently facing. To test the partnership, Swoop Aero drones were used to deliver Pfizer COVID19 vaccines to Malawi. While drones have been used to deliver other vaccines, the Pfizer delivery was unique. This vaccine needs to be kept extremely cold. BD Rowa was able to outfit the drone so that it could maintain the correct temperature. “The delivery of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines underscores the novel value of bi-directional drone networks in Malawi,” said Swoop Aero founder and CEO Erik Peck. “The global supply chain bottlenecks evidenced over the past two years have demonstrated the need for agile and robust solutions that complement existing methods of transportation to ensure the vaccines are distributed to those in need in a timely and effective manner.”

Alex Brown, the Director of Drone Services at Skyports explained that the success in Malawi aligns with similar trials they had been running in London through the National Health Services. “We already know the power that drone logistics can bring to health care settings from our work with the NHS in the U.K., transporting pathology samples and COVID-19 tests,” Alex said. “In just the U.K. to date, we have saved over 12,000 hours of patient waiting time, meaning that patients can start treatment sooner and get on with their lives.” The Malawi trial showed the trio that they are ready to expand their services. “With this partnership with BD Rowa,” Alex went on to say, “we’re bringing drone delivery to the pharmaceutical sector to provide speed, frequency, and reliability to patients located in hard-to-reach communities across the U.K., Europe, and the Middle East.”