UPS said Tuesday it is rolling out a new drone delivery service for medical samples in an effort to improve the efficiency of hospitals around the world.

A partnership with autonomous drone company Matternet and hospital WakeMed in Raleigh, North Carolina, represents an expansion of a test program begun in August under the supervision of North Carolina's Transportation Department. The Federal Aviation Administration is overseeing the program.

UPS said the service will utilize Matternet's M2 "quadcopter" drone, which can carry medical samples of up to 5 pounds as far as 12.5 miles.