One of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, Eli Lilly, is going DTC with the launch of the new LillyDirect platform, which offers disease management resources and home delivery of select Lilly medicines.
At the outset, LillyDirect is focused on three conditions — obesity, migraines and diabetes. But the company said that the platform will continue to be “updated and expanded” with future updates, potentially including the addition of new products and services such as programs to help patients adhere to medical regimens.
“We know that people have come to depend on the efficiency and convenience of digital solutions to meet a variety of their everyday needs — healthcare being one of them,” said Frank Cunningham, Group VP for Global Value and Access at Lilly in a statement. “We launched LillyDirect with the hope that it will offer patients an innovative end-to-end experience to manage their health and access their medicines, so they can get back to living their lives.”
The site offers educational resources as well as access to independent telehealth providers who are able to offer treatment advice and prescribe medications, although the company is careful to note that these providers should “complement a patient’s current primary care team.” For patients who prefer to see a doctor in person, LillyDirect also features a search tool for patients to find healthcare professionals in their area.
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Drug fulfillment is handled by LillyDirect Pharmacy Solutions, a digital pharmacy for select Lilly medicines that is powered by third-party online pharmacy fulfillment services. Medicines will be delivered directly to patients’ homes for free. Additionally, the company noted that “by obtaining medicines directly from Lilly, patients can easily access Lilly’s affordability solutions and savings card opportunities,” which will be automatically applied to orders for patients who qualify.
“A complex U.S. healthcare system adds to the burdens patients face when managing a chronic disease,” said David Ricks, Chair and CEO of Lilly in a statement. “With LillyDirect, our goal is to relieve some of those burdens by simplifying the patient experience to help improve outcomes. LillyDirect offers more choices in how and where people access healthcare, including a convenient home delivery option to fill Lilly medicines they have been prescribed.”
The move to go DTC is a bold one and appears to be a first for a drug manufacturer. Retail pharmacies have been working for years to simplify the sale of prescription drugs for consumers and bring the category into the digital age. Amazon and Walmart both continue to roll out new services and discounts across their pharmacy offerings, including digital access and home delivery. And recently, Walgreens and CVS have both zeroed in on the realm of prescriptions discounts, with new solutions to help patients simplify the process of finding and applying pharmacy reimbursements.
