Lilly partners with Amazon to deliver Zepbound and other drugs
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[March 13, 2024]
By Patrick Wingrove
(Reuters) - Eli Lilly said on Wednesday it has brought on Amazon.com's
pharmacy unit to deliver drug prescriptions sent to its
direct-to-consumer service, LillyDirect.
Lilly launched the platform in January to enable patients to obtain
their migraine, diabetes and obesity drugs, including the popular
weight-loss medicine Zepbound, directly from the company via delivery
from online pharmacy Truepill.
The drugmaker said prescriptions sent to LillyDirect Pharmacy Solutions
would now be delivered by either Amazon Pharmacy or Truepill, depending
on the patient’s insurance coverage and other factors.
Lilly's vice president of managed healthcare services, Frank Cunningham,
said they planned to split the orders between the two companies. He said
Lilly was "very pleased" with the number of prescriptions it had filled
through LillyDirect but declined to share the number.
A Lilly spokesperson said in an emailed statement that the website has
generated significant interest since the launch and that the drugmaker
"looked forward to continuing to enhance LillyDirect with additional
medicines, partners and service providers in the near future."
Cunningham said the Indianapolis-based drugmaker was considering
partnering with a retail pharmacy to offer a pick-up option for
LillyDirect customers.
Walgreens CEO Tim Wentworth told Reuters shortly after LillyDirect was
launched that the pharmacy chain could be "a very natural potential
partner for someone like Lilly."
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Eli Lilly logo is shown on one of the company's offices in San
Diego, California, U.S., September 17, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File
Photo
LillyDirect was launched on the back
of surging demand last year for powerful weight-loss drugs including
Zepbound and Novo Nordisk's Wegovy.
The market for obesity drugs is estimated to reach at least $100
billion by the end of the decade, as consumers flock to the new
treatments that have been shown to reduce weight by as much as 20%.
Lilly CEO David Ricks told Reuters in January that the website would
ensure that coupons that bring the cost of Zepbound down to $550 a
month were applied, and would also encourage users to avoid
compounded or fake versions of the medicine.
The website also connects patients to independent telehealth
providers who can complement their current team of doctors or be an
alternative to in-person care for certain conditions, the company
has previously said.
(Reporting by Patrick Wingrove in New York; Editing by Matthew
Lewis)
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