Are Direct-to-Patient Access Models the Future of Pharma?

In January, Eli Lilly launched LillyDirect, a website offering access to telehealth consultations and direct home delivery of certain drugs to treat diabetes, weight loss, and migraines. In Archbow Consulting’s blog post, we discussed the growing potential to sell directly to patients via a cash model.

Meanwhile, Pfizer recently launched a similar direct-to-consumer digital platform, PfizerForAll, which aims to simplify access to healthcare. PfizerForAll helps to streamline necessary health actions, fill prescriptions, and find potential savings on Pfizer medicines. As this new model gains popularity in the market and gross-to-net pressure continues to mount, we should expect additional manufacturers to introduce these direct-to-patient models.

Archbow’s recommendations for manufacturers considering a direct-to-patient model are as relevant today as they were nearly a year ago. The following types of organizations may benefit the most from this strategic model:

• Large organizations with an extensive portfolio of drugs
• Small organizations that may be forced to engage significant stakeholders (Wholesalers, PBMs, Retail Chains, etc.) at non-sustainable rates to secure commercial success
• Any company with a pharmacy benefit product(s) that PBMs/Payers are closely monitoring and tightly managing