Eli Lilly Partners with Amazon Pharmacy

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You really can get almost anything from Amazon.

The online retail giant announced that it has entered into a partnership with Eli Lilly to distribute certain medications through Amazon Pharmacy. According to a press release, the deal will allow customers to get these medications delivered directly to their homes.¹ Amazon customers will be able to access these drugs alongside Amazon Pharmacy’s full suite of pharmacy support.

The partnership will provide the medications through LillyDirect, a digital end-to-end healthcare provider that provides patients with access to telehealth options and prescriptions for obesity, migraine, and diabetes treatments. Amazon is the second online pharmacy to partner with Eli Lilly’s digital platform, and the online retailer will serve as a third-part dispensing provider.

Amazon Pharmacy offers customers access to clinical pharmacists while also monitoring incoming prescriptions. The platform’s pharmacists can notify customers of important details about their prescriptions, such as potential drug interactions.

As is the case with the majority of Amazon deliveries, customers ordering their prescriptions through Amazon Pharmacy will have the ability to track their deliveries in near real time and receive delivery notifications.

Customers will also have access to pharmacists for medication management support. According to Amazon, customers who find themselves having to use an injectable medication for the first time will be able to contact these pharmacists for support. They’ll be able to set up virtual meetings in order to ensure that they are administering the medication correctly.

This partnership is a part of two growing trends. First, weight-loss drugs are seeing a rise in prominence in the US. Consumers are moving away from fad diets and personal trainers and are seeking medical intervention for obesity and obesity related issues at higher numbers than before. This has caused a strain on the supply chain, and popular drugs like Wegovy have been difficult to find for many hopeful users. Novo Nordisk, the drug’s developer, has taken steps to increase the supply of the drug in recent months, such as acquiring Catalent and bringing multiple production sites under their umbrella.

Secondly, there is a growing rise in direct-to-consumer pharmaceuticals platforms. Several drug developers are building their own platforms so that patients will be able to fulfill their prescriptions directly from the drug supplier, as opposed to having to go to a pharmacy. LillyDirect partnering with Amazon Pharmacy gives the platform access to the retailer’s massive network of warehouses, storage sites, and delivering fleets. According to the companies, the goal is to provide patients with more convenient and less expensive ways of obtaining the medications that they require.

Amazon Pharmacy accepts a wide variety of insurance plans, and offers discount programs through PrimeRx and RxPass. Patients obtaining their medications through Amazon Pharmacy can direct their prescriptions to either Amazon Pharmacy or LillyDirect.

Source

1. Gupta, Vin. Amazon Pharmacy Now Provides Home Delivery of Select Diabetes, Obesity, and Migraine Medications to LillyDirect Patients. Amazon. March 13, 2024. https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/retail/amazon-pharmacy-diabetes-migraine-medication-lillydirect