Eli Lilly Picks Amazon Pharmacy to Dispense Diabetes and Obesity Meds

Drugmaker Eli Lilly has teamed with Amazon to deliver medications to patients’ homes.

The partnership, announced Wednesday (March 13), will see Amazon Pharmacy serve as a third-party dispensing partner for LillyDirect, the company’s new healthcare platform for patients being treated for diabetes, migraines or obesity.

“For many patients who start using insulin, or injectable medications for migraine or obesity, this will be the first time they administer an injection,” the announcement said. “Amazon pharmacists can support medication management by providing guidance on administration techniques, drug interactions, side effects, and cost considerations.”

In addition, pharmacists can help with reminders to help patients remain consistent with their medication schedule.

Lilly announced the platform at the beginning of the year, saying it provides access to independent healthcare providers and direct home delivery of some of the company’s drugs via third-party pharmacy dispensing services to ease the burden of living with chronic illnesses.

“With LillyDirect, our goal is to relieve some of those burdens by simplifying the patient experience to help improve outcomes,” CEO David A. Ricks said. “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.”

As PYMNTS wrote soon after the launch, LillyDirect comes amid a surge in consumer adoption of centralized online health platforms to manage a range of medical services and benefits from a single place.

“These multifaceted platforms serve as centralized hubs, facilitating payment processing, overseeing prescriptions and pharmacy requirements, and providing access to comprehensive medical information, among other services,” that report said. “They prioritize patient convenience and personalized experiences, reflecting a shift toward patient-centric care.”

Seniors and baby boomers, groups that are often typecast as being averse to using new tech, are embracing digital healthcare activities and show an affinity for using these digital healthcare portals.

As noted in the PYMNTS Intelligence study “What Baby Boomers and Seniors Want From Digital Healthcare Platforms,” roughly 65% of baby boomers — or around 55 million people — have shown an interest in using these digital healthcare platforms. In addition, 90% of them would rather conduct key healthcare activities using unified digital platforms.

“The study also revealed that baby boomers and seniors are generally satisfied with their digital healthcare experiences, reporting higher satisfaction rates than the average consumer for activities such as scheduling appointments online,” PYMNTS wrote. “The ability to order and refill prescriptions and connect with healthcare providers through unified platforms is also highly appealing to this age group.”