Pfizer launches digital DTC platform, following Eli Lilly’s lead
Pfizer launched a digital platform late last month called PfizerForAll, through which consumers can make same-day telehealth or in-person appointments with independent health care professionals and request home delivery of prescription and over-the-counter medicines and diagnostic tests.
For now, the direct-to-consumer (DTC) service supports patients with migraine, COVID-19, or flu. Consumers can also use PfizerForAll to make appointments at local retail pharmacies for adult vaccinations for COVID-19, flu, respiratory syncytial virus, and pneumococcal pneumonia.
To provide the services available through the platform, Pfizer is partnering with businesses such as UpScriptHealth, a DTC telehealth provider that also ships prescription medications via the U.S. Postal Service and FedEx; Alto Pharmacy, which offers home delivery in nearly a dozen major metro areas; and Instacart.
PfizerForAll also brings together in one place information on Pfizer’s various savings programs and patient support solutions for specific prescription drug products, which may make it easier for consumers to determine their eligibility for the programs.
Patients who use PfizerForAll will be able to use existing insurance and pharmacy programs, according to Pfizer.
Aamir Malik, Pfizer’s executive vice president, chief U.S. commercial officer, said in the announcement: “People often experience information overload and encounter roadblocks when making decisions for themselves or their family in our complex and often overwhelming U.S. health care system. This can be extremely time-consuming and lead to indecision or inaction – and as a result, poor health outcomes. “We are pleased to offer PfizerForAll to help relieve this burden … and streamline the path for those seeking better health.”
The company said it would continue to expand the platform, potentially addressing a broader range of needs and conditions in the future.
Our Take: Eli Lilly launched a similar platform called LillyDirect at the beginning of this year, offering disease management for diabetes, migraine, and obesity. The platform offers access to independent telehealth providers and a search tool consumers can use to find health care professionals in their vicinity if they want to see one in person.
LillyDirect also features a digital pharmacy for certain Lilly drugs, including weight-loss medication Zepbound (tirzepatide), but not the diabetes drug Mounjaro (tirzepatide). LillyDirect Pharmacy Solutions is powered by third-party online pharmacy fulfillment services and offers free home delivery. Lilly recently introduce a new, single-dose vial formulation of Zepbound, which is available through LillyDirect at a discount price.
After launching LillyDirect in January, Lilly established a partnership with Amazon Pharmacy in March, giving consumers who use LillyDirect 24/7 access to Amazon’s pharmacists and free, two-day delivery.
There are, however, distinct differences between LillyDirect and PfizerForAll.
For example, as the name implies, LillyDirect allows consumers to order their prescription medications directly from Lilly (and currently, only Lilly drugs are available through LillyDirect). But consumers cannot order prescription drugs directly from Pfizer using PfizerForAll.
Another difference is that PfizerForAll is not limited strictly to Pfizer offerings, though naturally the platform prominently features information about Pfizer’s drugs. For instance, consumers can use PfizerForAll to find a local pharmacy offering Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.
Bill Roth, managing partner of Blue Fin Group, a health care consulting firm, said drugmakers in the past typically initiated DTC models in an attempt to counter a drop in sales when brand-name drugs lose patent exclusivity and are facing competition from generics, PharmaVoice reported in May.
“What’s interesting about what Lilly did — and what Pfizer [at the time was] proposing to do — is these are on the front side of the product life cycle,” Roth said.
“It’s unclear as to whether they’re trying to learn [from the platforms] or whether they’re truly trying to stand up a new channel to be able to sell,” he noted.
“I don’t see them as a sustainable, healthy alternative to the other retail or home delivery options out there, but I don’t think it’s going to stop people from trying.”
What else you need to know
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