Selling medicines direct-to-patients. A new way forward?

𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗼 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝗹𝗹𝗶 𝗟𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗳𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁-𝘁𝗼-𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 (𝗗𝘁𝗣) 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿.

𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥?
Time will tell. But companies are building or acquiring e-commerce capabilities, setting up logistics, customer support, and necessary technologies to directly reach patients. This will build direct relationships and greater brand loyalty (particularly for long-term conditions) and increase sales.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴?
Assurance to have reliable access to authentic medications, delivered directly to the doorstep, complete with refill reminders. Potentially a game changer for those whose medication isn't covered by insurance (and can pay out-of-pocket).

𝘚𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴?
Potentially, especially considering that 30-50% of all prescribed medicines for long-term conditions are not taken as recommended. This might improve adherence and reduce healthcare costs. However, the pricing dynamics between DtP and traditional reimbursement models will be a challenge.

DtP is an interesting shift to watch in the pharmaceutical landscape particularly for chronic conditions.

Two points stand out for me:
1. How do we ensure equitable access to DtP services for all populations regardless of socio-economic status or geography?
2. How can DtP models be integrated with existing healthcare systems for optimal patient care?

First published on LinkedIn