The pharma industry is embracing direct-to-consumer selling of medicines in the US, and industry organisation PhRMA has stepped in to help cut out the middlemen in the supply chain.
Novartis and Boehringer Ingelheim are the latest pharma groups to launch DTC platforms offering cut-price medicines to US consumers able to pay for them in cash, joining others who have gone down that route, including AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Pfizer, Novo Nordisk, and Eli Lilly.
Pharma, meanwhile, has added to the momentum building behind the trend by announcing it will launch AmericasMedicines.com, a website that will connect patients with the manufacturers’ direct purchase programmes, in January 2026.
The industry group has been a vocal critic of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and other middlemen, claiming that they negotiate rebates on drug prices but don’t hand all the discounts on to patients, pocketing the difference.
“This is why President Trump called on companies to let patients and employers purchase medicines directly – and at a lower cost,” said PhRMA in a statement. “This new website will allow manufacturers to list a wide range of medicines and connect patients directly to available options prescribed by their doctor.”
Novartis’ foray into the DTC selling arena – now increasingly referred to as direct-to-patient (DTP) – is being road-tested using its IL-17 inhibitor Cosentyx (secukinumab), used to treat psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and other inflammatory diseases. It is Novartis’ top-selling product in the US.
Starting on 1st November, the as-yet unnamed new channel will allow patients to buy an auto-injector version of the drug at a 55% discount to its US list price of just under $8,000 per month, reducing it to a little over $3,500, which Novartis said “reflects the average savings that insurers and pharmacy benefit managers receive.”
The company said Cosentyx will serve as a way to test the direct-selling concept and – if this pilot is successful – it will offer a DTP option for additional medicines and also explore a similar approach for large employers “as another way to increase access and affordability.”
Boehringer, meanwhile, has already launched a fully formed platform, called Boehringer Ingelheim Access, that is initially selling Spiriva Respimat (tiotropium bromide), a once-daily, maintenance inhaler for the treatment of bronchospasm associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The company said additional medications may become available in future, including its “full respiratory inhaler and diabetes portfolios.”
The programme is a bit broader in scope than just the cash-pay population, who will be charged $35 per month for the drug, which carries a list price of around $600. It will also be possible to pay for the drug using a flexible spending account (FSA), health savings account (HSA), or insurance.
