Katie Palmer, the expert in telehealth, clinical artificial intelligence, and the health data economy, is all about exploring how digital health care impacts patients, providers, and businesses. You can hit her up on Signal at palmer.01. Recently, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk declared war on telehealth companies promoting compounded versions of their popular diabetes and obesity medications. Now that shortages of the branded drugs are resolved and the compounding window is shut, some virtual care companies are unexpectedly becoming allies.
In the quest to transition compounded GLP-1 users to branded versions of the medications, major pharmaceutical companies are beginning to see certain telehealth providers as valuable marketing partners. Towards the end of April, Novo Nordisk revealed its collaboration with three telehealth companies to offer Wegovy through its mail-order pharmacy at a reduced cash-pay price. Additionally, it announced a limited-time coupon, jointly promoted by Ro and LifeMD, to attract more patients. This unique co-branding strategy between telehealth providers and manufacturers is a rare move, according to Tim Mackey, a global health professor at the University of California, San Diego. The partnership between these unlikely allies marks a shift in the healthcare landscape.
Maybe it’s just me, but the unexpected alliance between telehealth providers and pharmaceutical giants like Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk is raising eyebrows. Not really sure why this matters, but it seems like a significant shift in the industry. The move towards co-branding and strategic partnerships between these traditionally opposing entities could have far-reaching implications for the future of healthcare. Who would have thought that telehealth companies and big pharma would join forces in this way? It’s definitely an interesting development that bears watching.
