Lilly launches its LillyDirect sales channel in the UK
Eli Lilly's LillyDirect sales channel, which has become an important driver of sales of its weight-loss therapies in the US, has now arrived in the UK.
LillyDirect operates as a direct-to-patient (DTP) sales channel in the US, one of a number set up by big pharma groups and the federal government in the last couple of years that have started to transform the US pharma supply chain. Directly transferring that model is not possible in the UK, as drug manufacturers are prohibited by law from shipping prescription-only medications directly to patients.
Rather, the UK version of LillyDirect operates as a post-prescription dispensing and delivery service that will operate in the UK through a network of private UK-regulated healthcare organisations.
Once an eligible private healthcare company has registered for LillyDirect, it will be able to issue private electronic prescriptions to patients, which will be processed and delivered by Lilly's dispensing partners, currently Blueco Healthcare's Onescript service and Pharmacy2U.
The medicine is delivered securely in discreet packaging to the patient's home, according to the drugmaker, with real-time delivery tracking.
"Lilly plays no role in any clinical decisions relating to patient care," stressed the company.
Mounjaro is first product to be included
The first drug to be offered through the channel is injectable GIP/GLP-1 agonist Mounjaro (tirzepatide), which is approved for weight loss and to treat type 2 diabetes, but can be hard to access via the NHS due to restrictions on eligibility.
As a result, many users of the drug in the UK rely on private prescriptions for access, and that can put them at risk of being exposed to falsified copies that may lack any active ingredient or – as has been reported in some cases internationally – contain potentially hazardous drugs like insulin.
Lilly said the new service ensures that only "authentic, Lilly-manufactured medicines are delivered to patients, helping to safeguard against the risk of counterfeit products entering the supply chain."
In time, it may extend LillyDirect in the UK to include other medicines, potentially Foundayo (orforglipron), its oral GLP-1 agonist, which is currently under review by the MHRA and could be available for private prescription before the end of the year, if approved.
"This year marks 150 years since the founding of Eli Lilly and Company. For a century and a half, our founding purpose – to make life better for patients – has driven every innovation we have pursued," said Khalil Asmar, vice president of cardiometabolic health at Lilly UK & Northern Europe.
"The launch of LillyDirect in the UK is a continuation of that legacy: using the tools and technologies available today to better serve patients tomorrow," he added. "We are committed to ensuring that once a patient has been prescribed a Lilly medicine, receiving it is as simple, secure, and straightforward as possible."
