A Bold Move on Access to Care from Lilly and Ro

These two companies have a history of surprising us and they’ve done it again – this time in a joint initiative. Lilly announced a bold move yesterday to distribute their lower priced vials of tirzepatide for obesity through the telehealth company known as Ro. A spokesperson for Lilly explained the arrangement by saying:

“Ro is a widely used direct-to-consumer platform, and this arrangement builds on the release of our single-dose Zepbound vials from August to help ensure more patients have access to authentic Lilly medicines.”

Ro CEO Zach Reitano says that this deal lines up with the whole rationale for his business:

“Lilly’s release of Zepbound single-dose vials at a lower, self-pay-only price was groundbreaking and reflects the patient-centric model upon which Ro was founded. This integration further streamlines access to the only approved dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist without patients ever having to leave the Ro app, let alone leave their home.”

Frenemies

Health reporter Shelby Livingston called this a case of “keeping your enemies close.” Early on, Ro rattled some of the insiders of obesity care by offering compounded semaglutide as an option for overcoming shortages. But Ro only briefly offered compounded tirzepatide. In fact, they stopped doing it before they began discussing this latest move with Lilly.

On Lilly’s part, Barron’s called this step “a swipe at legal copycats.” Much speculation is swirling about the persistent presence of compounded medicines in the marketplace for obesity medicines. Some investors took the news as a sign that the ongoing threat of compounders is quite serious.

Pressure for Better Access

However this plays out, we frankly like the ongoing pressure for better access to obesity care. The model for telemedicine and consumer marketing in obesity care is in flux. The standards for care are not well-defined. The distinctions between weight loss commerce and real obesity care are too blurry. This bold move by Lilly and Ro will ruffle some feathers and bring scrutiny. That’s OK.

We need better access to obesity care on a much bigger scale.

Click here, here, here, and here for further perspective.

Camera Zoom Burst on a Computer Keyboard, photograph by W.carter, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

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December x, 2024