Pfizer, Lilly relationships with telehealth platforms draw Sen. Durbin’s attention
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- Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has sent letters to Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) regarding the two drug giants’ relationships with telehealth platforms.
- Durbin is seeking to find out whether the two pharmaceutical companies are violating federal anti-kickback laws, according to the letters.
- Both Pfizer and Lilly this year launched websites for consumers to find out about their medications, as well as links to talk to a physician online that can prescribe them and an online pharmacy to get prescriptions filled. Pfizer’s is called PfizerForAll, while Lilly’s is name LillyDirect.
- Durbin, along with Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.), argue that these setups are designed to push consumers to particular drugs “and create the potential for inappropriate prescribing that can increase spending for federal health programs.”
- Regarding Pfizer’s platform, the senators say the ease of getting meds prescribed “creates the impression that any patient interested in a particular medication can indeed receive it with just a few clicks, and the appearance of Pfizer’s approval that these chosen telehealth providers can ensure a patient receives the given medication.”