Amazon Pharmacy joins LillyDirect to deliver Zepbound

Eli Lilly said on March 13, 2024, that Amazon Pharmacy will help deliver Zepbound and other prescription drugs ordered through LillyDirect, the company's direct-to-consumer website ^[1][2]. Amazon is the second online pharmacy to join the platform, alongside Truepill, which has filled LillyDirect prescriptions since the site launched in January 2024 ^[1][2].

Under the new arrangement, patients with a valid prescription for certain Lilly drugs used for obesity, diabetes, or migraine can have their orders routed to LillyDirect Pharmacy Solutions, which then sends the prescription to either Amazon Pharmacy or Truepill for delivery ^[1][2]. Lilly said prescriptions will largely be split between the two pharmacies, though some patients will be steered to one or the other based on individual factors, including insurance coverage ^[1][2]. Amazon Pharmacy offers free two-day delivery to patients with an Amazon Prime membership, a benefit that also applies to orders placed through LillyDirect ^[1]. Lilly's Frank Cunningham said the company expects Amazon Pharmacy and Truepill to have similar processing and shipping times, though Truepill's CEO said his company has offered overnight delivery since LillyDirect launched ^[1].

Lilly has not disclosed how many patients have used LillyDirect so far, saying only that it has seen "significant interest in the platform" ^[1][2]. The company said it plans to expand the medicines and partners on the site over time ^[1][2]. Separately, CEO David Ricks has said the website is meant to help ensure that manufacturer coupons — which can bring Zepbound's cost down to $550 a month for eligible patients — are properly applied, and to steer people away from compounded or counterfeit versions of the drug ^[2]. The move comes as demand for Zepbound and competing drugs such as Novo Nordisk's Wegovy has surged, with the obesity drug market estimated to reach at least $100 billion by the end of the decade ^[2]. Lilly has also faced intermittent shortages of its weight-loss drugs over the past year ^[1].

Amazon Pharmacy's clinical staff will also be available around the clock to answer questions from patients newly starting Zepbound, according to the company's chief medical officer, Dr. Vin Gupta, who noted the drug carries known side effects such as nausea and vomiting ^[1]. Truepill said it offers similar 24/7 pharmacist support ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

For people prescribed Zepbound, the Amazon partnership adds a second delivery route through LillyDirect, alongside Truepill, and ties that option to Amazon Prime's two-day shipping for eligible members ^[1]. Patients are not required to use LillyDirect's telehealth service to get home delivery — they can ask their existing health care provider to route a prescription to LillyDirect through their electronic health records system ^[1]. Which pharmacy actually fills an order, Amazon or Truepill, depends on factors including insurance coverage, so the experience may vary by patient ^[1][2]. The arrangement does not change the list price of Zepbound; Lilly has said the site is meant to help apply existing manufacturer coupons that can lower the cost to $550 a month for some patients ^[2]. It is not yet known from these sources exactly how many patients are using LillyDirect, how wait times compare across the two pharmacy partners in practice, or whether insurance plans broadly recognize LillyDirect orders the same way they would a traditional retail pharmacy fill.

What happens next

Lilly has said it intends to add more medicines and pharmacy or service partners to LillyDirect "in the near future," though no specific timeline was given ^[1][2]. Cunningham also said Lilly was considering a retail pharmacy partnership to add an in-person pickup option, and Walgreens CEO Tim Wentworth said his company could be a natural partner for such a deal ^[2]. Neither the number of prescriptions filled through LillyDirect nor further details on those potential retail partnerships were available in the sources reviewed.