Amazon Pharmacy automates insulin discounts to ensure patients receive promised prices.
Amazon Pharmacy automates insulin discounts to ensure patients receive promised prices.
Amazon Pharmacy Automates Discounts for Insulin and Diabetes Medicines
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In an effort to help patients access affordable insulin and diabetes medicines, Amazon.com announced that its online pharmacy will now automatically apply manufacturer-sponsored coupons. This feature will benefit more than 15 insulin and diabetes medications, cutting down costs for patients who rely on these critical drugs.
Patients using Amazon Pharmacy will no longer have to search for and manually enter coupons from the three largest insulin manufacturers: Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, and Sanofi. This change simplifies the process, reducing the cost of insulin to as little as $35 for a month’s supply, according to Amazon.
This development comes after Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, and Sanofi made commitments in March to decrease their insulin prices by at least 70% by 2024. However, a report by Senator Elizabeth Warren last month revealed that some patients were still struggling to access affordable generic insulin at the promised lower prices.
Despite Lilly reducing the list price of its Insulin Lispro to $25 per vial in May, patients were still being quoted as much as $330 for the same medicine. They were not informed about cheaper alternatives when visiting pharmacies, and faced difficulties when trying to utilize Lilly’s savings program, as outlined in Warren’s report.
Amazon Pharmacy’s Chief Medical Officer, Vin Gupta, stressed the importance of transparency in making it easier for patients to obtain insulin at the lowest possible cost. He acknowledged the challenges patients faced in navigating the complexities of accessing affordable medications, despite efforts from manufacturers and Congress.
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Apart from insulin and diabetes medications, Amazon Pharmacy will also apply available discounts to diabetes-related medical devices. This includes continuous glucose monitors and pumps from manufacturers Dexcom and Insulet. Additionally, discounts will be applied to other cardiometabolic medicines, such as Novo’s weight-loss drug Wegovy.
The American Diabetes Association’s CEO, Charles Henderson, expressed his support for Amazon’s automated discounting system. He believes it will enable the 37 million Americans living with diabetes to access the treatments they need more easily. He emphasized the importance of empowering individuals in the diabetes community to make informed decisions about their diabetes care and medication costs.
Amazon has been actively working to attract customers away from established pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens since launching its healthcare business in late 2020. The company announced that it has doubled its active pharmacy users over the past year.
John Love, Vice President of Amazon Pharmacy, stated that customers have numerous options and will choose what works best for them. Amazon’s goal is to create options that provide convenient access to these medications, ensuring customers’ diverse needs are met.
With Amazon Pharmacy’s automated discount application, patients will have seamless access to affordable insulin, diabetes medications, and related medical devices. This development marks another step towards making healthcare more accessible and affordable for individuals in need.
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