STAT+: Senators demand answers on telehealth platforms from Pfizer and Eli Lilly

Senators led by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Monday demanded answers from Pfizer and Eli Lilly about their relationship with the telehealth prescribers they point patients to from their websites, seeking to determine whether the pharma giants are violating the federal anti-kickback statute.

This year, both Pfizer and Eli Lilly launched websites that allow users to learn about their medications, follow links to “talk to a doctor now,” and fill their prescriptions through an online pharmacy. The sites follow a growing trend of pharma companies directing patients to select telehealth platforms, offering instant access to clinicians who can prescribe their drugs. 

“This manufacturer-sponsored arrangement appears intended to steer patients toward particular medications and creates the potential for inappropriate prescribing that can increase spending for federal health care programs,” read the letters, which were co-signed by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.).

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