STAT+: Telehealth platforms in senators' crosshairs over relationship with Eli Lilly, Pfizer

On Tuesday, a group of senators sent letters to five telehealth companies that offer care through direct-to-consumer portals from pharmaceutical manufacturers Pfizer and Eli Lilly, interrogating their financial relationships. The questions seek to determine whether contracts between pharma and telehealth companies could violate the federal anti-kickback statute. 

The group of senators led by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) in October sent similar letters to Pfizer and Eli Lilly demanding answers about their relationships with the telehealth prescribers, which patients can access through websites PfizerForAll and LillyDirect, which also offer patients the ability to fill prescriptions for their medications online.  

“After describing Pfizer’s medications and the benefit they can have for patients, Pfizer’s telehealth platform provides a link for patients to “talk to a doctor now” and fill prescriptions via an online pharmacy,” the senators write in their letter to UpScript Health, which provides telehealth platforms to several pharmaceutical manufacturers. “This 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.” 

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