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Eli Lilly and Co. hosted its first “Ask Me Anything” session on the popular online forum Reddit on Monday, featuring a question-and-answer session with a Lilly executive about insurance coverage and access to the obesity medication Zepbound.
Lilly’s session attracted dozens of questions from online users, with answers from Rhonda Pacheco, the company’s group vice president of U.S. cardiometabolic health. That same day, the Indianapolis-based drugmaker also expanded Zepbound offerings on its self-pay pharmacy, LillyDirect.
Questions were submitted days in advance following a call-out from the company. Answers appeared under a Zepbound-logo avatar.
According to Reddit Business, an “Ask Me Anything,” or AMA, is an informal session between the forum’s users and a host. Reddit has more than 178 million weekly active users in the United States, according to the company’s last earnings report.
Lilly said the AMA was the company’s first such direct consumer interaction on Reddit.
“By actively listening to patients’ concerns and responding with clarity, we’re reinforcing our commitment to meaningful, two-way communication that directly supports meeting patients’ needs and addressing some of their most common questions and concerns around accessing the treatment that has been prescribed for them by their doctor,” a Lilly spokesperson told IBJ in an email.
The chat began with introductory text from Lilly that included, “Let’s talk about access to obesity management medication.”
Lilly then said that coming changes in insurance coverage for Zepbound could leave thousands of adults with the choice to stop taking the medication for weight loss and long-term maintenance or pay out of pocket.
In May, Lilly rival Novo Nordisk announced that CVS Caremark, the country’s largest pharmacy benefit manager, or PBM, decided that Wegovy would be the preferred GLP-1 medicine for obesity on the largest commercial template formularies for CVS Caremark.
The change is effective July 1.
During the AMA, one user asked: “Are you still negotiating with CVS over Zepbound coverage? Is it possible that it will be offered again in the future under Caremark plans?”
Lilly’s Pacheco responded in part: “Yes, it’s possible. I can tell you that my team and I are in direct discussions with CVS Caremark to advocate for Zepbound’s inclusion and to push for continued access for patients already on treatment.”
Other questions included users’ concerns about comparisons with Wegovy and Zepbound’s price.
“Lilly continues to work with all stakeholders to improve broad insurance coverage for Zepbound,” the Lilly spokesperson told IBJ. “Until then, some people with obesity may choose to self-pay for their prescribed treatment.”
Separately, Lilly announced Monday that LillyDirect, which offers vials of Zepbound at a discounted self-pay rate, would expand to sell the highest approved doses of the drug, 12.5 mg and 15 mg. Those doses can be prescribed starting July 7 and shipped to patients in August, the company said.
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Good for Lilly & Co, but this reads like some dystopian ironic comedy. “Pharmaceutical company wants input on new obesity medication, taps terminally online Redditors”