Eli Lilly collaborates with Amazon to sell drugs online

Eli Lilly, the world's largest drug manufacturer by market value, has entered into an agreement that will allow Amazon's online pharmacy (Amazon Pharmacy) to distribute drugs, including its very popular 'injectable pen' for weight loss.

This is the first time Amazon has partnered with a major pharmaceutical company since it launched its online pharmacy business in 2020. And while it is unclear how many patients Amazon Pharmacy serves or how the partnership will help extend Lilly's reach, the deal puts two giants at the same table. The eCommerce company said last year that its active customers had doubled, without providing any numbers.

Online sales is something Eli Lilly has recently experimented with. LillyDirect, launched in January, offers patients access to third-party telehealth consultations, and the ability to receive prescriptions such as Eli Lilly's anti-obesity drug Zepbound and then have the drugs delivered to their homes. The company said the decision was partly motivated by the huge demand for weight loss drugs.

So far, 14 drugs are available through LillyDirect, including Zepbound - which generated $175.8 million in sales in the final weeks of 2023 after receiving regulatory approval in November - several diabetes drugs and a migraine treatment. While the number of LillyDirect users was not disclosed.

Last month, during a fourth-quarter earnings call, Patrik Jonsson, who heads the diabetes and obesity drugmaker's operations, stated his intention to make more drugs available on the platform in the future.