Eli Lilly has officially launched Employer Connect, its direct-to-employer platform for its obesity medications, after teasing the rollout late last year.
The drugmaker said in an announcement that the program is aimed at supporting employer choice and enabling them to build the solution that works best for them and their workforces. It will launch with more than 15 independent program administrators as partners, which allows employers to select multiple models.
Coverage for GLP-1s remains a key challenge for employers to navigate, as there is significant demand for the drugs that often come at a high cost. Within the program, Lilly will offer Zepbound KwikPen to network pharmacies at a discounted $449 price.
What the patient ultimately pays could vary based on the employer’s cost sharing model and which partner they lean on, per the announcement.
The platform allows employers to offer coverage for Zepbound at a lower out-of-pocket cost in a way that fits within their benefits strategy and budget, the company said.
Kevin Hern, senior vice president for Lilly Employer at Eli Lilly, told Fierce Healthcare that the GLP-1 class offers a unique challenge within healthcare, making it a good fit for unique models like this one. He said the company’s direct-to-consumer option, Lilly Direct, tackles this problem at the individual level, and launching an employer platform allows that to be at scale.
“This is our attempt to respond to some of the tensions that we’ve heard from employers that are keeping them on the sidelines, to try to address some of those in a way that might enable them to provide access to their employees to these medicines,” Hern said.
The focus on choice extends to the variety of potential administrator partners that are plugged into Lilly’s program.
For example, one of the participating administrators is Teladoc Health, which would allow the employer to offer a full telehealth solution that includes the GLP-1 access. Or, they could choose a platform that’s focused on cardiometabolic care specifically, like 9amHealth.
Other administrator partners are more focused on the pharmacy side, such as GoodRx, Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs or Waltz Health.
Hern said the team at Lilly vetted dozens of potential administrative partners, aiming to find those that best aligned with the spirit and goals of the Employer Connect program, including a focus on transparency and open access.
“You’ve got some smaller entities that are starting up and moving into the space, and some very well established groups that have been working with employers in a range of services for a long time,” he said.