Pfizer on Tuesday launched a direct-to-consumer service it claims will help people schedule telehealth appointments, fill prescriptions and access savings programs for the company’s migraine, COVID-19 or influenza medicines.
Dubbed PfizerForAll, the online service will provide resources for people looking to obtain treatment for migraine, COVID or the flu, or to schedule vaccinations for diseases like pneumococcal pneumonia and respiratory syncytial virus.
The platform aims to “streamline the path for those seeking better health,” Aamir Malik, Pfizer’s chief U.S. commercial officer, said in a statement. The company said it is working with partners UpScriptHealth, Alto Pharmacy and Instacart.
The launch of PfizerForAll mirrors a similar move from Eli Lilly, which earlier this year launched LillyDirect, an online platform to help people access telehealth services for treating obesity, diabetes and migraine. Lilly later partnered with Amazon Pharmacy to provide home delivery of medicines for those conditions.
For Lilly, its service provided another way for consumers to access the in-demand obesity treatment Zepbound. On Tuesday, the company launched a new single-dose vial formulation of the drug at a discount price via LillyDirect.
While pharmaceutical companies have experimented with DTC services in the past, that was typically the result of a loss of patent exclusivity and aimed at combating generic competition. Pfizer has even done something similar before, rolling out a mail-order option for its cholesterol drug Lipitor at generic prices after its patent expired in 2011.
PfizerForAll will provide access to same-day appointments with healthcare providers in-person or online. People using the service can get medications and diagnostic tests for COVID or the flu delivered to a local pharmacy, or to their home.
Additionally, the platform will put all of Pfizer’s savings programs in one place, potentially helping patients find options for which they’re eligible.
Pfizer said it will continue to expand its PfizerForAll service, potentially to new conditions in the future.