(WSJ) – Companies are rolling out direct-to-patient services, which are selling drugs for weight loss and other uses

Drugmakers are moving to sell their medicines directly to patients, abandoning the middlemen they have long relied on.

The shift is a huge departure from how pharmaceutical companies including Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Pfizer have sold drugs for decades and threatens the multibillion-dollar business of firms that have traditionally filled prescriptions. 

It is saving some patients hundreds of dollars off the cost of prescriptions because companies have been lowering the prices for drugs sold directly. 

Meantime, drugmakers who have been rolling out the services in recent months see a big opportunity to boost sales, though they risk losing revenue if they don’t offset lower prices by selling to more patients.  (Read More)