Eli Lilly & Co. LLY, +4.31% announced Thursday the launch of digital health services for U.S. patients with obesity, migraines and diabetes, saying its new LillyDirect platform will provide access to independent health care providers and delivery of certain Lilly medications through third parties provide party dispensing services. The platform's online pharmacy will automatically provide savings card discounts for qualified individuals and ship medications for free, Lilly said in a press release. LillyDirect will also help people connect with independent telemedicine providers who can supplement a patient's current primary care or provide an alternative to in-person care for certain conditions, the company said. Future updates to the program may include services to help patients adhere to their medications, Lilly said. Lilly's new obesity drug Zepbound received regulatory approval in the US in November. But questions remain as to whether patients can stick with the latest generation of anti-obesity drugs in the long term, given side effects such as nausea and vomiting. Lilly shares rose 1.2% in premarket trading on Thursday and are up more than 70% in the past 12 months, while the S&P 500 has gained 22%.
