diff --git a/domains/health/manufacturer-direct-to-employer-channels-challenge-pbm-intermediation-through-price-compression.md b/domains/health/manufacturer-direct-to-employer-channels-challenge-pbm-intermediation-through-price-compression.md index b0fcd77be..c9c0fe3ab 100644 --- a/domains/health/manufacturer-direct-to-employer-channels-challenge-pbm-intermediation-through-price-compression.md +++ b/domains/health/manufacturer-direct-to-employer-channels-challenge-pbm-intermediation-through-price-compression.md @@ -46,3 +46,10 @@ Eli Lilly Employer Connect launched March 5, 2026 at $449/dose with partnerships **Source:** HR Brew/PR Newswire Q4 2025-Q1 2026 DTE announcements Both major GLP-1 manufacturers (Eli Lilly via Employer Connect, Novo Nordisk via 9amHealth/Waltz Health partnerships) now operate DTE channels as of Q1 2026. Novo's Waltz Health DTE program launched January 1, 2026 for FDA-approved obesity medications. 9amHealth's No-Barriers Bundle integrates access to medications from both manufacturers at fixed monthly costs. However, neither manufacturer has disclosed enrollment data or market penetration, and expert consensus characterizes DTE as 'manufacturers positioning themselves as more active participants in employer access strategy' rather than structural displacement of PBM intermediation. + + +## Challenging Evidence + +**Source:** MedCity News / National Alliance expert assessment, March 2026 + +Lilly Employer Connect's $449/month net price for Zepbound 'doesn't appear to be substantially lower than the price employers were already getting' through existing PBM channels according to National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions expert. Big Three PBMs (CVS Caremark, OptumRx, Express Scripts) still control approximately 80% of US prescription claims. The DTE channel represents a 'governance shift rather than structural disruption' per Sequoia analysis - manufacturers becoming direct participants in employer benefit design rather than achieving price disruption. diff --git a/inbox/queue/2026-04-29-lilly-employer-connect-not-revolutionary-dte-limits.md b/inbox/archive/health/2026-04-29-lilly-employer-connect-not-revolutionary-dte-limits.md similarity index 97% rename from inbox/queue/2026-04-29-lilly-employer-connect-not-revolutionary-dte-limits.md rename to inbox/archive/health/2026-04-29-lilly-employer-connect-not-revolutionary-dte-limits.md index 355278dea..0bf75ee22 100644 --- a/inbox/queue/2026-04-29-lilly-employer-connect-not-revolutionary-dte-limits.md +++ b/inbox/archive/health/2026-04-29-lilly-employer-connect-not-revolutionary-dte-limits.md @@ -7,10 +7,13 @@ date: 2026-03-05 domain: health secondary_domains: [] format: article -status: unprocessed +status: processed +processed_by: vida +processed_date: 2026-04-29 priority: medium tags: [GLP-1, direct-to-employer, DTE, PBM, Lilly, employer-coverage, market-competition] intake_tier: research-task +extraction_model: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5" --- ## Content