The news: Amgen has launched AmgenNow, a direct-to-consumer (D2C) platform that lets patients get cash-pay discounts, starting with its heart disease drug, Repatha. Now, with a GoodRx partnership, patients can buy Repatha for $239 per month—which is 60% cheaper than its list price.

Digging into the details: Amgen joins more than half a dozen pharma company D2C launches under pressure from the Trump administration to lower prices through direct sales.

• Pfizer notched the most comprehensive deal so far, agreeing to cut its drug prices by 40% or more, committing to “most favored nation” pricing for Medicaid drugs and new launches, and adding $70 billion for US R&D and manufacturing. In return, it gets a 3-year delay on tariffs.
• AstraZeneca, Novartis, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Boehringer Ingelheim debuted D2C plans in the past two weeks around the Trump-imposed Sept. 29 deadline.
• Eli Lilly launched its D2C LillyDirect last year, and Novo Nordisk debuted its effort NovoCare earlier this year.
• Roche, Merck KGaA, and Zealand Pharma are among the drugmakers that have said they’re considering direct sales.

Why it matters: D2C channels are becoming a pharma necessity. Consumers want options around how, when, and where they buy prescription medicines, and pharma companies want to cut middlemen costs by selling more directly to consumers.

• Almost one in four (37%) of US adults bought prescription medicines online in the past year, per M3MI’s May 2025 consumer health study.

D2C is working for some drugmakers like LillyDirect. Its full-service telehealth and pharmacy delivery is increasing new-to-treatment Zepbound weight loss prescriptions and also increasing Lilly’s GLP-1 market share, per an August 2025 IQVIA report. Pfizer’s PfizerForAll also yielded anecdotal improvements in patient experience and satisfaction, per IQVIA.

Our take: For pharma marketers, the price cuts on new D2C platforms alone won’t move the market. Most US consumers are covered by commercial or federal insurance—and even the new deep discounts on list price typically remain higher than insurer-negotiated rates. Marketers should shift the focus from price to convenience, especially for patients with chronic conditions and their physicians.

Drugmakers need to ensure physicians understand the new D2C platform value beyond price, such as easier access and better adherence for their patients. On the consumer side, messaging should emphasize the value and convenience of online ordering, 24/7 online customer service, and free shipping to home, especially for recurring prescriptions.