US lobby group PhRMA plans website to boost access to cheaper drugs

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(Reuters) -U.S. pharmaceutical lobby group PhRMA said on Monday it would launch a new website in January to help patients buy prescription drugs directly from manufacturers, bypassing pharmacy benefit managers and other middlemen.

The website, to be called AmericasMedicines.com, will allow drugmakers to list medicines available for direct purchase and connect patients with programs that offer lower prices and fewer barriers to access.

The move is part of a broader push by the industry to simplify how Americans get their medicines and reduce out-of-pocket costs following mounting pressure from the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump has urged pharmaceutical companies to bring down U.S. drug prices, and in July sent letters to 17 major companies demanding they slash U.S. prescription drug prices to match those paid in other developed nations.

The companies have until September 29 to respond with binding commitments.

The White House has also floated the idea of a government-run website, possibly named TrumpRx, to help Americans shop for cheaper medicines, Bloomberg News reported earlier this month.

PhRMA did not immediately respond to a request for more details on its upcoming website.

The direct-to-consumer model has recently gained traction, with companies like Eli Lilly, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca launching their own platforms for select drugs.

Earlier on Monday, Novartis said it would launch a direct-to-patient platform in the U.S., beginning November 1, to sell select units of anti-inflammatory drug Cosentyx at 55% discount off list price to cash-paying patients.

The Swiss drugmaker said it would later expand the platform to include other products, as well as explore the option of a direct-to-employer model for cash-paying patients in the U.S.

The industry group also said drugmakers had announced investments of $500 billion in U.S.-based manufacturing and infrastructure, which are expected to generate $1.2 trillion in economic output and create over 100,000 new jobs.

(Reporting by Kamal Choudhury and Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri and Sriraj Kalluvila)