With the launch of its first direct-to-patient (DTP) program, Genentech is joining the wave of drugmakers setting up direct-to-consumer sales of popular products at steep discounts for cash-paying patients.
The Roche subsidiary’s inaugural DTP program will center on Xofluza, its prescription influenza treatment, according to Thursday’s announcement. The single-dose oral antiviral med will be available to eligible uninsured, underinsured and self-pay patients for $50, down about 70% from its list price, per Genentech.
The program will fulfill Xofluza prescriptions via partnerships with a trio of online pharmacies: Alto Pharmacy, Amazon Pharmacy and Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company. Same-day delivery will be available in some U.S. markets through Alto Pharmacy and Amazon Pharmacy.
The new DTC approach to Xofluza sales “will allow us to reach more patients where they are increasingly interested in seeking their medicines,” Genentech CEO Ashley Magargee said in the announcement.
Genentech noted that it already offers other savings options for Xofluza, including a newly “enhanced” downloadable coupon on the drug’s website, which marks it down to $35 for eligible insured, uninsured and cash-pay patients at “most pharmacies.”
The discounted access to Xofluza comes as the U.S. flu season begins. Genentech pointed to CDC data showing that last year’s flu season marked “a return to a highly severe flu season impacting all age groups,” with between 47 million and 82 million infections and as many as 130,000 deaths.
Xofluza has been approved in the U.S. since 2018 to treat flu within 48 hours of symptoms starting. In the years since, additional approvals have brought the minimum age down from 12 to 5 and have made Xofluza available for post-exposure prophylaxis, to protect people after coming into contact with someone with the flu.
The new program launch also comes as President Donald Trump has ordered pharmas to lower their drug prices, including by upping their DTC offerings. Many have fallen in line in recent weeks, with Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca, Novartis and Boehringer Ingelheim among those slashing cash-pay prices of popular meds on newly launched DTC platforms. AZ and Pfizer have also inked agreements with the Trump administration that will include selling certain drugs at a discount on the soon-to-launch TrumpRx direct purchasing platform.
Indeed, Genentech said in this week’s announcement that the Xofluza program “supports President Trump’s goal to make medicines more affordable for American patients.”
Editor's note: This story was updated to clarify which online pharmacies will fulfill same-day delivery orders for Xofluza.