Amazon Targets the GLP-1 Gap Big Pharma Left Open

For most patients, a GLP-1 prescription means managing three separate relationships: a clinician, a pharmacy and an insurer. Refills require follow-up. Stock isn’t guaranteed. Costs aren’t always clear upfront.

Amazon built one system to handle all of it.

Through its One Medical arm, the company launched a GLP-1 Management Program bundling clinical screening, prescriptions, ongoing supervision and pharmacy delivery into a single offering. The program connects GLP-1 treatment to patients’ broader primary care, proactively managing how weight loss intersects with cardiovascular health, metabolic conditions and overall health. Amazon isn’t just filling prescriptions. It’s owning the care journey.

What Amazon Built

The program runs end-to-end. Patients get pre-visit screening, structured consultations, regular follow-up visits and evidence-based treatment protocols with built-in safety checks. Individuals who already hold a GLP-1 prescription but aren’t Amazon One Medical primary care patients can access on-demand prescription renewals through telehealth, starting at $29 for message consultations or $49 for video visits, according to Amazon.

The pharmacy layer runs parallel. Amazon Pharmacy offers oral GLP-1 medications including Wegovy and Foundayo with insurance coverage starting at $25 per month or cash-pay options starting at $149 per month. Injectable options including Wegovy and Zepbound start at $299 per month with cash-pay pricing.

Fulfillment is the final piece. Same-day delivery is available in nearly 3,000 cities today and will expand to roughly 4,500 by the end of 2026, Amazon said. Customers can compare insurance and cash-pay prices side by side at checkout. The company says its automatic coupon program has saved Amazon Pharmacy customers more than $200 million to date.

Obesity affects more than 40% of U.S. adults and contributes to nearly $173 billion in annual medical costs, Amazon noted in its announcement. GLP-1 therapies address that population but have historically reached patients through fragmented channels, inconsistent pricing and recurring access gaps. Amazon’s model cuts across all three.

Pressure on Drugmaker Channels

The launch landed hard on pharmaceutical stocks. Shares of Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk declined on the day of the announcement, as Amazon’s integrated model raised questions about the direct-to-consumer strategies both companies have built, according to Invezz.

Both drugmakers have invested in their own patient-facing platforms. Eli Lilly runs LillyDirect. Novo Nordisk operates NovoCare. Those platforms were built to maintain a direct relationship with patients and reduce dependence on intermediaries. Amazon’s model may shift clinical decision-making toward providers inside its own network, reducing the reach of pharmaceutical marketing.

The timing adds pressure. Novo Nordisk is already in market with an oral GLP-1 pill for obesity, hitting 50,000 weekly prescriptions within weeks of launch, while Eli Lilly’s oral option is expected to follow later this year, according to CNBC. The oral format lowers the barrier to entry for new patients. It also fits Amazon’s fulfillment model more cleanly than injectables. A pill ships in an envelope. A KwikPen requires cold chain logistics.

What It Signals for Health Commerce

Amazon has assembled the pieces before. Pharmacy. Primary care through One Medical. Logistics. The GLP-1 program is the first time those pieces run as a single product around a specific chronic condition.

The Trump administration announced pricing agreements with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk that will cut GLP-1 prices to as low as $150 per month and expand Medicare coverage through a pilot program starting mid-2026, according to Patient Care Online. Lower prices expand the patient pool. A larger patient pool rewards whoever controls the access point.

Amazon controls the access point. The program is available now at One Medical locations across the U.S.