LAS VEGAS—WeightWatchers is joining forces with Amazon Pharmacy to make it easier for members to access weight management medications.
The company announced Monday that through the partnership its members will be able to access information on real-time medication availability, automated coupon savings and home delivery for key medications they use to manage their weight.
Amazon Pharmacy will automatically apply coupons for members at the point of checkout, according to an announcement, without the need to submit codes manually. Amazon Prime members have access to two-day home delivery, and in certain locations same-day delivery is available as an option.
Scott Honken, chief commercial officer for WeightWatchers, told Fierce Healthcare that the team has had a longstanding relationship with Amazon, but tapping into its pharmacy unit made sense as it looked to improve access and ease for members.
"As we think about investments in technology and how do we improve that experience overall, this was an area where bringing some of those capabilities a little bit more front and center with real-time tracking, shipping status, et cetera was really important," Honken said.
WeightWatchers and Amazon unveiled the partnership as part of the HLTH conference Monday.
The partners emphasized that the team-up represents commitment from both sides to improving access to weight loss medications as well as supporting adherence to improve outcomes. It's also within WeightWatchers' growing focus on its clinical offerings.
In 2023, the company acquired digital health provider Sequence, which opened the door to prescribing as part of the weight management journeys for its members. Demand for GLP-1s and other key weight loss medications has not waned since.
Kim Boyd, M.D., chief medical officer for WeightWatchers, said the team is leaning on a holistic patient experience to drive long-term outcomes in managing weight. The company was a leader in this space for decades before the GLP-1 boom and is leaning on that experience to navigate the rapidly changing market, she said.
She said playing a role in supporting weight loss journeys for such a long time is a "huge differentiation and a really strong foundation to build upon."
Having a more long-term view of the weight management space also plays into how the company is thinking about the role of GLP-1s in the broader patient journey, she said. An ongoing challenge for patients who take these medications is their ability to maintain the regimen over time.
For WeightWatchers, the team can lean on personalized data to help triage patient questions, whether they're looking to switch medications or potentially off-ramp from a therapy.
"I think we need to think about, how do we support people with their journeys? How do we support them when they may want to go off to a lower dose or come off altogether?" she said. "How do we make sure that they have tools that can potentially help maintain those results and sustain those outcomes?"
Honken said partnering with companies like Amazon allows the team to both explore new approaches to existing challenges, like GLP-1s, and also to potentially make new bets in areas of the weight management journey. Given that the market is evolving rapidly, there's room to try new things with a lowered risk.
The financial equation around GLP-1s hasn't been solved yet, either, he added.
"They're really impactful in people's lives, but some of the economics can still be challenging," he said. "There's a variety of factors in play there. "