Democratic Senators Demand Information on Telehealth Provider Affiliations with Eli Lilly and Pfizer

Four Democratic senators sent a letter to five telehealth companies that have held contracts with Pfizer and Eli Lilly, inquiring about their financial relationships and possible influence on prescriptions for medications. The letter was signed by the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and member of Senate Democratic leadership, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), and the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), as well as Sens. Peter Welch (D-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

The letter accuses these arrangements of sending direct-to-consumer advertisements that steer patients toward particular medications and create the potential for inappropriate prescribing that can increase health care spending. The letters were addressed to the CEOs of 9amHealth, Thirty Madison (Cove), Form Health, Populus Health Technologies, and UpScriptHealth, and demand answers to questions by April 15.