AstraZeneca bypasses insurance - again – to make new hypertension combo compete with generics
This article was originally published in Scrip
Executive Summary
After its first "direct-to-patients" sales programme in February for an off-patent breast cancer drug, AstraZeneca has rolled out a second similar scheme, this time for a combination product never before marketed – the hypertension drug Dutoprol (metroprolol succinate extended release/HCTZ) tablets. Under "Dutoprol Direct", patients pay out-of-pocket and bypass health insurance but can have three month's supply delivered direct to their home from a pharmacy benefits management company for $55.