LillyDirect platform expands to facilitate access to Alzheimer's disease care
Eli Lilly (LLY) has expanded its LillyDirect digital healthcare platform to improve access to Alzheimer's disease care in the U.S. through independent in-person and telehealth options. The expansion aims to address significant healthcare challenges, as the majority of the nearly 7 million Americans with Alzheimer's remain undiagnosed.
The platform now includes Healthgrades, a doctor locator tool for finding local clinicians experienced in Alzheimer's care, and Synapticure, an independent telehealth provider specializing in neurodegenerative care. Synapticure commits to connecting patients with care navigators within two days and neurologist appointments within two weeks.
This initiative addresses critical issues in Alzheimer's care, including:
- Wait times expected to exceed 1 year by 2025
- Nearly 1 in 5 Medicare beneficiaries traveling over 50 miles to see neurologists
- Approximately 3,000 Americans progressing daily from mild to moderate/severe stages
Eli Lilly (LLY) ha ampliato la sua piattaforma di assistenza sanitaria digitale LillyDirect per migliorare l'accesso alle cure per l'Alzheimer negli Stati Uniti, offrendo opzioni indipendenti sia in presenza che telemediche. L'espansione mira a affrontare le significative sfide sanitarie, poiché la maggior parte dei quasi 7 milioni di americani con Alzheimer rimane non diagnosticata.
La piattaforma include ora Healthgrades, uno strumento per trovare medici locali esperti nella cura dell'Alzheimer, e Synapticure, un fornitore di telemedicina indipendente specializzato nella cura delle malattie neurodegenerative. Synapticure si impegna a collegare i pazienti con navigatori di cura entro due giorni e a fissare appuntamenti con neurologi entro due settimane.
Questa iniziativa affronta questioni critiche nella cura dell'Alzheimer, tra cui:
- I tempi di attesa previsti per superare 1 anno entro il 2025
- Quasi 1 su 5 beneficiari di Medicare che viaggiano oltre 50 miglia per vedere neurologi
- Circa 3.000 americani che progrediscono quotidianamente da stadi lievi a moderati/severi
Eli Lilly (LLY) ha ampliado su plataforma de atención médica digital LillyDirect para mejorar el acceso a la atención de la enfermedad de Alzheimer en EE. UU. a través de opciones independientes en persona y de telemedicina. La expansión tiene como objetivo abordar desafíos significativos en el sistema de salud, ya que la mayoría de los casi 7 millones de estadounidenses con Alzheimer permanecen sin diagnóstico.
La plataforma ahora incluye Healthgrades, una herramienta para localizar médicos locales con experiencia en el cuidado del Alzheimer, y Synapticure, un proveedor independiente de telemedicina especializado en atención neurodegenerativa. Synapticure se compromete a conectar a los pacientes con navegadores de atención en un plazo de dos días y a programar citas con neurólogos en un plazo de dos semanas.
Esta iniciativa aborda problemas críticos en la atención del Alzheimer, incluyendo:
- Se espera que los tiempos de espera superen 1 año para 2025
- Casi 1 de cada 5 beneficiarios de Medicare viajan más de 50 millas para ver a neurólogos
- Aproximadamente 3,000 estadounidenses avanzan diariamente de etapas leves a moderadas/severas
엘리 릴리 (LLY)는 미국 내 알츠하이머 병 치료 접근성을 개선하기 위해 LillyDirect 디지털 헬스케어 플랫폼을 확장했습니다. 이는 독립적인 대면 및 원격 의료 옵션을 통해 이루어집니다. 이 확장은 거의 700만 명의 미국인 중 대다수가 진단되지 않은 상태인 심각한 의료 문제를 해결하는 것을 목표로 하고 있습니다.
이 플랫폼은 이제 알츠하이머 치료에 경험이 있는 지역 임상의사를 찾기 위한 의사 검색 도구인 Healthgrades와 신경퇴행성 치료를 전문으로 하는 독립적인 원격 의료 제공업체인 Synapticure를 포함하고 있습니다. Synapticure는 환자와 간호 내비게이터를 2일 이내에 연결하고, 신경과 의사와의 약속을 2주 이내에 잡겠다고 약속합니다.
이 이니셔티브는 알츠하이머 치료에서의 주요 문제를 다루고 있습니다. 이에는:
- 2025년까지 1년을 초과할 것으로 예상되는 대기 시간
- 메디케어 수혜자의 거의 5분의 1이 신경과 의사를 만나기 위해 50마일 이상 이동
- 약 3,000명의 미국인이 매일 경증에서 중증/심각 단계로 진행
Eli Lilly (LLY) a élargi sa plateforme de soins de santé numérique LillyDirect afin d'améliorer l'accès aux soins de la maladie d'Alzheimer aux États-Unis, grâce à des options indépendantes en personne et de télémédecine. L'expansion vise à répondre à des défis sanitaires majeurs, car la majorité des près de 7 millions d'Américains atteints d'Alzheimer restent non diagnostiqués.
La plateforme comprend désormais Healthgrades, un outil de recherche de médecins pour trouver des cliniciens locaux expérimentés dans le traitement de l'Alzheimer, et Synapticure, un fournisseur de télémédecine indépendant spécialisé dans les soins neurodégénératifs. Synapticure s'engage à connecter les patients avec des navigateurs de soins dans un délai de deux jours et à prendre des rendez-vous avec des neurologues dans un délai de deux semaines.
Cette initiative aborde des problèmes critiques dans les soins de l'Alzheimer, notamment :
- Des temps d'attente qui devraient dépasser 1 an d'ici 2025
- Près d'1 Medicare bénéficiaire sur 5 voyageant plus de 50 miles pour voir des neurologues
- Environ 3 000 Américains progressant chaque jour d'étapes légères à modérées/sévères
Eli Lilly (LLY) hat seine digitale Gesundheitsplattform LillyDirect erweitert, um den Zugang zur Alzheimer-Erkrankung in den USA durch unabhängige persönliche und Telemedizin-Optionen zu verbessern. Die Erweiterung zielt darauf ab, erhebliche Herausforderungen im Gesundheitswesen anzugehen, da die Mehrheit der fast 7 Millionen Amerikaner mit Alzheimer undiagnostiziert bleibt.
Die Plattform umfasst nun Healthgrades, ein Tool zur Arztsuche, um lokale Kliniker mit Erfahrung in der Alzheimer-Behandlung zu finden, und Synapticure, einen unabhängigen Telemedizinanbieter, der sich auf neurodegenerative Erkrankungen spezialisiert hat. Synapticure verpflichtet sich, Patienten innerhalb von zwei Tagen mit Pflege-Navigatoren zu verbinden und innerhalb von zwei Wochen Termine bei Neurologen zu vereinbaren.
Diese Initiative spricht kritische Probleme in der Alzheimer-Behandlung an, darunter:
- Erwartete Wartezeiten von über 1 Jahr bis 2025
- Fast 1 von 5 Medicare-Empfängern, die über 50 Meilen reisen, um Neurologen zu sehen
- Etwa 3.000 Amerikaner, die täglich von milden zu moderaten/schweren Stadien übergehen
- Platform expansion addresses critical access gap in Alzheimer's care
- Partnership with Synapticure offers rapid connection to specialists (2 days for navigator, 2 weeks for neurologist)
- International expansion into Australia with more markets planned
- No direct pharmacy options included for Alzheimer's medicines unlike other conditions on LillyDirect
Insights
Lilly's expansion of LillyDirect to include Alzheimer's resources addresses critical healthcare access bottlenecks while strengthening the company's ecosystem around its core Alzheimer's business. By facilitating connections to specialists and telehealth providers, this platform tackles the stark reality that most of the nearly 7 million Americans with Alzheimer's remain undiagnosed.
The strategic value here lies in Lilly's ecosystem-building approach. By addressing diagnostic bottlenecks—including wait times predicted to exceed 1 year by 2025 and the fact that 1 in 5 Medicare beneficiaries travel over 50 miles to see neurologists—Lilly tackles a fundamental market constraint. Earlier diagnosis potentially expands the addressable patient population for early-stage treatments.
Notably, unlike other conditions on LillyDirect, the Alzheimer's resources specifically exclude mail-order pharmacy options for Lilly medicines, instead focusing purely on diagnosis facilitation. This suggests Lilly is taking a longer-term ecosystem approach rather than pursuing immediate prescription growth.
This initiative represents a modest but strategic enhancement to Lilly's Alzheimer's infrastructure. While not directly revenue-generating, it addresses a critical care gap and aligns with value-based care principles by potentially enabling earlier interventions for the estimated 3,000 Americans daily who progress from mild to more severe disease stages.
Lilly's LillyDirect expansion tackles one of the most significant barriers in Alzheimer's care—the diagnostic bottleneck. The two-year average delay between symptom onset and diagnosis represents a critical intervention window where treatment options diminish as patients progress to moderate/severe stages.
The platform's dual approach is particularly noteworthy. The Healthgrades doctor locator addresses geographical barriers faced by the 20% of Medicare patients traveling over 50 miles to see neurologists, while Synapticure's telehealth option promises neurologist appointments within approximately two weeks—dramatically faster than typical specialist wait times predicted to exceed one year by 2025.
This initiative's value isn't in immediate revenue generation but in reducing friction in the patient journey toward appropriate care. By facilitating earlier diagnosis through biomarker testing, Lilly helps prevent the scenario where 3,000 patients daily progress past the mild disease stage where more treatment options exist.
From an access perspective, this represents an incremental but valuable contribution to the Alzheimer's care landscape. By focusing on education and access pathways rather than direct medication distribution for this condition, Lilly demonstrates a commitment to addressing structural healthcare barriers that ultimately affect all stakeholders in the Alzheimer's treatment ecosystem.
New tools to connect with independent in-person and telehealth providers specializing in Alzheimer's disease are designed to increase capacity and reduce delays in diagnosis
Both clinicians and people living with Alzheimer's disease have expressed the need to increase the capacity of our health care systems to diagnose and manage more of the nearly 7 million Americans living with the disease.2 Many patients face prolonged wait times to see a dementia specialist. These wait times are predicted to rise to more than 1 year in 2025 and can be even longer for people who live in rural and medically underserved areas.3 Nearly 1 in 5 Medicare beneficiaries drive more than 50 miles each way to see a neurologist.4 As a consequence, it can take 2 years or more after the onset of symptoms for a patient to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.5
Timely diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease with the aid of biomarker tests is critical to help patients and families manage the complications of this disease. More treatment options are potentially available for people diagnosed in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Once individuals progress to moderate or severe dementia, treatment options are more limited, and patients experience greater dependence on others. It is estimated that as many as 3,000 Americans with Alzheimer's disease progress from the mild stage of disease to the moderate or severe stages every day.6
"We know that early diagnosis and care can make a big difference for people living with Alzheimer's disease. By expanding this platform, we hope to help patients identify and access additional independent specialty care capacity, which can coordinate with a patient's existing care team," said David Hyman, MD, Lilly's chief medical officer. "The addition of Alzheimer's disease to LillyDirect reaffirms our commitment to empower patients to locate the care that is right for them when they need it."
In contrast to other conditions on LillyDirect, the Alzheimer's disease resources will not include mail order pharmacy options to Lilly medicines. Instead, they will focus on education and pathways to connect people to independent provider options.
LillyDirect now offers these new connections to independent in-person and telehealth options designed to help people experiencing memory and thinking issues to overcome barriers to diagnosis and care:
- Healthgrades, an independent doctor locator tool, helps people quickly identify local office-based clinicians who have experience managing patients with Alzheimer's disease and using appropriate biomarker tests to help make timely and accurate diagnoses.
- An option to connect to Synapticure, an independent provider specializing in neurodegenerative care, including Alzheimer's disease. Lilly will continue to evaluate additional providers for inclusion as patient options for this condition in the future.
- Lilly continues to offer disease state education for people with memory concerns via MoreThanNormalAging.com, including an overview of Alzheimer's disease, from recognizing signs to the importance of early diagnosis and starting the conversation with a provider.
Healthgrades
The independent doctor locator tool on LillyDirect will allow patients to identify office-based clinicians in a patient's local area who have experience diagnosing and managing patients with Alzheimer's disease. The search tool offers multiple filtering and sorting options, allowing users to find specialized health care providers within the database who meet their specific needs.
Synapticure
The inclusion of telehealth providers as independent care options on LillyDirect is the result of an extensive multi-disciplinary evaluation process, which uses a rigorous set of criteria to offer connections to high-quality, comprehensive care by an experienced care team.
Synapticure employs a team of clinicians to offer management during any or all of the phases of Alzheimer's disease care, including diagnosis, treatment and monitoring. Its telehealth capabilities include live video visits, broad insurance coverage, prior authorization support, 24-hour access when needed, ongoing medication and care management, and behavioral health and lifestyle support. Synapticure refers patients to diagnostic tests performed in health care facilities, and in cases of emergencies, its staff stay on the phone with patients until they reach a hospital emergency room to ensure coordination of care.
Synapticure commits to a connection with a care navigator within approximately two days of a patient inquiry and an appointment with a neurologist experienced in Alzheimer's care in about two weeks.
"As a caregiver of someone with a neurodegenerative condition, I helped start Synapticure to ensure that patients receive timely and accurate diagnoses, as well as ongoing support and treatment," said Sandra Abrevaya, CEO of Synapticure. "We are excited to be added to LillyDirect as a patient option for comprehensive telehealth services for Alzheimer's patients, especially those in rural and underserved communities. By leveraging our experienced team of clinicians and advanced telehealth capabilities, we aim to provide hope and help for patients and their families."
For more information on the LillyDirect Alzheimer's resources and to access these new tools, visit lillydirect.lilly.com. LillyDirect has expanded its services internationally, beginning with
About Lilly
Lilly is a medicine company turning science into healing to make life better for people around the world. We've been pioneering life-changing discoveries for nearly 150 years, and today our medicines help tens of millions of people across the globe. Harnessing the power of biotechnology, chemistry and genetic medicine, our scientists are urgently advancing new discoveries to solve some of the world's most significant health challenges: redefining diabetes care; treating obesity and curtailing its most devastating long-term effects; advancing the fight against Alzheimer's disease; providing solutions to some of the most debilitating immune system disorders; and transforming the most difficult-to-treat cancers into manageable diseases. With each step toward a healthier world, we're motivated by one thing: making life better for millions more people. That includes delivering innovative clinical trials that reflect the diversity of our world and working to ensure our medicines are accessible and affordable. To learn more, visit Lilly.com and Lilly.com/news, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. P-LLY
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Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements (as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) about Kisunla (donanemab-azbt) as a treatment for people with early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease, Kisunla dosing regimens and the prevalence of ARIA-E, and future readouts, presentations, and other milestones relating to Kisunla and reflects Lilly's current beliefs and expectations. However, as with any pharmaceutical product, there are substantial risks and uncertainties in the process of drug research, development, and commercialization. Among other things, there is no guarantee that planned or ongoing studies will be completed as planned, that future study results will be consistent with study findings to date, that Kisunla will receive additional regulatory approvals or that Kisunla will be commercially successful. For further discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, see Lilly's Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, Lilly undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements to reflect events after the date of this release.
References
- Lang L, Clifford A, Wei L, Zhang D, Leung D, Augustine G, Danat IM, Zhou W, Copeland JR, Anstey KJ, Chen R. Prevalence and determinants of undetected dementia in the community: a systematic literature review and a meta-analysis. BMJ Open. 2017 Feb 3;7(2):e011146. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-011146. PMID: 28159845; PMCID: PMC5293981.
- 2024 Alzheimer's disease facts and figures. Alzheimers Dement. 2024 May;20(5):3708-3821. doi: 10.1002/alz.13809. Epub 2024 Apr 30. PMID: 38689398; PMCID: PMC11095490.
- Jodi L. Liu, Lawrence Baker, Annie Chen, Jessie Wang, Federico Girosi. Detection and Geographic Variation in Health System Capacity for Alzheimer's Disease–Modifying Therapies. Rand Corp. Jan 30, 2024: https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RRA2600/RRA2643-1/RAND_RRA2643-1.pdf.
- Lin CC, Hill CE, Kerber KA, Burke JF, Skolarus LE, Esper GJ, de Havenon A, De Lott LB, Callaghan BC. Patient Travel Distance to Neurologist Visits. Neurology. 2023 Oct 31;101(18):e1807-e1820. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000207810. Epub 2023 Sep 13. PMID: 37704403; PMCID: PMC10634641.
- Ritchie CW, Black CM, Khandker RK, et al. Quantifying the Diagnostic Pathway for Patients with Cognitive Impairment: Real-World Data from Seven European and North American Countries. J Alzheimers Dis. 2018;62(1):457-466. doi:10.3233/JAD-170864.
- Naber J. Alzheimer's disease severity progression: Prevalent population estimates over time. Milliman. 2023 June 2: https://www.milliman.com/-/media/milliman/pdfs/2023-articles/6-5-23_ad-severity-progression-population-estimates.ashx?la=en&hash=D0C2DC7D20AFE3C8E5DA8678FE0B1A07.
Refer to: | J.K. Wall; jkwall@lilly.com ; 317-433-5328 (Media) |
Mike Czapar; czapar_michael_c@lilly.com; 317-260-3611 (Investors) |
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SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company
FAQ
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