imageWhile the blockbuster erectile dysfunction (ED) drug has been shipped directly to consumer’s homes for years via pharmacy benefits management companies and specialty pharmacy retailers catering to the ED segment, Pfizer wants in on the transaction and has decided to get into the Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) distribution business for a prescription drug.

Call this market development Direct-to-Home, or DTH.

This is a kind of sentinel event signaling a pharmaceutical manufacturer cutting out the middle-man (read: retail pharmacy), and in this case getting up-close-and-personal with users of a drug that represents quality of life.

Another motivation for Pfizer is trying to stem the flow of pirated, fake versions of the iconic blue pill which flow globally to consumers looking for cut-price versions of the product.

Will this be a successful move for Pfizer? It could be a matter of embarassment versus price of the drug (which runs at retail $25 a pill), Richard Bernstein, pharma analyst, told .

The drug will be sold to consumers via Viagra.com, but behind the scenes it will be distributed by www.cvs.com.

Health Populi’s Hot Points:  While Pfizer clearly wants to get a bigger cut of the Viagra business franchise, the pharmaceutical manufacturer also has the opportunity to more closely ally with consumers who choose to use this product to better their lives. This could bolster health consumers’ brand loyalty both for the product itself (vs.  the branded competitors Cialis and Levitra, and an ever-lengthening list of supplements in the ED category). If the logistics/shipping/packaging experience is done right, that could result in bigger love for Pfizer as a company.

Direct-to-Home will be part of the evolving growth of the new retail health, with consumers spending more out-of-pocket looking for greater engagement in their health via more convenient shopping formats, more transparency, and trusted brands. Nothing’s more convenient than home delivery. If the Viagra.com website for self-Rx-fill is nicely optimized for mobile platforms, that will drive return buyers to the sales channel for people whose health plans force them to pay for ED meds out-of-pocket.

The story has been a goldmine of inspiration for clever headline-writers, such as:

  • with online Viagra, The Telegraph of London
  • Pfizer shares get rise from online Viagra sales, Asia One
  • ? YCharts