Laura explores the structural hurdles that slow time-to-therapy and outlines practical ways stakeholders can streamline the path from prescription intent to treatment initiation.
To learn more, book a meeting with GoodRx.
Read on for Laura’s insights.
Closing the Specialty Access Gap: How GoodRx Turns Intent Into Therapy Starts
By Laura Jensen, Chief Commercial Officer and President, Pharma Solutions, GoodRx
Yet even as specialty breakthroughs accelerate, these life-changing therapies are colliding with a fragmented, complex access system. Prior authorization, tiered coverage, and formulary exclusions routinely delay therapy starts, frustrate prescribers, and diminish outcomes. World-class medicines are being developed every year, but patients still struggle to get them when they need them.
In this environment, the specialty brands that make the greatest impact will be those that deliver a seamless, coordinated, and patient-centered access experience. To turn intent into action, manufacturers need a partner like GoodRx—trusted by both patients and healthcare professionals, and equipped with the infrastructure to guide patients from prescription to first fill quickly and transparently.
Helping Manufacturers Reach Patients When it Matters Most
GoodRx sits at a critical point in the patient journey: when treatment intent becomes action. Patients come to GoodRx to understand medication costs, compare pharmacy options, access savings, and obtain reliable health information. For manufacturers, this moment represents a powerful opportunity to support patients when they are most engaged.
GoodRx provides distinct advantages:
- Reaches high-intent consumers: Over 80% of patients who come to GoodRx already have a prescription in hand and are looking for ways to afford it. Patients prescribed specialty medications are even more engaged, with 35% more medications in their basket than non-specialty users. In 2024 alone, specialty drug pages and informational content on GoodRx generated over 30 million website visits. This creates a uniquely powerful moment for manufacturers to intercept patients with the right support at the moment they need it.
- Leverages brand trust: Patients and healthcare providers view GoodRx as a valued partner, not just a cost savings tool. Eighty-five percent of HCPs have recommended GoodRx to their patients. This credibility gives manufacturers a trusted channel to educate and support patients when they are most receptive.
- Accelerates time to therapy: GoodRx helps specialty brands drive measurable improvements in time-to-therapy and the overall patient experience. The proof is in the data: for one specialty immunology brand, GoodRx enabled patient fills 60 days sooner than they would have otherwise. This isn’t a vanity metric. It reflects meaningful impact, with faster therapy starts, higher enrollment in support programs, reduced abandonment, and a more streamlined experience for both patients and HCPs.
How GoodRx Helps Specialty Brands Succeed
Specialty brands face unique access barriers that require tailored, patient-friendly solutions. GoodRx helps close these gaps by simplifying coverage complexities and compressing time from prescription to first fill.
- Integrates enrollment into patient support and hub programs: GoodRx can integrate program enrollment directly into specialty drug pages, connecting high-intent patients with brand support at the exact moment they’re researching next steps. Clear, guided flows simplify activation, promote adherence, improve therapy starts, and reduce abandonment. Patients receive a consistent experience, and brands gain a reliable path to engagement.
- Helps HCPs route prescriptions correctly the first time: Last month, GoodRx introduced the Specialty Pharmacy Finder within the prescriber workflow to help HCPs quickly identify in-network specialty pharmacies for limited distribution drugs, reducing misdirected prescriptions that cause delays and frustration. By putting the brand’s specialty pharmacy network in front of prescribers at the moment of prescribing, manufacturers are able to ensure prescriptions are routed correctly the first time and reduce fulfillment friction.
- Gives patients clarity on where and how to fill: GoodRx extends that same clarity to patients by displaying a brand’s specialty pharmacy network on drug pages for limited distribution drugs, so people know exactly where to fill, how to get started, and what to expect (like a call from the specialty pharmacy). The result is a clearer path from prescription to first fill, fewer back-and-forths, and a better experience for patients navigating specialty access.
The Future of Specialty Access
Specialty drug volume continues to grow, but time-to-therapy is increasingly governed by process, not demand. Patients expect clarity. Prescribers need simpler tools. And brands must reduce friction across the access ecosystem to help patients start therapy without delay.
By improving visibility, streamlining enrollment, and helping patients and prescribers navigate limited-distribution channels, GoodRx reduces barriers and accelerates access. The outcome is meaningful: turning prescription intent into therapy starts, and therapy starts into adherence that changes lives.
Let’s talk! We’ll help you bring your specialty brand strategy to life!
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