Divya examines how AI-powered search and conversational tools are reshaping the way patients research treatments and prescription costs before ever reaching a brand's website. She argues that pharmaceutical manufacturers must rethink their direct-to-consumer (DTC) strategies to ensure treatment information is discoverable, trusted, and connected to actionable next steps.
Learn more about GoodRx's approach to AI discoverability.
Read on for Divya's insights.
Why GoodRx Is Built for the AI-Driven Patient Journey
By Divya Iyer, SVP, Head of Revenue, Pharma Direct, GoodRx
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Patients are turning to AI-powered search and conversational tools to understand symptoms, compare treatment options, investigate prescription costs, and prepare for conversations with healthcare professionals. According to a recent report, one in three consumers now use AI for health questions, doubling the rate from the previous year. And over 80% of those consumers take action based on what they find.
For manufacturers, the implications of AI discoverability are significant. An effective direct-to-consumer strategy can no longer focus only on attracting visitors to a manufacturer’s website. Treatment information must be discoverable by AI, credible enough for consumers to trust, and connected to a practical next step.
This is where GoodRx can play a distinct role. Patients already use the platform to research conditions and treatments, compare prescription prices, find affordability resources, and access medication through a nationwide pharmacy network. For manufacturers, GoodRx connects visibility with utility—creating a path from the moment somebody asks a health question to the point when they are ready to seek care or fill a prescription.
Why GoodRx outperforms in AI-driven discovery
With traditional search, visibility largely depended on where a brand or treatment page appeared on a search results page. AI tools increasingly assemble answers from multiple sources, often before a patient visits any individual website. That means manufacturers must consider not only whether their information ranks, but whether AI systems can interpret and represent it accurately.
GoodRx is well positioned for this environment because its platform is built around the information patients and AI systems need: structured drug information, current pricing, clear treatment content, affordability options, and direct pharmacy access. Rather than treating discovery and fulfillment as separate experiences, GoodRx brings them together in one patient journey.
This utility translates to greater visibility. According to a recent analysis, GoodRx has seen roughly 2x growth in search visibility since 2023. While many health publishers are seeing declining search traffic, unique visits to brand-drug price pages on GoodRx are up 10% year over year, while organic traffic to all drug-price pages has increased 28%. GoodRx’s visibility in Google AI Overviews has also grown 37% since the beginning of 2026.
The weight-loss category illustrates the scale of the opportunity. In April 2026, GoodRx appeared in AI Overviews for more than 6,000 weight-loss-related keywords, representing nearly 14% of the category. For manufacturers, that means the opportunity is about becoming part of the information AI systems use when patients are actively researching treatment and access.
The new standard: discoverable, trusted, and actionable
GoodRx’s performance points to a broader standard for DTC strategy. Being surfaced is only the first requirement. Healthcare decisions carry a much higher burden of trust and utility than most consumer searches. Manufacturers should evaluate their digital presence and platform partners against three connected capabilities:
- Discoverable information is structured clearly enough for search engines and AI systems to find, interpret, and surface accurately. This includes current information about a product, its price, potential savings, and how it can be accessed.
- Trusted information gives patients credible, evidence-based context. Condition education, treatment comparisons, safety information, and affordability resources should help people understand their options and prepare for an informed conversation with an HCP.
- Actionable information gives the patient somewhere to go next. Someone learning about a medication through an AI-generated answer should have a clear path to evaluate affordability, connect with an HCP when appropriate, and access the prescribed treatment. The gap between “I found this option” and “I can actually get it” remains one of the most consequential points of friction in the patient journey.
From AI visibility to patient action
Few brand drug sites can support this entire journey on their own. Partnering with GoodRx gives manufacturers a way to reach consumers within an established healthcare platform that is already designed to be discovered, trusted, and actionable. It can also extend a manufacturer’s DTC investment beyond awareness by connecting product education with price transparency, savings opportunities, care navigation, and fulfillment choice.
In an era when AI is shortening the path between health questions and answers, the brands best positioned to succeed will be the ones represented on platforms that convert active health searches into meaningful patient actions—not just answers.
Learn how GoodRx can help uplevel your AI discoverability strategy.
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