In this article
Direct-to-patient (DTP) means a pharma company building channels that connect directly with patients and downstream providers, rather than relying on distributors and pharmacies alone, so it can see what patients are looking for, where they see a doctor and whether they stay on treatment. In Thailand, prescription medicines must always go through a doctor and a licensed facility, so a compliant DTP channel brings patients to providers ready to treat them, and returns data to the brand.
Most pharma companies in Thailand distribute through large distributors and market access companies, which are strong at warehousing, logistics and registration. What brands usually see is sell-in to hospitals and pharmacies, not which provinces’ patients are asking about which treatments, or when they stop treatment part way. As patients start asking ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude before seeing a doctor, that gap is widening.
The data gap in traditional distribution
| What the brand wants to know | Traditional distribution | A channel reaching patients and providers |
|---|---|---|
| Sell-in to distributors and hospitals | Clear | Clear |
| Which small clinics order, and whether they reorder | Partly or not at all | By province |
| Which areas’ patients are looking for which treatments | Not visible | Monthly and provincial trends |
| Whether interested patients see a doctor | Not visible | Share who book an appointment |
| Whether patients continue treatment | Not visible | Through provider-led follow-ups |
| Whether campaigns reach patients | Hard to measure | Measured to the appointment |
The result is that stock planning, sales deployment and campaign targeting rely on quarterly reports or small-sample surveys, which show the past and are not granular enough for provincial decisions.
Distributors remain essential: warehousing, logistics and registration are specialist work. What is missing is the data and channel layer between stock on the shelf and the patient who needs treatment. New channels should work alongside existing distribution, not replace it, which is how HDmall itself works with the large distributors.
Lessons from the US: big pharma goes direct
| Platform | Launched | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| LillyDirect (Eli Lilly) | January 2024 | Connects patients with telehealth, pharmacy and home delivery; over one million patients engaged in 2025 |
| PfizerForAll (Pfizer) | August 2024 | Telehealth appointments, tests, and home delivery of prescribed medicines |
| NovoCare Pharmacy (Novo Nordisk) | March 2025 | Delivers to patients who already have a prescription, at clear prices, with adherence support |
| TrumpRx (US government) | February 2026 | A portal of discounted prices that sends patients to manufacturers’ direct channels |
These models give brands the whole patient journey, from interest to doctor, medicine and continued use, and a direct relationship with patients. They have critics too: a 2025 report by a group of US senators questioned whether some telehealth-linked platforms prescribed at excessively high rates. The lesson is that direct channels must respect independent medical judgement.
Why the trend is reaching Thailand
- Patients use AI to make health decisions. KFF found in March 2026 that 41% of US adults using AI for health information do so to research before deciding to see a provider; younger Thai patients behave the same way
- Patients find care on platforms, not only by walking into hospitals. They search, compare and book health services online, creating demand data that never existed before
- Markets outside Bangkok are growing, but sales teams do not reach them. Thousands of small clinics need easy ordering and product information
- Brands must prove marketing returns, to regional headquarters and in a more competitive market
What compliant direct-to-patient looks like in Thailand
In Thailand, the properties of dangerous and specially controlled drugs may not be advertised to the public under section 88 (6) of the Drug Act, and facility ads need approval before publication. DTP here is therefore not selling medicines directly to patients; it connects four parts lawfully:
- Unbranded disease awareness that encourages people at risk or with symptoms to see a doctor; see our guide to pharma marketing in Thailand
- Bringing patients to providers ready to treat them: interested patients book with a licensed clinic or hospital, and the doctor always decides treatment
- Distribution to providers, making ordering easy for the clinics that treat patients, including small clinics outside Bangkok
- Support to stay on treatment: providers send reminders and follow up, with patient data held by the provider under PDPA
What the brand gets back is anonymised aggregate data covering the whole path from interest to provider orders.
The data feedback loop
A platform with both patients and providers, such as HDmall, provides data traditional distribution cannot. Example views brand and market access teams use:
| View | Example questions it answers |
|---|---|
| Patient interest by treatment area | Is interest in medical weight management in Bangkok rising or falling against last quarter? |
| Interest between brands in the same class | What share of people in Bangkok ask about Mounjaro against Wegovy, and how does that differ in Chiang Mai or Phuket? |
| From interest to doctor | What share of people interested in this treatment area book a doctor, and with which types of provider? |
| Provider orders by area | Which regions’ clinics are starting to order, and how often do they reorder? |
| Campaign effect | Did a disease awareness campaign in one province increase doctor appointments? |
All data is aggregated and anonymised; no individual patient’s health data reaches the brand, and any campaign use is planned with the company’s medical and regulatory teams.
How to start
- Pick one treatment area where patients research a lot and decide with their doctor, such as weight management, vaccines or certain chronic conditions
- Look at current demand: how interested patients are in each area, and where providers ready to treat them are
- Open ordering for providers in high-demand areas your sales team does not reach yet
- Run disease awareness that brings patients to providers, and measure through to appointments
- Review monthly and adjust stock, sales coverage and campaign areas from real data
A planning summary, not legal advice. Every campaign should go through your medical and regulatory teams and comply with Thailand’s drug and facility advertising laws.
Frequently asked questions
What is direct-to-patient pharma?
It is a pharma company building channels that connect directly with patients and downstream providers instead of relying only on distributors and pharmacies. US examples include LillyDirect, PfizerForAll and NovoCare Pharmacy. In Thailand, prescription medicines must always go through a doctor and a licensed facility.
Can pharma companies in Thailand sell directly to patients?
Prescription medicines require a doctor’s decision and dispensing through a licensed facility or pharmacy, and dangerous and specially controlled drugs may not be advertised to the public. DTP in Thailand therefore means disease awareness, bringing patients to doctors, distribution to providers and support to stay on treatment.
Why don’t brands see downstream data from distributors?
Traditional distribution is designed to get stock efficiently to hospitals, clinics and pharmacies. The data brands see is usually sell-in, not patient interest, doctor visits or continued use, which happen after stock leaves the warehouse.
Will direct-to-patient replace distributors?
Not necessarily. Warehousing, logistics and registration remain distributors’ expertise. Direct channels to patients and providers add a data and access layer that works alongside existing distribution.
What data can brands see from a health platform?
Anonymised aggregate data such as patient interest by treatment area and province, interest between brands in the same class, the share who book a doctor, and provider orders by area, with no individual patient’s health data reaching the brand.
What should direct-to-patient programmes watch out for?
Respect independent medical judgement, do not advertise prescription medicines to the public, keep patient data with providers under PDPA, and plan every campaign with medical and regulatory teams. Even in the US, critics have questioned high prescribing rates on some platforms.
Sources
- pharmaphorum, How DTP became pharma’s newest battleground
- CNN, TrumpRx launches (5 February 2026)
- BioPharma Dive, White House’s online service for drug sales debuts (6 February 2026)
- IQVIA, Why pharma is going direct to consumers
- Healthcare Huddle, Pharma’s direct-to-consumer strategy: telehealth deals explained
- KFF, Use of AI for health information and advice (25 March 2026)
- Thai FDA Drug Control Division, FAQ on drug advertising (in Thai)
