GoodRx
GoodRx is a startup company that operates a telemedicine platform and a free-to-use website and mobile app that track prescription drug prices in the United States and provide free drug coupons for discounts on medications.[2] GoodRx checks more than 75,000 pharmacies in the United States.[3][4] The website gets about fourteen million visitors a month.[5] As of February 25, 2020, "millions of people" had downloaded the GoodRx app.[6]
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Private company | |
Founded | 2011 |
Founders | Trevor Bezdek[1] Doug Hirsch[1] Scott Marlette[1] |
Headquarters | , United States |
Number of locations | 2 (2019) |
Area served | United States |
Key people | |
Services |
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Number of employees | 200+ (2019) |
Website |
GoodRx was founded in Santa Monica, California in 2011. In 2017, GoodRx announced partnerships with major prescription drug companies in the country to negotiate lower prescription drug costs.[5][7] In September 2019, GoodRx acquired the telemedicine company HeyDoctor and rebranded the telemedicine platform as GoodRx Care.[2] The platform allows individuals to consult with a doctor online and obtain a prescription for certain types of medications at a cost of US$20 as of December 2019, regardless of insurance status.[2] Medical testing services, which vary in price, are also offered through the platform.[2]
Key people
The Santa Monica, California-based startup was founded in September 2011 by Trevor Bezdek and former Facebook executives Doug Hirsch and Scott Marlette.[3][8][9][10] Marlette was one of the first 20 employees at Facebook and built Facebook's photo application.[8] In 2005, Hirsch was the Vice President of Product at Facebook, working closely with Mark Zuckerberg.[9] In 2017, Jordan Michaels joined as director of operations.[11]
Controversy
On February 25, 2020, Consumer Reports published an article stating that GoodRx shared user data − specifically, pseudonymized advertising ID numbers that companies use to track the behavior of web users across websites, the names of the drugs that users browsed, and the pharmacies where user sought to fill prescriptions − with Google, Facebook, and around 20 other internet-based companies.[12] A few days after the Consumer Reports article was published,[12] GoodRx published a statement saying it made changes to prevent user search data on medical conditions and pharmaceuticals from being shared with Facebook.[13]
See also
- Prescription drug prices
- Prescription drug prices in the United States
References
- CNBC.com Staff. "CNBC 2019 Disruptor 50". CNBC. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- Heather Landi (27 September 2019). "Tech GoodRx acquires telemedicine company HeyDoctor to add virtual healthcare services". FierceHealthcare. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
- Mcusic, Teresa. "Where to turn online to save money on prescription drugs". Star Telegram. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
- "Money, drugs, and the medical practice: Can physicians benefit from helping patients reduce prescription costs? – Continuum". www.carecloud.com. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
- Thomas, Katie. "New Online Tools Offer Path to Lower Drug Prices". New York Times. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
- GoodRx Saves Money on Meds — It Also Shares Data With Google, Facebook, and Others. Thomas Germain. Consumers Reports. First published on February 25, 2020. Updated on March 06, 2020. Accessed 22 April 2020.
- Morgan, David. "Inside Rx aims to lower high prescription drug costs". CBS News. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
- Dickinson, Boonsri. "These Ex-Facebook Guys Want To Help You Find Cheaper Drugs". Business Insider. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
- Empson, Rip. "GoodRx Grabs $1M+ From SV Angel, Founders Fund & More To Help You Find Cheap Prescription Drugs". TechCrunch. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
- Lazarus, David. "Making it easy to comparison shop for prescription drugs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
- Farr, Christina. "Silicon Valley is too focused on taking the easy path in health care". CNBC. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
- Thomas Germain (6 March 2020). "GoodRx Saves Money on Meds — It Also Shares Data With Google, Facebook, and Others". Consumers Reports. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
- "GoodRx and Data Privacy". GoodRx. 28 February 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2020.