Webinar Recap: 5 Lessons From Menopause About the Future of Patient Access

Menopause is no longer a silent transition. It’s a $27B market opportunity, a healthcare access challenge, and if you ask our recent webinar panel, a powerful case study for how life sciences brands can future-proof patient access.
In our recent virtual event hosted by the DHC Group, leaders from Wheel, GoodRx, Organon, and HBA unpacked how menopause is reshaping expectations around care and why it’s setting the pace for what’s next in direct-to-patient (DTP) / direct-to-consumer (DTC) commercialization.
Conversation panelists included Michelle Davey (Founder and CEO, Wheel), Dorothy Gemmell (Chief Commercial Officer and President, GoodRx), Elizabeth Gluck (Associate Director, US Biosimilars, Organon) and moderator Amy Turnquist (VP, North America Operating Board, HBA & Partner, Life Sciences, BIP) to explore how consumer-driven programs are enabling this shift.
Here are five key takeaways from the conversation:
1. Menopause is the ultimate stress test for DTC models
With 80% of OB/GYNs receiving less than two hours of menopause education in medical training, and only one certified menopause specialist per 30,000 women in the U.S., the care gap is massive. This is a uniquely urgent use case that demands consumer-centric, virtual-first models to fill the void.
2. Continuity is key and transactional DTC is no longer enough
Women are no longer waiting for doctors to initiate care. They’re driving demand, seeking answers, and paying out of pocket when necessary. But many existing DTC offerings fall short by focusing on one-time transactions rather than whole-person, longitudinal support. Panelists agreed the time is now to move from single-point solutions to integrated, ongoing care.
3. Digital platforms can close the gap if built for scale, compliance, and outcomes
Michelle Davey, CEO of Wheel, emphasized the need for infrastructure that can keep up with evolving patient behavior. “Patients don’t think in diagnoses, they think in symptoms,” she shared. Platforms like Wheel’s Horizon enable pharma brands to meet patients in the moment by offering turnkey access to trained providers, virtual consults, GLP-1 treatment pathways, and more—all built for regulatory rigor and speed to market.
4. Affordability is the next battleground for trust
As DTC grows, so does the need to integrate affordability tools directly into the experience. GoodRx shared data showing that most women pay cash for menopause prescriptions and are often unaware of support programs that could help. Solving access but not affordability is only doing half the job.
5. Menopause is the blueprint for other domains
Whether you’re marketing in menopause, weight loss, biosimilars, or chronic care, the same lessons apply: meet patients where they are, reduce friction, ensure clinical excellence, and build brand trust. Beyond women’s health, panelists agreed we must reimagine how all patients access and stay engaged in their care.
Ready to go deeper? Watch the full webinar
Complete the form below to access the full panel discussion on-demand to hear how leaders from Wheel, GoodRx, and Organon are transforming patient access and what your team can learn from menopause to accelerate your own commercialization strategy.