Q&A: How LucyRx is Transforming the Future of Women’s Health, Menopausal Care

Through the connection of patients and providers, as well as a revamp of what medications are included in which formularies, the new-wave pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) LucyRx is attempting to revolutionize both access and education when it comes to the delivery of women’s health services.

“The nurses, pharmacists, and our care guides will help the women understand what's being prescribed, how the therapies work together, and whether the treatment plan is really addressing what's happening in their bodies,” Susan Thomas, RN, chief commercial officer at LucyRx, told Drug Topics. “The program is designed for women in midlife, but the approach is also intended to help prescribers and pharmacists by making a path that is more clinically aligned so that they understand the benefits of the treatments they're prescribing and dispensing.”

In part 2 of our interview with Thomas, she explained the nuances of the LucyRx Women’s Health Benefit program. From bolstering patients’ access of menopause medications to offering support for pharmacists and other providers, Lucy is attempting to continue setting itself apart as a leading, non-traditional PBM.

Learn from Thomas about her role in the program, who it’s designed to benefit the most, and what patients can expect from it heading into the new year.

READ MORE: Pharmacists Becoming Counselors in an Evolving Women’s Health Space

Drug Topics: Can you summarize the new LucyRx Women’s Health Benefit program and who it’s designed to benefit?

Susan Thomas: At its core, the program starts with access. We went back to the formulary and asked a really basic question: Why are hundreds of medications to treat menopause symptoms excluded in the first place from national formularies across the PBM space? For many women, these medications are clinically appropriate and effective, yet they've been treated as optional or nonessential. That forces women to jump through hoops or pay cash for medications that should be covered by their benefit. These aren't cosmetic agents or lifestyle drugs; these are really important therapies to solve a very important condition.

The first step was really simple for us: putting appropriate therapies back on the formulary and removing the obstacles for women experiencing moderate-to-severe menopausal symptoms. The second part is guidance. We see women who are prescribed sleep aids or anti-anxiety medications when the root cause is hormonal or metabolic. So those prescriptions aren't necessarily wrong, but they may not be the best first answer. Our approach with our care guides pairs this access issue in the formulary with a really thoughtful review of the medication profile, looking at whole-person health.

And then [there is] education, because what we've seen in the space is providers don't necessarily understand menopause fully, and then women don't understand how to treat their symptoms. The nurses, pharmacists, and our care guides will help the women understand what's being prescribed, how the therapies work together, and whether the treatment plan is really addressing what's happening in their bodies. The program is designed for women in midlife, but the approach is also intended to help prescribers and pharmacists by making a path that is more clinically aligned so that they understand the benefits of the treatments they're prescribing and dispensing.

Drug Topics: What can patients and pharmacists expect when the program is launched and live come January 1, 2026?

Susan Thomas: It's launching for our own employees first but all of our clients will get the benefit of the enhanced formulary on January 1. For patients, we hope that it feels simpler—less guesswork, fewer dead ends, fewer barriers to getting on the medications that will make their lives better. We want patients to feel more confident that someone is actually paying attention and helping them navigate with respect in their conditions, but also for providers as pharmacists and prescribers. We hope it feels like a partnership.

The work they already do needs to be supported by a structure that makes it easier for them to help the women succeed on therapy. Ultimately, it's not about a launch date of a program, really. It's about what is core to LucyRx. It's making prescription care feel more human, feel more connected and responsive to the lives of the people we serve, in this case, to the women that we serve.

READ MORE: Women’s Health Resource Center

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