FRIDAY. UNSETTLED SATURDAY, BUT SUNDAY AND LABOR DAY LOOK GOOD. ANOTHER ACCUWEATHER UPDATE AT 6:00. GUYS, BACK TO YOU. >> ALL RIGHT, LEE, THANK YOU. NOW TO A HEALTH ALERT AND A POTENTIAL MAJOR CHANGE IN THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY. ELI LILLY AND PFIZER JUST ANNOUNCED NEW PROGRAMS TO ALLOW CUSTOMERS TO BUY DRUGS DIRECTLY FROM THEIR COMPANIES. THE MOVE MEANS CONSUMERS COULD HAVE EASIER ACCESS TO ELI LILLY'S POPULAR WEIGHT LOSS MEDICATION. REBOUND. BUT SOME CRITICS SAY THIS COULD BE DANGEROUS. EYEWITNESS NEWS REPORTER DARLA MILES IS IN THE NEWSROOM. DARLA. >> WELL, JOE, BIG PHARMA HAS OPENED ITS DOORS, GIVING PATIENTS DIRECT ACCESS TO THEIR DRUGS, WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY BEEN UNHEARD OF UNTIL NOW. >> IT'S A WAY TO ELIMINATE THE MIDDLEMEN. >> A LITANY OF PRESCRIPTION DRUG COMMERCIALS IS NOTHING NEW THESE DAYS, BUT HAVING DIRECT ACCESS TO BIG PHARMA. WELL, THAT'S A WHOLE NEW BALL GAME. >> I THINK IT'S A COMBINATION OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES SEEING IT AS A WAY TO INCREASE THEIR PROFIT MARGINS AND CONSUMERS, ON THE OTHER END, BEING READILY ACCEPTING OF THIS AS A WAY TO GAIN CONVENIENCE. >> THE PHARMACEUTICAL GIANT ELI LILLY TODAY UNVEILING A NEW VERSION OF ITS WEIGHT LOSS MEDICATION REBOUND, NOW SELLING DIRECTLY TO CONSUMERS. HIGH DEMAND FOR THE WEIGHT LOSS DRUG AND OTHERS LIKE WEGOVY, HAVE LED TO WIDESPREAD SHORTAGES. ELI LILLY CEO DAVID RICKS TOLD GOOD MORNING AMERICA IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW HOW THE DRUG MAKER IS MAKING A BIG SHIFT TO ADDRESS THE SHORTAGES. >> WE'RE WORKING TO BUILD MORE SUPPLY, BUT IN THE MEANTIME, WE CAN NOW RELEASE THESE VIAL FORMS THAT ARE OF BOTH OUR TWO AND A HALF AND FIVE MILLIGRAM DOSE. >> AND TODAY. PHARMACEUTICAL GIANT PFIZER ALSO GETTING IN THE DIRECT TO CONSUMER GAME. LAUNCHING PFIZER FOR ALL BUT TAKING IT A STEP FURTHER, OFFERING ACCESS TO INDEPENDENT OR TELEHEALTH DOCTORS, VACCINATION SCHEDULING AND HOME DELIVERY OF 16 DIFFERENT MEDICATIONS FOR CONDITIONS LIKE CERTAIN CANCERS, HER2 POSITIVE METASTATIC BREAST CANCER, NON-HODGKIN'S LYMPHOMA AND KIDNEY CANCER. ALSO, VARIOUS FORMS OF ARTHRITIS, CROHN'S DISEASE AND PAXLOVID FOR COVID 19. >> IT'S NOT ONLY THE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES THEMSELVES. THERE ARE ACTUALLY THIRD PARTY COMPANIES AS WELL. SOME OF THE NAMES WERE HIMS AND HERS AND RO THAT WE SEE ADVERTISED A LOT. >> AND WITH THIS NEW DIRECT ACCESS TO MEDICATIONS, THE FDA LAST MONTH ISSUING A WARNING AFTER REPORTS OF ADVERSE EVENTS, SOME REQUIRING HOSPITALIZATION THAT MAY BE RELATED TO OVERDOSES DUE TO DOSING ERRORS ASSOCIATED WITH COMPOUNDED SEMAGLUTIDE INJECTABLE PRODUCTS. >> I THINK IT'S A LOT OF WHAT THE CONSUMER BEWARE YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PHARMACEUTICAL SUPPLIER THAT YOU'RE WORKING WITH, IF IT'S NOT ONE OF THE BIG WELL-KNOWN COMPANIES, THAT THEY ARE ETHICAL, THAT THEY ARE PRESCRIBING, LEGITIMATE DRUGS, NOT COUNTERFEIT VERSIONS. >> AND LATE THIS AFTERNOON, PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN SAID HE IS PLEASED TO SEE ELI LILLY OFFERING DIRECT TO CONSUMER ACCESS TO THAT. BUT HE ALSO SAYS DRUG