The service, called LillyDirect, comes on the back of the launch of Lilly's obesity drug Zepbound last month, the latest entrant to a market that is forecast to grow to about $100 billion by the end of the decade.

Powerful weight-loss medicines, like Novo Nordisk's Wegovy, have seen extraordinary demand over the last one year, leading to their acute shortage in the United States.

Lilly said its direct-to-consumer service will also be available for patients with diabetes and migraine, with the website's pharmacy page listing migraine drug Emgality, insulin and similar products for home delivery.

The website will connect patients to independent telehealth providers who can complement their current team of doctors or be an alternative to in-person care for certain conditions, the company said.

It will also provide pharmacy services through third-party providers, completing the company's so-called "end-to-end" service for these patients.

"We're used to buying consumer goods directly from manufacturers all the time on online websites," Lilly CEO David Ricks told NBC News.

"It really hasn’t been an option that's been provided before" for prescription drugs, Ricks added.

The soaring popularity of obesity drugs has also attracted interest from weight management service providers WW International and Ro, which have also launched telehealth services for these drugs.

Lilly also said it does not promote the use of its obesity and diabetes drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound outside of their approved purposes, and said it stands against their use for "cosmetic weight loss."

The company in September filed lawsuits against 10 U.S. medical spas, wellness centers and compounding pharmacies for selling products claiming to contain tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Mounjaro and Zepbound.