The HRT Club is on a mission to make hormonal treatments accessible to everyone. Since its launch in April 2024, The HRT Club has quickly become the leading doctor-recommended platform for hormone replacement therapy (HRT), with members saving up to 90% on their HRT prescriptions. Pulse 2.0 interviewed The HRT Club CEO Cyrille Labourel to learn more about the company.
Cyrille Labourel’s Background
“I was born in France and moved to the U.S. to pursue an MBA, and for the last 15 years I have been leading healthcare brands and businesses for large pharmaceutical companies (Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Organon) with a strong focus on women’s health.
I took over the leadership of Besins Healthcare USA (Androgel and Estrogel brands) in 2023 with the goal to redesign the company’s business model for the U.S. market.”
Formation Of The Company
“Since working in the pharmaceutical space in the U.S., I have been struck by the astronomical cost of drugs compared to other countries.”
Contrary to popular belief, the biggest profits from established drugs and generics don’t go to manufacturers but to intermediaries like pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and wholesalers. Even though they make drugs expensive to the average American, it is tough for pharma companies to bypass them because their patients would lose insurance coverage.
We took a different approach with The HRT Club. By working directly with manufacturers, we provide well-known treatments at prices comparable to those found outside the U.S. The trade-off? We operate outside the traditional system—we never accept insurance (which would require working with PBMs that undermine our model), and we bypass the three largest wholesalers, which can add markups of up to 15%.
By eliminating these middlemen, we pass the savings directly to patients, allowing them to save up to 90% compared to what they typically pay through insurance or retail pharmacies. It is beneficial to patients and manufacturers.”
Favorite Memory
“We have heard from hundreds of patients how happy they are to know we exist. Many of them used to spend over $200/month on HRT medications; now, with us, they can spend less than $50/month. One member was so happy with our service they sent us a box of chocolate for the holidays.”
Core Services
“We focus on providing most HRT medications at the lowest cost possible through drug manufacturers and pharmacy partnerships. Any licensed doctor can send us a prescription for the products we carry and we will deliver the medicine right to the patient. They have the freedom to prescribe what they consider appropriate without the need for prior authorizations and insurance verification.
We also work with leading menopause and men’s health platforms to fill their prescriptions instead of traditional pharmacies.
Soon, we will offer telehealth and lab services so that each member can be empowered to get the support they need when they need it.
One critical aspect to make this possible is that we will NEVER accept insurance. We are committed to passing savings to the patients.”
Challenges Faced
“Our biggest challenge so far has been technological. Unlike other health platforms, we work in an open environment where any U.S.-licensed doctor can send us a prescription through their EMR system. This is fantastic for doctors because they are used to the system, but it can create some complexity on the back end that telehealth companies can’t solve.
By researching various solutions to this problem, we identified a compliant way to receive prescriptions and route them in real time to the right partner. We had to create our own pharmacy, The HRT Club pharmacy, but this allows us greater flexibility and the ability to scale much more rapidly.”
Customer Success Stories
“I mentioned earlier a patient who sent us a gift to thank us, but I can also speak about a Florida doctor who told us we saved her practice. Between deductibles, co-pays and insurance verification requirements, she was losing patients who could not afford treatment anymore. She is so thrilled about The HRT Club that she wants to make it an integral part of the services she offers to all her patients.”
Funding
“Today, we are self-funded by our parent company, Besins Healthcare, a leading manufacturer of HRT drugs with direct presence in over 25 markets.
We are considering bringing in a U.S.-based venture fund to accelerate our growth.
As of March, over 1,000 healthcare professionals are sending us their prescriptions, and we are gaining about 200 new members per week.
Our goal is to reach 200,000 members in the next three years.”
Total Addressable Market
“The HRT market is quite large, with over 11 million Americans taking HRT medications annually. It is also often seen as a chronic need where people stay on treatment for 10+ years.”
Two-thirds of this $7.4 billion market focuses on sexual hormones (progesterone, testosterone, estrogens), but there is also a large need for other types of hormones (thyroid, growth hormones, etc).”
Differentiation From The Competition
“The HRT Club is the most affordable option for anyone seeking hormone replacement therapy. Unlike our competition, we have very small margins on treatments. We also and we have branded medications, not just generic or compounded products.
Our approach focused on access to quality medication, which explains why we became the #1 doctor-recommended HRT platform in less than 12 months.”
Future Company Goals
“We are on a mission to democratize access to hormonal health. We want to partner with every company, doctor, and employer that shares the goal to make essential HRT medicine more affordable and accessible. Today, only one out of three individuals diagnosed with a hormonal deficiency gets treated. We hope to improve that metric dramatically by removing the barriers imposed by insurance companies.
In the months to come, we will make our digital platform easier to use with improved features for healthcare professionals and members.”
