Sept 29 (Reuters) - U.S. pharmaceutical lobby group

PhRMA said on Monday it would launch a new website in January to

help patients buy prescription drugs directly from

manufacturers, bypassing pharmacy benefit managers and other

middlemen.

The website, to be called AmericasMedicines.com, will allow

drugmakers to list medicines available for direct purchase and

connect patients with programs that offer lower prices and fewer

barriers to access.

The move is part of a broader push by the biopharmaceutical

industry to simplify how Americans get their medicines and

reduce out-of-pocket costs following mounting pressure from the

Trump administration.

President Donald Trump has urged pharmaceutical companies to

match U.S. prices with those paid in other countries, and in May

signed an executive order requiring drugmakers to offer

Americans the same prices they charge overseas.

In July, Trump sent letters to 17 major pharmaceutical

companies demanding they slash U.S. prescription drug prices to

match those paid in other developed nations. The companies have

until September 29 to respond with binding commitments.

The White House has also floated the idea of a

government-run website, possibly named TrumpRx, to help

Americans shop for cheaper medicines, Bloomberg News reported

earlier this month.

PhRMA did not immediately respond to a request for more

details on its upcoming website.

The direct-to-consumer model has recently gained traction,

with companies like Eli Lilly ( LLY ), Pfizer ( PFE ), and

AstraZeneca ( AZN ) launching their own platforms for select drugs.

Last week, AstraZeneca ( AZN ) said it would offer its

diabetes and asthma treatments at discounts of up to 70%,

starting October 1.

The industry group also said drugmakers had pumped in $500

billion in U.S.-based manufacturing and infrastructure, which

are expected to generate $1.2 trillion in economic output and

create over 100,000 new jobs.