St. Louis – – October 06, 2026 -- Americans pay 422% more than patients in other countries for brand-name prescription drugs, according to RAND Corporation data, a gap that prescription-access firm SHARx is now targeting through an athlete-led awareness campaign called Rising Tides.
SHARx builds an ambassador network from personal relationships, not paid endorsement deals
CEO and co-founder Corey Durbin assembled the Rising Tides roster through direct connections rather than traditional sponsorship outreach. WNBA player Sophie Cunningham joined after University of Missouri broadcaster Mike Kelly introduced her to the cause. Former NFL quarterback Brock Osweiler met Durbin on a driving range before SHARx entered the conversation, and professional golfer Gary Hallberg linked Durbin to fellow golfer Steve Jones. Former NFL quarterback and three-term U.S. congressman Heath Shuler has also joined the initiative.
Osweiler cites family losses tied to drug affordability as his reason for joining
"Those closest to me have experienced the loss of loved ones because the high price of the drugs they needed made access impossible," Osweiler said, describing SHARx's daily impact on patient outcomes as the motivation behind his involvement.
Rising Tides podcast lets ambassadors raise patient-level questions without requiring pharmaceutical expertise
The podcast format allows participants to ask the same questions patients and employers raise directly: why medication costs are high, why access is difficult, and what sourcing alternatives exist. Durbin said ambassadors are selected for credibility and genuine buy-in rather than audience size, framing their role as extending SHARx's work with employer-sponsored health plans into public view.
SHARx positions the campaign as a bridge from public awareness to employer action
The company's core business evaluates multiple sourcing pathways for high-cost and specialty medications on behalf of employer health plans, pairing procurement and supply-chain management with member-level advocacy. Durbin said Rising Tides is meant to convert attention generated by the ambassadors into concrete sourcing decisions by employers and benefits advisers, rather than functioning as a standalone advocacy effort. He added that the ambassador pool is expected to expand beyond sports into academic, clinical and enterprise backgrounds.