SHARx's Rising Tides brings together respected athletes and leaders to inspire a grassroots movement for prescription access and affordability into helping patients, families and employers see that longstanding barriers are not movable.
ST. LOUIS, Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Sophie Cunningham stands with SHARx. (Watch Sophie Cunningham's Fair Play.) She is part of a team of respected athletes committed to lowering drug costs for all Americans.
Athlete endorsements are common, but SHARx CEO and co-founder Corey Durbin built Rising Tides to bring credible voices into the company's mission to lower prescription costs and inspire Americans to reject drug price gouging.
The program grew through relationships with athletes, broadcasters and civic leaders who wanted to raise awareness of prescription-access barriers and SHARx's work to make the system fairer.
"Our Rising Tides initiative happened through relationships," Durbin said. "Over time, every ambassador became a close friend of mine, and they loved the solution SHARx was providing for employers and their families. They all asked how they can get the word out about what we are doing."
Relationships Came Before the Program
Durbin describes the program's development as a slow burn fueled by a shared love of sports. Professional golfer Gary Hallberg introduced him to fellow golfer Steve Jones. Durbin met former NFL quarterback Brock Osweiler on a driving range before SHARx entered their conversations. Former NFL quarterback and three-term U.S. congressman Heath Shuler later embraced the company's work. Mike Kelly, longtime University of Missouri broadcaster, supported the mission and contacted Sophie Cunningham.
"These ambassadors are a collection of individuals coming together who have influence and are regularly around other people with influence," Durbin said. "They bought into what SHARx is and what we are doing. That is when it became clear that we could actually inspire people to join us on this journey."
For Durbin, character, credibility and a willingness to confront injustice matter more than reach.
"We are looking for people who are genuine," Durbin said. "They are not in it because they think they can make a few bucks. They actually buy into who we are and the impact we are making for our members and their families."
Team Experience Becomes Mission Experience
Durbin believes athletes understand shared responsibility. Cunningham, Osweiler, Shuler and broadcaster and former football player Kelly spent years in environments where success depended on trust and accountability.
"Playing a team sport and having people who rely on you, and who you rely on, helps people understand what it takes to accomplish meaningful objectives," Durbin said. "SHARx is a legitimate opportunity to be part of something special – breaking up a flawed system and giving the people a seat at the proverbial table."
Each ambassador illustrates part of the prescription-access problem. Cunningham uses her platform to stand with SHARx and make the prescription game fair. Osweiler brings personal family experience and growing television influence. Shuler connects athletic leadership with public policy and civic responsibility. Hallberg and Jones understand how medication affordability affects families and have built relationships throughout their careers.
"This is a passion of mine because it hits so close to home. 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. "SHARx makes a meaningful difference in lives every day, and I wanted to be a part of that movement."
Durbin said Osweiler's commitment to family and community makes him an ideal ambassador. He also understands that Americans cannot continue paying what RAND estimates to be 422% more than other countries for brand-name drugs.
The Rising Tides podcast gives ambassadors an informal forum to discuss what troubles them about prescription affordability.
"The ambassadors are not expected to become pharmaceutical experts," Durbin said. "They can ask many of the same questions patients and employers are asking: Why does a medication cost so much? Why is access so difficult? What choices are available?"
Awareness Should Lead to Agency
SHARx wants patients, families, employers and benefits advisers to understand that medication-sourcing decisions can improve access to high-cost prescriptions. Rising Tides aims to move people from attention to action.
SHARx supports prescription access through supply-chain management, prescription procurement and member education. Working with employer-sponsored health plans, the company evaluates multiple sourcing pathways for expensive and specialty medications. Rising Tides explains why this work matters, while SHARx provides a way to act.
Durbin expects the ambassador community to expand beyond sports to people with academic, clinical and enterprise experience. Participants must bring credibility, a connection to the mission and a belief that better access is possible.
"We are here to make sure we do not continue to take inflated drug prices and say, 'I guess we just have to find more money to pay for them,'" Durbin said. "At the end of the day, we want to see people get healthy. We want to see them get well."
About SHARx
SHARx is a procurement and supply-chain management solution for high-cost prescription drugs. Working alongside employer-sponsored health plans, SHARx helps employers address the financial impact of expensive and specialty medications while providing members with personalized advocacy and access to cost-effective sourcing solutions. SHARx evaluates multiple sourcing pathways with the goal of making prescription access more affordable, predictable and sustainable.
Learn more at SHARXplan.com
References
- Mulcahy, A. W., Schwam, D., & Lovejoy, S. L. (2024). International prescription drug price comparisons: Estimates using 2022 data (Report No. RR-A788-3). RAND Corporation.
Media Inquiries
Karla Jo Helms
JOTO PR(TM)
727-777-4629
Jotopr.com
SOURCE SHARx
Share this article