Lilly sells less expensive Zepbound to meet demand, combat counterfeits – MM+M

A new version of Eli Lilly and Company’s popular weight loss drug Zepbound will now be available at a price that’s about 50% cheaper than the current options.

Lilly announced Tuesday that it will offer 2.5 mg and 5 mg single-dose vials of Zepbound that patients can access through a self-pay pharmacy that is part of LillyDirect, its telehealth platform.  

A month’s supply of the 2.5 mg dose will cost $399, or about $99 per vial, while a month’s supply of the 5 mg dose will be $549, compared to the $1,000-per-month price of Lilly’s current injectable version of Zepbound.

Patrik Jonsson, EVP and president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health and Lilly USA, said in a statement that making the new single-dose vials available are part of the company’s efforts to boost supply of Zepbound amid ongoing drug shortages.

Jonsson said the move reflects the company’s promise to boost the supply of Zepbound in the U.S., adding that the new vials “broaden access for patients seeking a safe and effective treatment option.”

A 50% price cut is a significant one, especially for the countless people who have sought out cheap, compounded and untested versions of Zepbound, Mounjaro or GLP-1 drugs from rival Novo Nordisk since they hit the market in recent years. 

Across TikTok and other social media platforms, people have described searching for compounded versions of the drugs from telehealth platforms or clinics either because the branded drugs are unavailable due to shortages or because they are too expensive.

Advocates of Eli Lilly’s move argued that the 50% reduction in price will make it easier for people to access weight loss treatment when their insurance doesn’t cover it.

“People living with obesity have long been denied access to the essential treatment and care needed to manage this serious chronic disease,” said James Zervos, chief operating officer of Obesity Action Coalition, in a statement. “Expanding coverage and affordability of treatments is vital to people living with obesity.”

Zervos applauded Lilly’s move, but added that others in the industry will need to take note in order to make meaningful changes in access to weight loss care. He called on policymakers, employers and insurers to figure out similar solutions with other pharma companies.

Some experts are also speculating that the move is meant to take action against telehealth companies and unlicensed clinics that are selling compounded versions of GLP-1s as people seek cheaper alternatives.

Lilly was upfront about its motives, saying that making vial versions available on LillyDirect is meant to ensure patients and providers can trust they’re receiving actual Lilly medicine rather than counterfeit, fake, unsafe or untested knock-offs of the medications.

The pharma giant added that the self-pay channel allows for a transparent price by removing third-party supply chain entities and allows patients to access savings directly outside of insurance. 

It will, however, only be available to patients with prescriptions from physicians for the drugs, Lilly said.