Eli Lilly has lowered the price of single-dose vials of its popular GLP-1 drug Zepbound on LillyDirect, the company’s digital health care platform. LillyDirect, which launched in early 2024, allows some consumers who lack insurance or who have inadequate coverage to access Zepbound and Mounjaro directly from the manufacturer through its Zepbound Self Pay Journey Program.
“Far too many people who need obesity treatments still face cost and coverage barriers,” said Ilya Yuffa, executive vice president of Lilly USA. “Today’s action underscores Lilly’s commitment to improving access across the obesity care landscape. We will keep working to provide more options -- expanding choices for delivery devices and creating new pathways for access -- so more people can get the medicines they need.”
With a valid prescription, patients now can access the starting dose of Zepbound single-dose vials (2.5 mg) for as low as $299 per month. The 5-mg dose will be available for $399 per month. All other approved doses are $449 per month for patients in the Zepbound Self Pay Journey Program.
Last month, the drugmaker announced lower prices for Zepbound multidose pens, subject to approval by the Food and Drug Administration. By lowering prices of Zepbound single-dose vials, Lilly is offering patients greater access and more treatment options, Yuffa said. Starting as early as next April, Medicare patients will pay no more than $50 a month for Zepbound sold in a multiuse pen and for Lilly’s once-a-day weight loss pill, as long as both drugs are approved by the FDA.
Meanwhile, Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly’s competitor in the GLP-1 market, is offering people who pay out of pocket a steep discount for select doses of Ozempic and Wegovy. Until the end of March, consumers with a prescription can purchase the two lowest doses for $199 a month for two months. After that, the drugs will cost $349 a month. The deal will be available through the Ozempic and Wegovy websites, where people can register for the discounts to use at pharmacies and through telehealth.
The Trump administration earlier this fall pressured both Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to lower the price of GLP-1 drugs. President Trump announced early last month that Medicare would cover Wegovy and Zepbound for millions of older adults and that the drugmakers would sell-discounted versions of the drugs through the federal government's direct-to-consumer website, TrumpRx, which will launch in 2026.
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