Zepbound price cut: Eli Lilly lowers cost of weight loss drug
Drugmaker Eli Lilly is significantly lowering the prices of the two lowest doses of its blockbuster weight loss drug Zepbound.
Drugmaker Eli Lilly is significantly lowering the prices of the two lowest doses of its blockbuster weight loss drug Zepbound, it said Tuesday, in a move to expand access and ease supply constraints. Two key changes to how people get and use the cheaper medicine, however, might not be appealing to some patients.
Under the new pricing plan, a month’s supply of the lowest dose, 2.5 milligrams, will cost $399, while a month’s supply of the 5 mg dose will cost $549. That’s down from a monthly list price of $1,059, regardless of the dosage.
The lower-cost doses will be offered only through Lilly’s telehealth platform, LillyDirect, however, and they won’t be covered by insurance, meaning patients will need to pay for them in cash. Patients who opt for the lower-cost doses also won’t qualify for Lilly’s discount savings program.
Under the new pricing plan, a month’s supply of the lowest dose, 2.5 milligrams, will cost $399, while a month’s supply of the 5 mg dose will cost $549.Eli LillyLilly said it’s able to charge the lower price because the drug will be sold in vials rather than single-dose auto-injector pens, which means patients will need to draw the medicine out of the vial with a syringe. (The 2.5 and 5 mg doses will still be available in the auto-injector pens as well, just not at the new discounted price.)
Frustrated Zepbound users have been advocating for vial options for some time, as they believe Lilly’s ongoing supply problems stem from the complicated manufacturing process required for the auto-injector pens. Some patients have instead looked to compounded versions of the weight loss drug, which typically come in vials and are less expensive.
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