Eli Lilly Releases Cheaper Zepbound Vials Priced Up To 50% Lower To Boost Access, Supply For Its Popular Weight Loss Drug

Eli Lilly and Co LLY on Tuesday released vials containing low doses of its weight-loss drug Zepbound.

Zepbound (tirzepatide) 2.5 mg and 5 mg single-dose vials are available for self-pay for patients with an on-label prescription, significantly expanding the supply of Zepbound in response to high demand.

Patients need to use a syringe and needle to draw up the medicine from the vial, which differs from single-dose autoinjector pens, which patients can directly inject under their skin by clicking a button.

The single-dose vials are priced at a 50% or more significant discount compared to the list price of all other incretin (GLP-1) medicines for obesity.

Also Read: Obesity Drugs On Amazon – Eli Lilly Partners With Amazon’s Pharmacy Unit To Deliver Drug Prescriptions, Including Popular Zepbound For Weight Loss.

This new option helps patients access the medicine, including those not eligible for the Zepbound savings card program, those without employer coverage, and those who need to self-pay outside of insurance.

Lilly has created a new self-pay pharmacy component of LillyDirect, where patients can purchase the vials with a valid, on-label prescription from the health care provider of their choice.

Lilly has also taken a vocal stance against using obesity medicine for cosmetic weight loss; a multi-step verification process will help ensure the vials are dispensed only to patients who have a valid, on-label electronic prescription from their health care provider.

Patients can also purchase ancillary supplies, such as syringes and needles, and will have access to patient-friendly instructional materials on correctly administering medicine via needle and syringe.

A four-week supply of the 2.5 mg Zepbound single-dose vial is $399 ($99.75 per vial), and a four-week supply of the 5 mg dose is $549 ($137.25 per vial) – less than half the list price of other incretin medicines for obesity and in line with the Zepbound savings program for non-covered individuals.

In a clinical study, tirzepatide 5 mg, a reduced calorie diet, and increased physical activity achieved an average of 15% weight loss over 72 weeks compared to 3.1% for placebo.

Zepbound is also available in 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg, or 15 mg per 0.5 ml doses in a single-dose pen (autoinjector).

The recommended maintenance dosages are 5 mg, 10 mg, or 15 mg, injected subcutaneously once weekly.

Price Action: At last check on Tuesday, LLY stock was down 0.48% at $946.01 during the premarket session.

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