Eli Lilly has released a cheaper version of its weight-loss drug Zepbound. It will now be available in single-dose vials at about half the price.
Instead of using prefilled injection pens, people will use a syringe to draw out the medicine. This option is available exclusively to people who pay out of pocket through LillyDirect, the company's platform that helps coordinate telehealth services and fill prescriptions.
A four-week supply of the 2.5-milligram Zepbound single-dose vial will be $399 ($99.75 per vial), and a four-week supply of the 5-milligram dose will be $549 ($137.25 per vial).
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Eli Lilly said that self-pay enables a "transparent price by removing third-party supply chain entities and allowing patients to access savings directly outside of insurance."
"We are excited to share that the Zepbound single-dose vials are now here, further delivering on our promise to increase supply of Zepbound in the U.S.," said Patrik Jonsson, executive vice president, and president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health and Lilly USA. "These new vials not only help us meet the high demand for our obesity medicine, but also broaden access for patients seeking a safe and effective treatment option."
Eli Lilly said that those who used 5-milligram doses had an average 15% weight loss after 72 weeks compared to 3.1% for placebo after 72 weeks.
However, weight-loss drugs do have potential side effects. Eli Lilly noted that Zepbound can be related to numerous adverse gastrointestinal reactions, but it says the benefits of its weight-loss drug outweigh the risks for some patients. Trials indicated that those who took the drug and combined it with diet and exercise also had improved blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
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As for how this will affect the rapidly growing market of GLP-1 agonist drugs like Zepbound, Ozempic and Wegovy, one expert said it could start a domino effect of other drugmakers leaning into more affordable versions of their similar medications.
"I would not be surprised that in the near future, all the manufacturers of the various GLP-1 agonists such as Zepbound and Ozempic — considering because the market is so huge and the volume is so high — that prices can come down, and everybody wins," Peter Pitts, president of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, told Scripps News.
And that would likely be welcome news, as this move from Eli Lilly comes as drug manufacturers have come under increased scrutiny for their high prices on injectable obesity and diabetes drugs. A Senate committee hearing is scheduled for next month to discuss the cost of these medications.
One person scheduled to testify at that hearing is Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, the CEO of Novo Nordisk, which makes Ozempic and Wegovy. He told "NBC Nightly News" in an interview on Sunday that drugs like those from his company are saving Americans money in comparison to the other costs of treating obesity.
"It's the disease that costs Americans more than $400 billion a year, and we are actually providing products that's actually helping take that cost burden off," he told the network.
