INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 17: A flag flies above the headquarters campus of Eli Lilly and Company on March 17, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Lilly, a pharmaceutical company, employs more than 12.000 people in Indianapolis and more than 42,000 worldwide. Scott Olson/Getty Images
Eli Lilly is launching a cheaper version of its weight loss drug Zepbound, part of an effort to make the hot-selling treatment more accessible to patients nationwide.
Per CNBC, the new version would be available at the cost of roughly half of Zepbound's average monthly list price and would help address the needs of the uninsured, including Medicare recipients.
Eli Lilly's decision comes as the market for weight loss drugs continues to expand, with copycat versions of Zepbound appearing on various online platforms, according to the New York Times.
To combat the rise of counterfeit drugs, the company is partnering with a third-party pharmacy, Gifthealth, to ensure that patients are receiving genuine Zepbound.
The company is now selling single-dose vials of Zepbound on its direct-to-consumer website, LillyDirect, respectively at the price of $399 for a 2.5-milligram dose and $549 for a 5-milligram dose.
Unlike current autoinjector pens, the patient will be required to manually draw medication from vials into a syringe before self-administering the injection. Now Eli Lilly says the cost of the vials is now much cheaper, which will help to increase its supply to meet the skyrocketing demand.
This may also be in the best interest of patients who rely on Medicare or other health plans that do not cover treatments for weight loss. Eli Lilly has recognized a problem whereby saving programs reducing the price of the drug almost always exclude patients who rely on Medicare.
By selling Zepbound straight to the consumers at an out-of-pocket price that is more affordable, the company desires to provide such patients with a predictable and transparent model of pricing.
"Consumers deserve predictability in pricing, especially when it comes to medications as important as Zepbound," said Patrik Jonsson, president of Eli Lilly's diabetes and obesity division. "There will be no markups, and that's super important. We want patients to have access to safe, FDA-approved medications without worrying about inflated prices or counterfeit products."
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