Eli Lilly and Company is launching 7.5mg and 10mg Zepbound (tirzepatide) single-dose vials, available for $499 with the new Zepbound Self Pay Journey Program.
Lilly also reduced the price of the 2.5mg and 5mg vials. These new offerings are available exclusively through LillyDirect Self Pay Pharmacy Solutions, which enables a transparent price by removing third-party supply chain entities and allowing patients to access savings directly outside of insurance.
Zepbound is the first and only dual GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) and GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptor agonist obesity medication. Zepbound is indicated for adults with obesity, or some adults who are overweight and also have at least one weight-related medical problem, to lose weight and keep it off. Additionally, Zepbound is FDA-approved to treat adults with moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea and obesity. Some dermatologists are combining injectable weight loss drugs with psoriasis treatments to improve outcomes for patients who are overweight or obesereceptor agonists, and others are increasingly co-managing patients who are on these GLP-1/GIP for obesity or diabetes.
Self-pay patients with obesity now have additional Zepbound vial options, including 2.5mg, 5mg, 7.5mg and 10mg doses. In addition to expanding the doses available, Lilly is taking steps to make Zepbound vials more affordable, including:
- Lowering the price of the 2.5mg dose to $349 per month.
- Lowering the price of the 5mg dose to $499 per month.
- Launching the Zepbound Self Pay Journey Program, which reduces the price of the 7.5mg ($599) and 10 mg ($699) doses to $499 per month at first fill and refills that occur within 45 days of prior delivery.
“Every major medical organization and establishment recognizes obesity as a chronic disease, yet insurance and federal programs do not systematically cover people living with obesity for medical care — this needs to change,” says Patrik Jonsson, executive vice president and president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health and Lilly USA, in a news release. “Lilly is committed to working with all parties to solve this problem, and in the meantime, we’ll continue to implement new options that improve the affordability and availability of our safe, approved and studied Zepbound for patients who are being asked to pay out-of-pocket.”
Zepbound is also available in 2.5mg, 5mg, 7.5mg, 10mg, 12.5mg, or 15mg per 0.5mL doses in a single-dose pen (autoinjector). The recommended maintenance dosages are 5mg, 10mg or 15mg injected subcutaneously once weekly. Those starting on Zepbound will take Zepbound 2.5mg for four weeks before increasing their dosage to 5mg.
To learn more about LillyDirect, please visit LillyDirect.lilly.com.
