Eli Lilly lowers costs for weight loss drug

Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly is significantly reducing the prices of the two lowest doses of its successful weight-loss drug Zepbound, it announced on Tuesday. The aim is to make it easier to access and ease supply shortages. However, two major changes to the procurement and use of the cheaper drug could be unattractive for some patients.

Under the new pricing plan, a month's supply of the lowest dose, 2.5 milligrams, costs $399, while a month's supply of the 5-mg dose costs $549. That's a reduction from the monthly list price of $1,059, regardless of dosage.

However, the cheaper doses are only offered through Lilly's telemedicine platform LillyDirect and are not covered by insurance, meaning patients must pay for them in cash. Patients who choose the cheaper doses are also not eligible for Lilly's discount program.

Lilly said the lower price is possible because the drug is sold in vials rather than single-dose auto-injection pens, which means patients must draw the drug from the vial using a syringe. (The 2.5- and 5-mg doses will also still be available in the auto-injection pens, but not at the new reduced price.)

Frustrated Zepbound users have been advocating for vials for some time, believing that Lilly's ongoing supply problems are due to the complicated manufacturing process of the auto-injection pens. Some patients have instead opted for compounded versions of the weight-loss drug, which typically come in vials and are less expensive.

“These new vials not only help us meet the high demand for our obesity medicine, but also expand access for patients looking for a safe and effective treatment option,” said Patrik Jonsson, president of Lilly USA, in a press release.

Lilly and Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, have been under pressure to reduce the cost of their hugely popular – but expensive – weight-loss drugs.

In July, President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, wrote in an opinion piece in USA Today that both drug companies “must stop ripping off Americans with high drug prices.”

In an interview in June, Sanders called the higher prices for Novo Nordisk's drugs “absurd” and said he was leading a public pressure campaign to get the company to lower prices. Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, CEO of Novo Nordisk, has agreed to testify before Sanders' committee next month.

Who can get the cheaper bottles?

Lilly said the cheaper vials of Zepbound would give patients another option, particularly people without health insurance, those whose insurance doesn't cover the cost of the drug, or those who don't qualify for the company's discount and savings program. Zepbound's savings program excludes people with government health insurance programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.

Doctors can send prescriptions for the vials to LillyDirect, which will then ship them directly to patients, the company said. The vials will be available through LillyDirect in all 50 states, it said. Lilly provides instructions on how to use the vials and also offers syringes for purchase if needed.

Dr. Christopher McGowan, a gastroenterologist who runs a weight-loss clinic in North Carolina, said one problem he has had with using LillyDirect is supply.

“We tried to take advantage of that when they first announced it, and they had no supply,” said McGowan, who spoke to NBC News on Monday and was not told of Lilly's new price announcement. “It was no better than other pharmacies.”

Lilly says the switch to vials should help ease supply pressure. has decided to offer only two of its six doses at lower prices. The 2.5 mg dose is considered the “starter” dose – the one that patients take first before moving on to higher doses until they reach their so-called Maintenance doses.

McGowan said most patients in his practice stick with the 10 mg or 15 mg dose of Zepbound, although that often depends on availability. He said none of his patients take the 2.5 mg or 5 mg dose long-term, but he believes they would if prices were lower.

However, “patients who respond well to the high doses want to maintain them,” he said. “We don't want to reduce the dose and risk weight gain again.”

For D Scott, 46, of Las Vegas, the bottles provide a new, cheaper alternative once her Zepbound discount card expires at the end of the year.

Scott, who asked that only the first initial of her first name be used, said she has been overweight her entire life and after years of dieting and exercising, she was prescribed Zepbound about a month ago.

Her insurance doesn't cover the drug, but she can get it out of pocket for $550 a month through Lilly's rebate savings program. The program only runs through the end of December, though, so she'll either have to reapply — if Lilly offers it again — or pay the full cost herself after that.

However, Scott stated that she did not like the idea of ​​drawing up the medication using a syringe.

“I also take medication that makes me a little shaky, so delaying medication is not ideal,” she said.