Cheaper Version of Tirzepatide for Weight Loss Now Available, Lilly Says

Tirzepatide, when used for weight loss under the brand name Zepbound, is now more affordable thanks to a self-pay option created by the manufacturer, Lilly. The discount is available through the company’s own online pharmacy.

The drug, an agonist of both the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor and the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptor, has previously been sold only in the form of single-dose, autoinjector pens.

“This new option helps millions of adults with obesity access the medicine they need, including those not eligible for the Zepbound savings card program, those without employer coverage, and those who need to self-pay outside of insurance,” a press release proclaims.

Now, according to the manufacturer, it will also be available in 2.5-mg and 5-mg single-dose vials at a cost that’s at least 50% lower than the other GLP-1 drugs on the market. Specifically, 4-week supplies of the 2.5-mg and 5-mg single-dose vials are priced at $399 and $549, respectively. According to GoodRx, the retail price for four prefilled pens of Zepbound averages around $1,300.

There are two caveats, however.

First, patients must have a prescription for the drug as indicated on the drug’s label. Zepbound was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in November 2023 for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or overweight and at least one weight-related condition. No mention was made in today’s announcement of Mounjaro, the trade name under which tirzepatide is sold for the FDA-approved indication of type 2 diabetes.

Second, the vials must be obtained through LillyDirect. “Distributing the vials via this channel ensures patients and providers can trust they are receiving genuine Lilly medicine, building on the company's efforts to help protect the public from the dangers posed by the proliferation of counterfeit, fake, unsafe, or untested knockoffs of Lilly's medications,” a company press release notes, adding that ancillary supplies, like syringes and needles, will also be available for purchase on the website.

“Despite obesity being recognized as a serious chronic illness with long-term consequences, it's often misclassified as a lifestyle choice, resulting in many employers and the federal government excluding medications like Zepbound from insurance coverage," Patrik Jonsson, executive vice president of Eli Lilly and Company as well as president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health and Lilly USA, said in the announcement. "Outdated policies and lack of coverage for obesity medications create an urgent need for more innovative solutions.”