Eli Lilly (LLY.N), opens new tab will ship the two highest doses of its popular weight-loss drug Zepbound to cash-paying customers on its website starting early August, the U.S. drugmaker said on Monday.
• 12.5 mg & 15 mg doses now available in single-dose vials.
• Flat pricing of $499/month or less, regardless of insurance.
• Doctors can begin prescribing higher-dose vials starting July 7.
• Lilly & Novo Nordisk offering discounted vials to increase accessibility.
• The LillyDirect website was launched last year to help patients directly order some drugs.
• In February, the U.S. drugmaker reduced the price of Zepbound vials and expanded the range of doses for patients who choose to pay cash through the drugmaker's direct-to-consumer website.
• Dropping Zepbound from some reimbursement lists starting July 1, 2025.
• Prioritizing Wegovy after securing a more favorable price from Novo Nordisk.
• Lilly vs. Novo Nordisk—both competing in the $150 billion obesity drug market.
• Lilly has overtaken Novo, despite Novo’s initial first-mover advantage.
• Compounding pharmacies had been allowed to produce hundreds of thousands of doses of their versions when the branded drugs were in shortage.
• However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has since banned sales of the copies.
The companies have also been offering the drugs on several telehealth platforms.