Through its online pharmacy LillyDirect, Eli Lilly announced Tuesday it will allow patients to purchase single-dose vials of Zepbound—without the autoinjector—at a 50% discount or more versus other incretin obesity treatments.
Eli Lilly on Tuesday announced that it will offer single-dose vials of its blockbuster weight-loss treatment Zepbound (tirzepatide) in a bid to better respond to the market’s insatiable demand for the medication.
Both 2.5-mg and 5-mg doses of Zepbound will be available for purchase as single vials—without the autoinjector pen. According to Lilly, the single-dose Zepbound vials will carry at least a 50% discount compared with the list prices of other GLP-1 therapies for obesity. The purchase option is available for self-pay patients through LillyDirect, the company’s online pharmacy.
Lilly emphasized that the option to purchase single vials of Zepbound is for patients with on-label prescriptions for the therapy only. The pharma has “taken a vocal stance against the use of obesity medicine for cosmetic weight loss” and will implement a “multi-step verification process” to make sure that patients are purchasing Zepbound for valid medical reasons, according to the announcement.
Patrik Jonsson, president of Lilly cardiometabolic health and Lilly USA, in a statement said that the single-dose Zepbound offering will not only help the pharma “meet the high demand for our obesity medicine, but also broaden access for patients seeking a safe and effective treatment option.”
“Outdated policies and lack of coverage for obesity medications create an urgent need for more innovative solutions,” Jonsson said. “Bringing Zepbound single-dose vials to patients will help more people living with obesity manage this chronic condition.”
At its 2.5-mg dose level, Zepbound costs $99.75 per vial, or around $399 for a four-week supply. The 5-mg dose goes for $ 137.25 per vial or $549 for a four-week supply, according to Lilly.
Offering the more affordable, single-dose vial option is part of Lilly’s effort to combat compounded and counterfeit tirzepatide products, the pharma said. The company contends that its online direct-to-consumer distribution method adds another layer of protection, helping to “protect the public from the dangers posed by the proliferation of counterfeit, fake, unsafe or untested knock-offs.”
In recent months, Lilly has taken an aggressive stance against unauthorized copycat products, filing several lawsuits against medical spas, wellness centers and compounding pharmacies in late 2023 and in June 2024.
Approved in November 2023, Zepbound is indicated for chronic weight management alongside lifestyle adjustments such as a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. It also comes in 7.5-mg, 10-mg, 12.5-mg and 15-mg doses in an autoinjector. Its active ingredient tirzepatide is also approved under the brand name Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes.
Lilly has struggled to keep pace with the market’s steep and growing appetite for weight-loss medicines. In April 2024, the FDA announced that the four highest doses of Mounjaro would be in short supply through the month, with a follow-up announcement a few weeks later noting that Zepbound would also have limited availability. At the time, the regulator expected the shortage to persist through the second quarter of 2024.
Earlier this month, after several strategic investments to boost manufacturing capacity, all doses of Zepbound and Mounjaro were taken off the FDA’s drug shortages list.
Evan Seigerman, analyst at BMO Capital Markets, wrote in a Tuesday note to investors that the single-use vial doses improve on the significant manufacturing constraints for autoinjectors. “Lilly can expedite the speed in which it provides the medication to patients by avoiding the need for the mechanical manufacturing of the injector pens required to produce autoinjectors.”
