Eli Lilly to lower price of Zepbound vials, offer more doses

Eli Lilly said Tuesday that it will offer more doses of its obesity drug Zepbound in vials and lower the prices of the doses it already sells, as the pharma giant seeks to draw patients away from cheap, compounded copies of weight loss medications.

Zepbound was originally sold in injectable pens at a list price of about $1,000 per month, but Lilly last year launched the lowest doses of the medication, 2.5 milligrams and 5 milligrams, in vials at $399 and $549 a month. The company framed the move as a way to increase access, but some experts were skeptical, noting that the price was still prohibitive, as the vials are only available to patients who pay on their own without insurance, and many patients will still go on to need higher doses.

In the new offering, Lilly is lowering the price of the 2.5-mg and 5-mg vials to $349 and $499 per month. It will also start selling 7.5-mg and 10-mg doses in vials at $599 and $699 a month. On the first fill and refill of those higher doses, patients will be able to pay a lower price of $499 per month.