On the heels of striking a deal with the Trump administration to reduce the prices of several of its most popular drugs for U.S. patients, Eli Lilly has unveiled additional savings for cash-paying users of its obesity and sleep apnea med Zepbound.
In the early November announcement of its agreement with the government, Lilly pledged to reduce the self-pay price of Zepbound in multidose pen form—which has yet to be approved by the FDA. Once the approval is secured, the multidose pens will be available via the LillyDirect online pharmacy platform for $299 to $449.
Monday’s announcement adds discounts to single-dose vials of Zepbound, which are already approved and available in the U.S. Self-paying patients prescribed the GLP-1 will now be able to access the vials at $50 to $150 off their previous prices on LillyDirect.
The 2.5-mg starting dose is now available for $299, down from $349, while a 5-mg vial will run $399, down from $499 under the previous self-pay pricing scheme. All other dosages—7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg and 15 mg—are now priced at $449, down from $499.
The newly reduced prices are available for the four highest dosages only as long as they’re refilled within 45 days of the previous delivery, per Lilly.
“Far too many people who need obesity treatments still face cost and coverage barriers,” Ilya Yuffa, president of Lilly USA and global customer capabilities, said in Monday’s announcement. “Today’s action underscores Lilly’s commitment to improving access across the obesity care landscape.”
“We will keep working to provide more options—expanding choices for delivery devices and creating new pathways for access—so more people can get the medicines they need,” Yuffa added.
Novo Nordisk, too, recently revealed newly reduced prices for self-paying customers seeking its own GLP-1 blockbusters Wegovy and Ozempic, after it struck a deal with the Trump administration that was unveiled alongside Lilly’s.
As of mid-November, the cash-pay cost for all dosages of Wegovy and all but the 2-mg dose of Ozempic is $349 per month, down from $499, while the highest dose of Ozempic will still run for $499. Additionally, through March 31, new self-paying Ozempic and Wegovy patients will pay only $199 for each of their first two months of the meds' lowest two doses.
While Lilly’s new prices are available only through the LillyDirect platform, Novo extended the price cuts beyond its own direct-to-patient service, NovoCare Pharmacy, making them available via retail and telehealth partners like WeightWatchers, Costco, GoodRx and more, as well as with a digital savings card available on the Wegovy and Ozempic websites that can be redeemed at more than 70,000 U.S. pharmacies.