Eli Lilly announced Monday that it is lowering the cash prices of single-dose vials of its weight loss drug Zepbound on its direct-to-consumer platform, LillyDirect, as part of ongoing efforts to make the medicine more accessible. The move comes weeks after rival Novo Nordisk introduced additional discounts on its obesity and diabetes drugs.
Starting Monday, cash-paying patients with a valid prescription can purchase the starting dose of Zepbound vials for $299 per month, down from $349. The next dose, 5 milligrams, is now $399 per month, and all higher doses are $449 per month, reduced from $499. Zepbound’s list price is roughly $1,086 per month, and limited insurance coverage has been a barrier for some patients.
The price cuts follow agreements between President Donald Trump and Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to make GLP-1 drugs easier to access. Those deals aim to reduce government costs, introduce Medicare coverage for obesity medications for certain patients, and provide discounted medicines through a new government direct-to-consumer platform launching in January. Eli Lilly’s deal with Trump focuses on multi-dose pens of Zepbound pending FDA approval, but the new reductions on single-dose vials offer quicker access to discounted treatment.
Single-dose vials, first introduced by Eli Lilly in August 2024, require patients to use a syringe and needle for self-injection. While the exact number of users is unknown, direct-to-consumer sales now account for more than a third of new Zepbound prescriptions. Novo Nordisk also recently lowered the cash price of its obesity drug Wegovy and diabetes treatment Ozempic for existing patients to $349 per month, with a temporary introductory offer of $199 per month for the first two months for new patients on the lowest doses.