Lilly launches discounted high-strength Zepbound vials in US

Eli Lilly's drive to provide as many treatment options as possible for its weight-loss drug Zepbound has continued with the launch of new high-dose vials sold at a $150 discount to its auto-injector versions.

The company is adding 7.5mg and 10mg vials of Zepbound (tirzepatide) to its product range, adding to 2.4mg and 5mg vials launched last year, which are designed to make it easier for people paying for the drug out-of-pocket to afford treatment.

Both new doses can be bought for $499 for a month's supply via the company's LillyDirect direct-to-consumer self-pay channel, $150 lower than it charges for the injector pen formulations of those doses to people who are insured, but not covered for the drug. Patients buying the vials have to source their own syringes.

Lilly said that the extension of the lower-cost options "enables a transparent price by removing third-party supply chain entities and allowing patients to access savings directly outside of insurance." At the same time, it is lowering the price of the 2.5mg vial from its launch price of $399 to $349 per month and the 5mg dose from $549 to $499.

The move marks another escalation of the battle between Lilly and Novo Nordisk in the fast-growing obesity drugs market, where Zepbound is in a head-to-head contest with the latter's Wegovy (semaglutide) brand.

That rivalry looks set to ramp up now that the FDA has deemed both drugs are no longer in short supply, which means compounding pharmacies will no longer be able to offer copycat versions within the next few weeks. Companies like Hims & Hers and WeightWatchers have been providing compounded versions of the GLP-1 agonists to millions of people in the US in the last few years.

"Every major medical organisation and establishment recognises obesity as a chronic disease, yet insurance and federal programmes do not systematically cover people living with obesity for medical care — this needs to change," said Lilly's head of cardiometabolic health, Patrik Jonsson.

"Lilly is committed to working with all parties to solve this problem and, in the meantime, we'll continue to implement new options that improve the affordability and availability of our safe, approved, and studied Zepbound for patients who are being asked to pay out-of-pocket," he added.

Jonsson also told Reuters that more than 10% of patients starting Zepbound kicked off treatment with vials since their launch last year.

Novo offers Wegovy doses for $650 per month's supply to patients who cannot get the drug through their insurance coverage, but so far has not followed Lilly in offering its product in vials.

Lilly recently revised its revenue forecast for 2024 after seeing weaker-than-expected growth for Zepbound and diabetes brand Mounjaro in the last three months of the year, although, they still showed strong growth – up 176% to $1.91 billion and 60% to $3.53 billion, respectively.