Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly said on Tuesday that it is drastically cutting the costs of the two lowest dosages of its popular weight-loss medication Zepbound in an effort to increase accessibility and relieve supply issues. However, some patients may find two significant modifications to the way that the less expensive medication is obtained and used unpleasant.
A month’s supply of the lowest dose, 2.5 milligrams, will cost $399 under the new price structure, while a month’s supply of the 5 mg dose would cost $549. That is cheaper than the $1,059 monthly advertised price, irrespective of dose.
The less expensive dosages, however, will only be available via Lilly Direct, the company’s telehealth platform, and patients will have to pay cash for them as insurance would not cover them. Additionally, patients who choose the less expensive dosages will not be eligible for Lilly’s savings program.
Because the medication would be supplied in vials rather than single-dose auto-injector pens, Lilly claimed it can charge a cheaper price because patients will have to use a syringe to extract the medication from the vial. (The auto-injector pens will continue to offer the 2.5 and 5 mg dosages; they will just not be at the new, reduced pricing.)
Angry Zepbound customers have long supported vial choices, arguing that Lilly’s continuous supply issues are caused by the intricate manufacturing process needed to produce the auto-injector pens. Instead, some patients have turned to the less expensive and mostly vial-based compounded forms of the weight reduction medication.
Patrik Jonsson, president of Lilly USA, stated in a news statement that “these new vials not only help us meet the high demand for our obesity medicine, but also broaden access for patients seeking a safe and effective treatment option.”
An endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, Dr. Maria Daniela Hurtado Andrade, questioned who would gain from the less expensive versions. For many racial and cultural minorities, the $399 cost of the lowest dose still equates to over $5,000 annually, she noted.
Hurtado Andrade stated, “The majority of patients will not be able to afford the medication, still.”
She went on to say that it may potentially backfire to merely lower the pricing of the lowest dosages. The fact that the more potent choices are only available to the rich and financially able to use them may cause people to feel adversely about being restricted to the lesser doses.
She remarked, “We’re just offering people a taste of hope.”
It was deemed a “overall win” for the obesity community by Dr. Shauna Levy, a specialist in obesity medicine and the medical director of the Tulane Bariatric Center in New Orleans.
“I am eager to observe Novo Nordisk’s reaction as I believe they are left with no option but to reduce the cost of their drugs as well,” the woman stated.
There has been pressure on Lilly and Novo Nordisk, the manufacturers of Wegovy and Ozempic, to reduce the price of their very successful but expensive weight-loss medications.
The heads of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and President Joe Biden stated in an opinion piece published in USA Today in July that both pharmaceutical companies “must stop ripping off Americans with high drug prices.”
In a June interview, Sanders described as “absurd” the increased costs of Novo Nordisk’s drugs and said that he was leading a public pressure campaign to get the company to reduce its costs. Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, the CEO of Novo Nordisk, has consented to appear before Sanders’ committee the following month.
In a statement, Sanders expressed his satisfaction that Eli Lilly “took a modest step forward.”
However, the senator took issue with the drugmaker’s other actions, such as increasing the cost of Zepbound for patients enrolled in its assistance program and refusing to reduce the price of its diabetic medication Mounjaro.
“There is no rational reason, other than greed, why Mounjaro should cost $1,069 a month in the United States but just $485 in the United Kingdom and $94 in Japan,” Sanders stated.
A Novo Nordisk representative declined to comment on the company’s intentions to reduce the price of Wegovy, a medication used to treat weight loss.
According to a spokeswoman, “the most effective way for the millions of Americans living with obesity to access affordable medication is by ensuring coverage through government and commercial insurance plans.”
Who is eligible for the cheaper vials?
Zepbound’s less expensive vials, according to Lilly, will allow patients an additional choice, especially for those without insurance, whose insurance won’t pay for the medication, or who don’t meet the requirements for the company’s savings program. Those enrolled in government-run insurance programs like Medicare and Medicaid are not eligible for Zepbound’s savings program.
According to the firm, physicians may write prescriptions for the vials to LillyDirect, and LillyDirect would mail them straight to patients. According to the statement, LillyDirect will sell the vials in all 50 states. Lilly will offer guidance on how to utilize the vials and, should individuals desire them, will sell syringes.
One problem with utilizing LillyDirect, according to North Carolina weight reduction clinic owner and gastroenterologist Dr. Christopher McGowan, is supply.
Speaking to NBC News on Monday, McGowan stated, “We tried to utilize that when they first announced it, and they didn’t have any supply.” McGowan was unaware of Lilly’s recent pricing announcement. “It was not any more superior than any other pharmacy.”
According to Lilly, switching to vials should assist increase supplies. It has decided to provide just two of its six dosages at a reduced cost. The 2.5 mg dosage is referred to as the “starter” dose, which patients take initially before increasing to larger levels that correspond to their “maintenance” doses.
The majority of McGowan’s patients in his clinic continue to use Zepbound at dosages of 10 or 15 mg, however this sometimes depends on availability. None of his patients take the 2.5 mg or 5 mg dosages over the long term, according to him, but he thinks they would if the cost were less.
Nevertheless, he stated that “patients who are responding well to the high doses want to stay on the high doses.” “We don’t want to give up and take a chance on gaining weight again.”
Hurtado Andrade expressed concern on the switch from pens to vials, pointing out that certain patients—particularly elderly patients—might find it challenging to operate a syringe.
It may be a barrier, she remarked. “The pens are really simple to use. To obtain the necessary dosage each week, all you have to do is hit one button.
For D Scott, 46, of Las Vegas, said she finds it offensive to think of using a syringe to draw up medicine.
Scott stated she had always been overweight and requested to have just her first name’s initials used. About a month ago, she was prescribed Zepbound following years of dieting and exercise.
The prescription is not covered by her insurance, but she may purchase it out of pocket for $550 per month by using Eli Lilly’s discount savings program. She will have to pay the entire amount afterward or reapply for the savings scheme, assuming Lilly permits her, as the program only lasts until the end of December.
If she can get over using a syringe, the vials would offer a fresh, less expensive choice once her Zepbound discount card expires at the end of the year.
