Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly announced on Tuesday that it would sell disposable vials of its weight-loss drug Zepbound at a fraction of the price of its pens, amid rapidly rising American demand for anti-obesity drugs.
The company is hoping to expand its supply of the drug and compete with digital health companies that sell counterfeit versions of the drugs in vials with syringes for injection that are far cheaper than brand-name pens that come prefilled with doses. The Food and Drug Administration says pharmacies are allowed to sell counterfeit versions of drugs that are in shortage.
“These new vials not only help us meet the high demand for our obesity medicine, but also expand access for patients looking for a safe and effective treatment option,” Patrik Jonsson, president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health and Lilly USA, said in a statement.
Eli Lilly will sell the vials exclusively through its telemedicine platform LillyDirect, which delivers the drugs to patients’ homes. The move is aimed at people whose insurance does not cover the cost of weight-loss drugs and who cannot afford the high prices. The drugs will only be available to customers who pay for the drugs themselves.
“Distributing the vials through this channel ensures that patients and providers can have confidence that they are receiving genuine Lilly medicines. This builds on the company’s efforts to protect the public from the dangers posed by the proliferation of counterfeit, counterfeit, unsafe or untested imitations of Lilly medicines,” the company said.
A four-week supply of 2.5-milligram (mg) vials costs $399, less than $100 per vial. A four-week supply of 5-mg vials costs $549, just over $137 per vial and less than half the price of other similar drugs, according to Eli Lilly.
“Outdated guidelines and lack of coverage for obesity medications make it urgent to find more innovative solutions. By providing patients with single-dose vials of Zepbound, we can help more people with obesity manage this chronic disease. We will continue to advocate for a system that is more consistent with the science,” Johnsson said.
The syringe and ampoule delivery system also allows patients to adjust their dose as needed. Some GLP-1 users have reported adverse side effects and have had to reduce their dose.
