In response to surging demand, Eli Lilly said it has begun selling single-dose vials of its wildly popular weight-loss drug Zepbound, with the small doses priced 50 percent lower than competing drugs.
The more affordable vials are sold to patients whose health insurance doesn't reimburse them for the weight-loss drug.
The company said it would sell vials of Zepbound's current lowest doses, 2.5 milligrams and 5 milligrams, for $399 and $549, respectively, for a one-month supply on its website, LillyDirect.
Lilly and its Danish rival Novo Nordisk are struggling to keep up with soaring demand.
Zepbound and Novo's Wegobee have faced shortages for most of this year, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
According to the FDA, Zepbound and Wegovy are listed as currently available, but are still in short supply.
The introduction of the vial will increase Lilly's supply, enabling the company to meet growing demand for its obesity treatment as it becomes more prevalent.
“We are confident that we can meet the needs of the U.S. market with both an auto-injector and a vial,” said Patrick Johnson, president of Lilly's cardiometabolic health division. He told Reuters..
He said many patients won't need a higher dose of Zepbound than the 5-milligram vial.
Lilly said the new vials are being sold at a 50% discount compared with all other obesity medications in the GLP-1 class.
About 86% of private health insurance plans cover the cost of obesity drugs, according to Lilly.
But for patients who don't have weight-loss drug coverage, such as those covered by some U.S. government Medicare plans, a month's supply of Zepbound can cost more than $1,000.
Lilly raised its sales forecast for this year by $3 billion earlier this month.
The company cited improved manufacturing and increased supplies of Zepbound and the diabetes drug Munjaro (known chemically as tirzepatide, the same chemical used in Zepbound).
A drug commonly used to treat diabetes is becoming increasingly popular for use in weight loss.
Weight loss drugs have become popular among celebrities, but some doctors warn they can be dangerous.
“The trends coming out of Hollywood are concerning,” said Dr. Caroline Apovian, co-director of Women's Hospital in Boston. He told People magazine“We're not talking about stars who have to lose 10 pounds. We're talking about people who are dying from obesity, people who are going to die from obesity.”
Talk show star Oprah Winfrey, best known for being the chair of the Weight Watchers diet program, made headlines last year when she revealed that she had taken weight-loss drugs.
With post wire
