Eli Lilly Slashes Prices On Blockbuster Weight-Loss Drug Zepbound With New Single-Dose Vials, Retail Optimism Climbs

Eli Lilly & Co on Tuesday released single-dose vials of its weight-loss drug Zepbound to expand supply and access to adults living with obesity.  

In response to high demand, Eli Lilly said Zepbound (tirzepatide) 2.5 mg and 5 mg single-dose vials are now available for self-pay for patients with an on-label prescription. The single-dose vials are priced at a 50% or greater discount compared to the list price of all other incretin (GLP-1) medicines for obesity, the firm said in a statement.

Patrik Jonsson, executive vice president, and president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health and Lilly USA highlighted the finding that in a clinical study, the 5 mg maintenance dose helped patients achieve an average of 15% weight loss after 72 weeks of treatment.

The company also stated that a four-week supply of the 2.5 mg Zepbound single-dose vial costs $399 ($99.75 per vial), and a four-week supply of the 5 mg dose comes at a price of $549 ($137.25 per vial). This is less than half the list price of other incretin medicines for obesity and in line with the Zepbound savings program for non-covered individuals, the firm claimed.

Following the announcement, retail sentiment on Stocktwits has improved to ‘neutral’ (46/100) from ‘bearish’ a day ago.

Eli Lilly had recently stated that its weight-loss drug tirzepatide significantly reduced the risk of progression to Type 2 diabetes by 94% among adults with pre-diabetes and obesity or overweight compared to a placebo.

Tirzepatide was evaluated in 1,032 adults who had pre-diabetes at randomization and obesity or overweight for a treatment period of 176 weeks, followed by a 17-week off-treatment period.

The firm earlier this month reported solid Q2 results that surpassed Wall Street estimates. Earnings per share (EPS) came in at $3.92 compared to an estimate of $2.60, while revenue of $11.30 billion exceeded expectations of $9.92 billion.

The highlight of the earnings report came in the form of an increase in its full-year guidance by $3 billion to the range of $45.40 billion to $46.60 billion. Management’s upgraded outlook was primarily driven by the strong performance of Mounjaro and Zepbound, as well as the firm’s non-incretin medicines.

‘Bullish’ followers of Eli Lilly are expressing optimism on the announcement while expecting the stock to hit the $1,000-mark soon.

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