Eli Lilly slashes prices of weight-loss drug Zepbound for single-use vials

Drugmaker Eli Lilly said Tuesday it will sell single-use vials of its weight-loss drug Zepbound at a fraction of the price of its pens, amid skyrocketing demand among Americans for anti-obesity medications. 

In doing so, the company aims to expand its supply of the drug, and compete with digital health companies that sell compounded versions of the drugs in vials, with syringes for injection, that are far cheaper than brand-name pens, which are pre-filled with doses. Pharmacies are permitted to sell compounded versions of drugs that are in shortage, according to the Food and Drug Administration. 

"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," Patrik Jonsson, president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health and Lilly USA, said in a statement. 

Eli Lilly will sell the vials solely through its telehealth platform, called LillyDirect, which delivers medication to patients' homes. The move is aimed at people whose insurance won't cover the cost of weight-loss medications, and who can't afford their high price. The meds will only be available to customers who are self-pay.

"Distributing the vials via this channel ensures patients and providers can trust they are receiving genuine Lilly medicine, building on the company's efforts to help protect the public from the dangers posed by the proliferation of counterfeit, fake, unsafe or untested knock-offs of Lilly's medications," the company said.

A four-week supply of 2.5-milligram (mg) vials is $399, or less than $100 per vial. A four-week supply of 5-mg vials is $549, or just over $137 per vial, and less than half the price of other similar medications, according to Eli Lilly.

"Outdated policies and lack of coverage for obesity medications create an urgent need for more innovative solutions. Bringing Zepbound single-dose vials to patients will help more people living with obesity manage this chronic condition. We will also continue to advocate for a system that better aligns with the science," Johnsson said. 

The Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding (APC), a trade group representing compounding pharmacists, called Eli Lilly's move "great news for patients." 

"We'll be eager to see whether Lilly's direct-to-patient approach actually works and how quickly FDA will judge that supply is once again sufficient to meet demand. It's that calculation that will determine whether the drug comes off the shortage list," APC CEO Scott Brunner said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch.