United States – One of the leaders in the development of GLP-1 weight-loss medication, Zepbound, Eli Lilly, is to make the drug available in single-dose vials at half the existing price to consumers.
The new 2.5 mg and 5 mg weekly dose vials are different from conventional pre-filled pen injector devices, which are utilized to deliver tirzepatide and other similar agents like semaglutide called Wegovy, as reported by HealthDay.
However, the patient will have to use the syringe to pull the liquid form of the drug from the vial.
Significant Savings on Monthly Supply
A production capability of four weeks’ stock of the 2.5 mg vials will be USD 399, and a similar amount of 5 mg vials at USD 529 — this is almost half of the cost of a month’s supply of other GLP-1 obesity drugs.
There’s one catch: To obtain the new vials, consumers must pay out of pocket via LillyDirect, which is a company platform that arranges telehealth services and fulfills prescriptions for the patients, the company added in the release.
Direct Purchase Through LillyDirect
Lilly said that direct purchase removes the third-party supply chain intermediaries and lets the patient receive the benefits outside the insurance way.
According to Lilly, the new, cheaper product fulfills two goals: Expanding patients’ access to sometimes hard-to-obtain meds, and precluding what it claims are possibly unsafe faux versions produced by compounding pharmacies.
Expanding Access and Ensuring Safety
“We are excited to share that the Zepbound single-dose vials are now here, further delivering on our promise to increase the supply of Zepbound in the U.S.,” Patrik Jonsson, Lilly executive vice president and president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health and Lilly USA, said in the statement. “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.”
Lilly added that the patients outside the Zepbound savings card program, those without employer coverage, and those who may have to pay out of pocket, can now easily access the drug.
The danger of unsafe versions of GLP-1 medications is real: Last month, the US FDA attempted to alert the general public by making them aware of the fact that lots of semaglutide from compounding pharmacies may be potentially unsafe.
The FDA included in its warning that some patients who received compounded products developed problems that required hospitalization because of dosing mistakes resulting from confusion over units, differences in concentration, and multi-dose vials.
Lilly meanwhile issued its own alert in June concerning the risks posed by compounded tirzepatide products. It says it is the only lawful supplier of FDA-approved tirzepatide medicines.
“Lilly is deeply concerned about the proliferation of online sales and posts on social media involving counterfeit, fake, compounded and any other unsafe or untested versions of what they say is tirzepatide,” the company said.
Proven Weight Loss Results
Almost everyone is running to Zepbound for this product since it suddenly controls appetite and causes loss of weight. As stataed by Jonsson, the presented clinical trials indicate that 5 mg of Zepbound permits the users to lose 15% of their initial weight within 72 weeks of therapy.
Zepbound will still be available in the single-dose pen autoinjector options to come in 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg, or 15 mg per 0.5 ml doses.
“The recommended maintenance dosages are 5 mg, 10 mg or 15 mg injected subcutaneously once weekly,” the company said.
Ongoing Commitment to Innovation
Zepbound was developed as a new product by Lilly after the company introduced Mounjaro, which is another form of tirzepatide that is intended to fight diabetes, as reported by HealthDay.
Competitor GLP-1 meds include two forms of the Novo Nordisk drug semaglutide: Liraglutide (as Ozempic for diabetes) and semaglutide (as Wegovy for obesity).