Eli Lilly has released a new version of its weight-loss drug that’s easier to produce and about half as expensive, thanks to a change in the bottle that contains it.
Lilly’s Zepbound previously came only in a single-dose autoinjector pen that delivers the drug with the press of a button. The new single-dose glass vial that Lilly announced this week requires patients to draw up the drug themselves with a syringe. It’s a more cumbersome process than the autoinjector pen, not to mention a nightmare for people who hate needles, but the design change has major consequences for the availability of a drug in high demand.
The company says the single-dose vials will allow it to increase supply and drop the price to $99.75 per vial, or about $400 for a four-week supply. Comparatively, the cost of four weeks of Zepbound or other weight-loss drugs like Wegovy can be about $1,000 before insurance. The vials will be available through LillyDirect, the company’s self-pay platform open to people who have a prescription but no insurance or who are ineligible for the Zepbound savings program.
The availability of cheaper single-dose vials will set Zepbound apart from competitors like Wegovy and Ozempic, which are available only in prefilled injector pens.
Patrik Jonsson, Lilly USA president, said in a statement that the design change will “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.” Still, there’s a trade-off when it comes to user experience. A study of the handling and accuracy of a syringe and vial versus a prefilled insulin pen found the pen was both easier to handle and preferable to use.
Weight-loss drugs have been a boon for drug companies, with shares in Lilly and Novo Nordisk, the maker of Wegovy, reaching record highs. Increased competition has made the market crowded, but Lilly has an advantage. Its announcement about the cheaper single-dose vials sent the stock price tumbling for Hims & Hers, a telehealth company with a cheaper weight-loss drug of its own, and the same happened to shares of Novo last month after data found Lilly’s drug was more effective.
While the cheaper Zepbound vials might be less user-friendly, it’s clear there’s a market for more of the drug and a cheaper price point.