Eli Lilly weight reduction drug Zepbound available at U.S. pharmacies

Eli Lilly on Tuesday said its recently approved weight reduction treatment Zepbound is now available at pharmacies across the U.S., serving as an alternative choice to rival obesity drugs resembling Wegovy which are facing supply issues. 

Zepbound is the most recent entrant to the budding weight reduction drug market, which Wall Street expects to grow to about $100 billion by the tip of the last decade.

High demand for the treatments has resulted in widespread shortages of Novo Nordisk‘s Wegovy and diabetes drug Ozempic in addition to Eli Lilly’s diabetes treatment Mounjaro, pushing firms to ramp up production. Those ongoing supply issues give Zepbound, which accommodates the identical lively ingredient as Mounjaro, a chance to capture market share.

Eli Lilly also said in a release that its industrial savings card program, which goals to expand access to Zepbound, is now available to patients with a prescription.

Under this system, patients whose medical health insurance covers Zepbound may pay as little as $25 for a one- or three-month prescription of the weekly injection. Those whose insurance doesn’t cover Zepbound may pay as little as $550 for a one-month prescription — about half the drug’s list price. 

Also on Tuesday, Eli Lilly said Zepbound was added to the popular formulary, or list of covered drugs, of a serious drug advantages company, Cigna.

Zepbound will likely be added to the industrial formularies of Cigna’s health-care business on Dec. 15, in response to Eli Lilly. 

“The provision of Zepbound in U.S. pharmacies is step one, but we’ve got to work hand-in-hand with employers, government and healthcare industry partners to remove barriers and make Zepbound available to those that need it,” said Rhonda Pacheco, Eli Lilly’s group vice chairman for diabetes and obesity, in an announcement.

Zepbound is an injection administered once weekly. The dosage should be increased over a period of 4 to twenty weeks to attain the goal dose sizes of 5, 10 or 15 milligrams per week.

The drug works by activating two naturally produced hormones within the body: glucagon-like peptide 1, generally known as GLP-1, and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, or GIP.

The mix is alleged to slow the emptying of the stomach, making people feel full for longer and suppressing appetite by slowing hunger signals within the brain.

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