(NEW YORK) – People who need weight loss medication but don’t have health insurance will soon have access to one of the most popular drugs: Zepbound.
Eli Lilly, the maker of Zepbound, announced Tuesday that it would begin selling the weight-loss drug through the company’s direct-to-consumer pharmacy, LillyDirect.
According to Dave Ricks, CEO of Eli Lilly, consumers can buy Zepbound with a doctor’s prescription in vials that cost about half the price of prefilled auto-injection pens available at pharmacies.
According to Ricks, a month’s supply of Zepbound with a dose of 2.5 milligrams costs $349, while a month’s supply with a dose of 5 milligrams costs $549.
Healthcare providers will be able to write prescriptions for the Zepbound vials through LillyDirect starting Tuesday, and the vials will be shipped in the coming days.
Ricks pointed out that the new option can only be paid for by the patient themselves and does not allow participation in insurance.
With insurance coverage, Zepbound can cost as little as $25 per month. However, without insurance coverage, the drug can cost more than $1,000 per month.
Consumers who purchase Zepbound through LillyDirect have access to educational materials on how to administer the drug, according to Ricks.
Zepbound is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a weight loss treatment for people with obesity or overweight people with at least one associated underlying condition, such as high blood pressure.
However, many private health insurance plans and Medicare do not cover the cost of weight loss medications for obesity.
Zepbound contains the same active ingredient, tirzepatide, as another drug, Mounjaro, also made by Lilly and approved by the FDA to treat type 2 diabetes.
Tirzepatide works by helping the pancreas increase insulin production to move sugar from the blood into the body’s tissues.
It also slows down the movement of food through the stomach and curbs appetite, leading to weight loss.
Previous clinical studies have shown that users of weight loss medications such as Zepbound and Mounjaro can lose between 5 and 20% of their body weight over time by taking these medications.
Medical experts point out that drug-induced weight loss also requires cardiovascular and strength training, as well as a change in diet with more protein and fewer processed foods with added sugar.
The most commonly reported side effects of weight loss medications are nausea and constipation, but gallbladder and pancreatic disorders are also reported.
The manufacturers of these medications recommend talking to a doctor about the side effect profile and individual risks before taking them.
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