Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly this week announcement The company announced that it was now selling starter doses of the popular weight-loss drug tirzepatide (Zepbound) at a significantly lower price than before. But the jubilation didn’t last long, as critics quickly noticed that the company was also quietly raising the price of the current version of the drug, a move that was not revealed in the company’s press release this week.
Lilly previously sold Zepbound only in an injection pen, with a list price of $1,060 for a one-month supply. Available in doses of 2.5mg, 5mg, 7.5mg, 10mg, 12.5mg, and 15mg, patients gradually increase their dosage until they reach a maintenance dose. The recommended maintenance doses are 5mg, 10mg, and 15mg. The higher the dose, the greater the weight loss effect. For example, people using the 15mg dose lost an average of 21 percent of body weight In clinical trials, patients receiving the 5 mg dose lost an average of only 15% of their body weight over a 17-month period.
On Tuesday, Lilly announced that it will also sell Zepbound in vials, with a one-month supply of the 2.5 mg dose vial costing $399 and a one-month supply of the 5 mg dose vial costing $549, a welcome reduction from the original price of $1,060. These prices are out-of-pocket options, meaning patients with a valid prescription can still purchase it directly from Lilly, even if they don’t have insurance or their insurance doesn’t cover the drug.
“This new option will help millions of adults suffering from obesity gain access to the medicine they need,” Lilly said in announcing the vials and their pricing.
The company also quoted James Zervos, chief operating officer of the nonprofit Obesity Action Coalition. “Increasing coverage and reducing the cost of care is critical for people living with obesity,” Zervos said. “We applaud Lilly’s leadership in delivering an innovative solution that brings us closer to achieving equitable care.” Even President Biden Expressing opinions on social mediaWhile he said he was “pleased” with the price cuts, he called on drug companies to lower prices “across the board.”
“There is no rational reason other than greed.”
But the news didn’t end there. When Lilly issued the press release, people noticed that the company had increased the price of Zepbound Pen for patients whose insurance doesn’t cover the drug. Previously, Lilly had offered these patients a “savings card” that allowed them to buy a month’s supply of any dose of Zepbound Pen. $550The current price is $650That’s an increase of about 20 percent.
Lilly did not respond to Arth’s request for comment or questions about why the company raised prices for some patients.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a longtime critic of the pharmaceutical industry and drug prices, Express your opinion immediatelyHe called the vial price a “modest step forward,” but noted that even with the price drop, millions of Americans still won’t be able to afford the drug, which costs $549 a month, just a little more than the average monthly payment for a used car in the first quarter of this year, $523. According to ExperianAs for the pen price hike, Sanders called it “bad news.”
“Furthermore, Eli Lilly has refused to lower the exorbitant price of Munjaro, which is desperately needed by Americans with diabetes,” Sanders continued. “There is no rational reason other than greed that Munjaro costs $1,069 a month in the US, but can be purchased for $485 in the UK and $94 in Japan.”
A Senate committee report in May concluded that the high cost and demand for these weight-loss and diabetes drugs in the US threatens to “overwhelm the entire health care system.” The report was written by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, which Sanders chairs.
