Eli Lilly launches cheaper single-use vials of weight-loss drug Zepbound

Eli Lilly (LLY) reached a major supply chain milestone on Tuesday, announcing the launch of single-dose vials of Zepbound, one of the company’s popular weight-loss drugs.

The vials will cost at least half as much as other versions of Zepbound and Mounjaro, Eli Lilly’s other weight-loss drugs, as well as rivals such as Ozempic and Novo Nordisk’s (NVO) Wegovy. In the standard version, the drugs come in an injection pen, which takes longer to manufacture because it contains both the drug and the syringe. The easier-to-manufacture vials, however, allow customers to use any syringe to inject themselves.

The drugs will be available through Eli Lilly’s direct-to-consumer platform LillyDirect, which the company uses to bypass traditional pharmacies by issuing prescriptions for its drugs online.

Four-week supply costs $399 to $549

According to Eli Lilly, a four-week supply costs $399 for 2.5 mg vials and $549 for 5 mg vials. The cost of injector pen treatments of Lilly and Novo Nordisk’s popular weight-loss drugs ranges from $25 for customers with adequate insurance coverage to over $1,000 for a month’s supply.

“These new vials not only allow us to meet the high demand for our obesity medicine, but also expand access for patients seeking a safe and effective treatment option,” said Patrik Jonsson, President of Lilly USA. “In a clinical trial, the 5 mg maintenance dose helped patients lose an average of 15% of their weight after 72 weeks of treatment. It is an effective tool for millions of obesity patients who want to lose weight and maintain it.”

The wildly popular drugs have boosted quarterly results and stock prices for Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk. Both companies are working to increase their manufacturing capacity while rival pharmaceutical companies are testing their own weight-loss drugs in clinical trials. The drugs have also shown promising abilities to reduce the risk of serious heart problems and even the risk of diabetes progression.

Eli Lilly shares rose nearly 2% to $966.93 at 10:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, approaching an all-time high.