Finance
Eli Lilly is cutting the price of Zepbound in half in a new version of a weight-loss drug
Eli Lilly (LLY) released a new form of its weight-loss drug Zepbound at about half the normal price, aiming to reach more patients without coverage while taking on copycat versions.
Shares of Eli Lilly headed lower in early Tuesday trading. Weight loss competitor Novo Nordisk (NVO) fell modestly, while Viking therapies (VKTX) And Him and her (IT) also withdrew.
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Eli Lilly will offer 2.5 milligram and 5 mg single-dose vials of Zepbound for $399 and $549 per month, respectively. That compares to list prices of about $1,000 per month, excluding insurance and rebates.
Patients will need to use a syringe and inject themselves for the new Zepbound offering. The current version uses single-dose autoinjector pens that patients can inject directly under the skin with a click.
The vials are easier to manufacture than auto-injector pens, so they will expand Zepbound’s offering, Eli Lilly said.
The lower prices are intended for patients with Medicare and other health plans that do not cover weight-loss treatments.
Eli Lilly Stock
Eli Lilly shares fell 0.2% before the stock market open on Tuesday. LLY shares are trading just below record highs. Shares fell 0.2% to 950.53 on Monday.
Novo Nordisk, rival slimming drug Wegovy, fell 1.4%. Shares of Novo fell 1.2% to 135.30 on Monday, falling back below the 50-day mark in a consolidation.
Viking Therapeutics shares fell 1.5% in pre-market trading. Viking develops its own anti-obesity drugs.
Drug giants Amgen (AMGN) And Roche (RHHBY), who also work on weight-loss medications, had changed little before the opening.
Hem & Haar shares fell by 5%. The online pharmacy markets compounded equivalents of slimming medications, despite Zepbound and Wegovy being under patent. The Food and Drug Administration lets compounding pharmacies make copycat versions of brand-name drugs during shortages.
Follow Ed Carson on Threads at @edcarson1971 and X/Twitter on @IBD_ECarson for stock market updates and more.
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