Eli Lilly cuts prices for popular drug Zepbound
By: Ken Alltucker
USA Today
..... Eli Lilly on December 1, [2025] slashed prices of its weight loss drug Zepbound for consumers who buy the prescription medication directly form the drugmaker Lilly's price cuts range from 450 to $100, depending on the dosage, for consumers who pay cash via the dragmaker's LillyDirect website.
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Customers who buy a month's supply of 2.5 milligram vials will pay $299, a $50 reduction from the previous price of $349. the 5-mg vials will cost $399, down from 4999. four higher dosages - 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg and 15 mg - will sell for $449. The previous price for higher-dosage vials was $499.
..... On November 17, [2025] Lilly's rival Novo Nordisk announced price cuts for its weight loss and diabetes drug Wegovy and Ozempic.
..... Novo Nordisk dropped the prices for injectable Wegovy and Ozempic to $349 a month, down for $499 a month, for consumers who purchase the medication directly from the drugmaker, telehealth partners or retail pharmacies. Only the 2-mg dose of Ozempic will remain at $499 a month.
..... The Trump administration has pressured Lilly and Novo to lower the prices of popular weight loss and diabetes medication.
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High list prices and limited insurance coverage of glucagon-like peptide-1 drugs, or GLP-1s, have strained affordability for consumers.
..... A recent survey by benefits consultant Mercer found large employers are gradually adding coverage for these medication. In 2025, 49% of large employers covered GLP-1 weight loss medications, up from 44% in 2024 and 41% in 2023. Still, some consumers face escalating out-of-pocket costs shifting from their insurance plans.
..... In a deal announced November 6, [2025] President Donald Trump said Medicare would cover Noveo's Wegovy and Lilly's Zepbound for millions of older adults. Trump also said the drugmaker would sell discounted versions of the drugs through the federal government's direct-to-consumer website. TrumpRx, which will launch in 2026.
..... Novo and Lilly agreed to sell the medication to Medicare at an average price of $245 per monthly dose. Medicare enrollees would be charged a monthly copay of $50 to get the weight-loss drugs. Medicare expects to launch coverage of these medications in the spring or summer of 2026.