The move comes as the pharma industry has been experimenting with direct-to-consumer models in an effort to broaden access to in-demand drugs
Eli Lilly $LLY (LLY) has announced it will make lower-priced, single-dose vials of its popular weight-loss treatment Zepound available on telehealth platform Ro. Starting today, consumers can get an online diagnosis, prescription services, and Zepbound vials delivered to straight their homes — all via Ro.
This partnership reflects the pharmaceutical industry’s growing interest in direct-to-consumer models aimed at improving access to high-demand — and often pricey — medications.
“Our goal is to break down barriers and provide patients with safe and effective options they can rely on,” Patrik Jonsson, president of Lilly USA, said about the partnership in a press release.
Zepbound belongs to the class of drugs known as GLP-1 or incretin medications, which was made popular by Novo Nordisk’s diabetes treatment Ozempic. These drugs mimic hormones that regulate appetite and blood sugar and have become highly sought after as treatments for obesity and Type 2 diabetes.
The drugmaker launched its delivery service, LillyDirect, in January as a way to ensure patients had a consistent supply of its medications. Demand for Zepbound and similar drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy has surged in recent years and made it hard for some patients to fill their prescriptions.
In August, Eli Lilly launched a single-dose vial option for Zepbound to address skyrocketing demand. These lower-cost vials made Zepbound more competitive with off-brand alternatives.
A four-week supply of the 2.5-milligram Zepbound single-dose vials costs $399, while a four-week supply of the 5-milligram dose costs $549. That’s about half the cost of Zepbound’s regular list price of $1,060.
But there’s a caveat: To take advantage of the savings, patients will need to pay out of pocket and administer the medication with a traditional syringe, instead of the usual auto-injector pen the drug comes in.
Eli Lilly isn’t alone in adopting direct-to-consumer strategies. Pfizer $PFE (PFE) launched a similar service, PfizerforAll, this summer, and Amazon $AMZN Pharmacy began offering direct prescription and delivery for select conditions this month.
Ro, founded in 2017, originally focused on online prescriptions for erectile dysfunction and hair-loss medications for men. It has since expanded to offer treatments for both men and women, including skincare, fertility, and sexual health solutions. In 2023, Ro began offering branded weight-loss medications and later introduced an off-brand semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic.
Ro recently released a series of studies and surveys to show how telehealth services have improved access to weight-loss medications for patients in rural areas and how their services help ensure patients achieve their desired health outcomes.
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