Eli Lilly weight loss drug Zepbound now available at pharmacies as rival Wegovy faces shortages

Eli Lilly weight loss drug Zepbound now available at pharmacies as rival Wegovy faces shortages


FDA approves Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, a weight loss drug similar to Ozempic and Wegovy

Courtesy: Eli Lilly

Eli Lilly on Tuesday said its recently approved weight loss treatment Zepbound is now available at pharmacies across the U.S., serving as an alternative to rival obesity drugs such as Wegovy that are facing supply issues. 

Zepbound is the latest entrant to the budding weight loss drug market, which Wall Street expects to grow to about $100 billion by the end of the decade.

High demand for the treatments has resulted in widespread shortages of Novo Nordisk‘s Wegovy and diabetes drug Ozempic as well as Eli Lilly’s diabetes treatment Mounjaro, pushing companies to ramp up production. Those ongoing supply issues give Zepbound, which contains the same active ingredient as Mounjaro, an opportunity to capture market share.

Eli Lilly also said in a release that its commercial savings card program, which aims to expand access to Zepbound, is now available to patients with a prescription.

Under the program, patients whose health insurance covers Zepbound may pay as low as $25 for a one- or three-month prescription of the weekly injection. Those whose insurance does not cover Zepbound may pay as low as $550 for a one-month prescription — about half of the drug’s list price. 

Also on Tuesday, Eli Lilly said Zepbound was added to the preferred formulary, or list of covered drugs, of a major drug benefits company, Cigna.

Zepbound will be added to the commercial formularies of Cigna’s healthcare business on Dec. 15, according to Eli Lilly. 

“The availability of Zepbound in U.S. pharmacies is the first step, but we have to work hand-in-hand with employers, government and healthcare industry partners to remove barriers and make Zepbound available to those who need it,” said Rhonda Pacheco, Eli Lilly’s group vice president for diabetes and obesity, in a statement.

Zepbound is an injection administered once weekly. The dosage must be increased over a period of four to 20 weeks to achieve the target dose sizes of 5, 10 or 15 milligrams per week.

The drug works by activating two naturally produced hormones in the body: glucagon-like peptide-1, known as GLP-1, and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, or GIP.

The combination is said to slow the emptying of the stomach, making people feel full for longer and suppressing appetite by slowing hunger signals in the brain.



Source

NASA plans to stream rocket launches on Netflix starting this summer
Business

NASA plans to stream rocket launches on Netflix starting this summer

Workers repaint the NASA logo on the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center on May 28, 2020 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Joe Raedle | Getty Images NASA’s live programming, including rocket launches, spacewalks and views of Earth from space, will begin streaming on Netflix this summer. NASA said the move is part of […]

Read More
Home Depot is buying GMS for about .3 billion as retailer chases more home pros
Business

Home Depot is buying GMS for about $4.3 billion as retailer chases more home pros

A Home Depot store in San Carlos, California, US, on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images Home Depot said Monday that it is buying GMS, a building products distributor, for about $4.3 billion as the retailer moves to draw more sales from contractors and other home professionals. Shares of […]

Read More
WNBA announces three new teams in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia
Business

WNBA announces three new teams in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia

Napheesa Collier, #24 of the Minnesota Lynx, scores the game-winning basket during the game against the New York Liberty in Game 1 of the 2024 WNBA Finals at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on Oct. 10, 2024. Nathaniel S. Butler | National Basketball Association | Getty Images The WNBA announced on Monday it has […]

Read More