LLY Lowers Prices of Zepbound Vials for Cash Buyers on DTC Website

Eli Lilly LLY announced that it has lowered the price of single-dose vials of its blockbuster obesity drug, Zepbound (tirzepatide), purchased through the direct-to-consumer (DTC) platform LillyDirect.

Starting this month, self-paying patients with a valid prescription can access the lowest dose (i.e., 2.5 mg) — recommended only as a starter dose — at $299 per month, down from the previous $349. These patients can get the 5 mg dose at $349 per month and all other doses (7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg and 15 mg) at $449 per month, all down from the previous price of $499 per month.

This announcement just comes a month after Eli Lilly signed a deal with President Trump, announcing similar price cuts for a different form of Zepbound, administered via multi-dose pen. In return, the company secured Medicare access for the drug and a three-year exemption from tariffs on pharmaceutical imports. However, this price cut has yet to receive the FDA’s approval.

Zepbound is currently approved for adults with obesity or overweight who have at least one weight-related comorbid condition. It is also approved to treat moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity. Eli Lilly also markets a version of tirzepatide called Mounjaro, which is approved for type II diabetes (T2D).

LLY Stock Performance

Year to date, shares of Eli Lilly have surged 37% compared with the industry‘s 16% growth.

Zepbound & Mounjaro — Key Drivers of Lilly’s Top Line

Eli Lilly boasts a robust portfolio of treatments for diabetes and other cardiometabolic conditions, with its cardiometabolic division emerging as the company’s strongest segment. This success is largely attributed to both Zepbound and Mounjaro. In the United States, Mounjaro is the most widely prescribed incretin for T2D, while Zepbound also holds a leading market share in the anti-obesity market.

Despite being on the market for only around three years, Mounjaro and Zepbound have become key top-line drivers for Eli Lilly. Both drugs have generated combined sales of nearly $25 billion in the first nine months of 2025, representing more than half of the company’s total revenues.

Launches of Mounjaro and Zepbound in new international markets, along with improved supply from ramped-up production in the United States, have led to strong sales growth so far this year. We expect this positive trend to continue in 2026.

Competition Escalates in the Obesity Space

According to research conducted by Goldman Sachs, the obesity market in the United States is expected to reach $100 billion by 2030. Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk NVO presently dominate this space.

Mounjaro and Zepbound directly compete with Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide medicines, Ozempic (for T2D) and Wegovy (for obesity). Like LLY, NVO also generates a substantial portion of its revenues from both drugs and announced similar price cuts last month.

Several other companies, like Viking Therapeutics VKTX, are also making rapid progress in the obesity space. In June, VKTX started two late-stage studies evaluating the subcutaneous formulation of its investigational obesity drug, VK2735. While one of these studies recently completed enrolment at a rapid pace, the company expects to complete enrolment in the other study by early 2026.

Last month, Pfizer PFE closed the acquisition of obesity drug developer Metsera for around $10 billion, after a heated bidding war against Novo Nordisk. The Metsera acquisition has brought Pfizer back into the lucrative obesity space by adding the latter’s four novel clinical-stage incretin and amylin programs, which are expected to generate billions of dollars in peak sales.

Eli Lilly and Company Price

 

Eli Lilly and Company price | Eli Lilly and Company Quote

LLY’s Zacks Rank

Eli Lilly currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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