Eli Lilly (LLY) released a new form of its weight-loss drug Zepbound for roughly half its typical price, aiming to reach more patients without coverage, while also taking on copycat versions.
Eli Lilly stock edged lower in early Tuesday trading. Weight-loss rival Novo Nordisk (NVO) declined modestly, while Viking Therapeutics (VKTX) and Him & Hers (HIMS) also retreated.
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Eli Lilly will offer 2.5-miligram and 5-mg single-dose vials of Zepbound for $399 and $549 per month, respectively, via its website. That compares to list prices for around $1,000 a month before insurance and rebates.
Patients will need a syringe for the new Zepbound offering and inject themselves. The current version uses single-dose autoinjector pens that patients can directly inject under the skin with a click.
The vials are easier to manufacture than autoinjector pens, so they will boost Zepbound supply, Eli Lilly said.
The lower prices are aimed at patients on Medicare and other health plans that don’t cover weight-loss treatments.
Eli Lilly Stock
Eli Lilly stock edged down 0.2% before the open in Tuesday’s stock market trading. LLY stock is trading just below record highs. Shares dipped 0.2% to 950.53 on Monday.
Novo Nordisk, which makes rival weight-loss drug Wegovy, declined 1.4%. Novo stock dipped 1.2% to 135.30 on Monday, falling back below the 50-day line within a consolidation.
Viking Therapeutics stock fell 1.5% in premarket trade. Viking is developing its own obesity drugs.
Drug giants Amgen (AMGN) and Roche (RHHBY), which also are working on weight-loss drugs, were little changed before the open.
Him & Hers stock slumped 5%. The online pharmacy has been marketing compounded equivalents to weight-loss drugs, despite Zepbound and Wegovy being under patent. The Food and Drug Administration lets compounding pharmacies make copycat versions of branded drugs during shortages.
Please follow Ed Carson on Threads at @edcarson1971 and X/Twitter at @IBD_ECarson for stock market updates and more.
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