Tirzepatide, the active ingredient in both Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes and Zepbound for weight loss, was in short supply for more than two years. But the drugmaker Eli Lilly is “currently meeting or exceeding demand” for all doses of these medicines and should continue to do so going forward, the FDA said in a December 19 statement.
The End of Compounded Tirzepatide?
With supply issues resolved, so-called compounding pharmacies that have been legally selling copycat versions of these medicines during the shortage will have to stop doing so within the next two to three months, the FDA said.
While some patients with insurance coverage for Mounjaro and Zepbound may now find it easier to get prescriptions filled at their regular pharmacies, people who have been paying out-of-pocket for copycat versions may now have a harder time accessing or affording treatment, says Melanie Jay, MD, a professor and a codirector of the obesity research program at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine in New York City.
“A lot of people who have been going to compounding pharmacies probably don’t have insurance coverage for tirzepatide, and now they’re not going to be able to afford it,” Dr. Jay says.
In August Eli Lilly began selling vials of tirzepatide on its direct-to-consumer site LillyDirect, starting at $399 a month — a significant discount compared with the cost for prefilled injection pens.
What to Do if You Can No Longer Afford Tirzepatide
Patients taking copycat versions of Zepbound and Mounjaro should reach out to their doctor to discuss what option they can switch to, says Jay. Some people might get prescriptions for the brand name versions of these drugs, and others might need to consider other types of medication, Jay says.
Their options may depend on what their insurance plan will cover, and what they can afford to pay out-of-pocket for medicines that are excluded by their health plan, Jay says. While GLP-1 drugs are often covered for type 2 diabetes, this is often not the case for weight loss, Jay notes.
“If you can’t get it covered for obesity or can’t afford it, there are some less expensive options that may be less effective, but they’ll at least help you maintain your weight loss,” Jay says. “The best thing you can do is work with a doctor who has a lot of experience in obesity medicine.”
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