President Trump announces price cuts for GLP-1 drugs Zepbound, Wegovy
President Donald Trump announced discounted pricing for Zepbound and Wegovy and expanded Medicare coverage to give more people access to the drugs.
Eli Lilly on Monday, Dec. 1, lowered the price of its blockbuster weight loss drug Zepbound for consumers who buy their prescription drugs directly from the drug manufacturer.
Lilly’s discounts ranged from $50 to $100, depending on the dose, for consumers paying in cash through drug company LillyDirect’s website.
Customers purchasing a one-month supply of 2.5 mg single-dose vials will pay $299, a $50 reduction from the previous price of $349. Prices for 5 mg vials range from $499 to $399.
Four higher doses (7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg, and 15 mg) will retail for $449. The previous price for the high-dose vial was $499.
Lilly USA President Ilya Yuffa said in a statement that too many people who need obesity drugs “continue to face cost and coverage barriers.”
The drug company’s price reduction “underscores Lilly’s commitment to improving access to obesity treatments across the board,” Yuffa said.
On November 17, Lilly’s rival Novo Nordisk announced price cuts for its weight loss and diabetes drugs Wigoby and Ozempic.
Novo Nordisk has reduced the price of its injectables Wigovy and Ozempic from $499 to $349 per month for consumers who purchase the drug directly from a pharmaceutical company, telemedicine partner or retail pharmacy. Only the 2 mg dose of Ozempic remains $499 per month.
Lilly and Novo are under pressure from the Trump administration to lower the prices of popular weight loss and diabetes drugs. In a deal announced Nov. 6, President Donald Trump said Medicare would cover Novo’s Wegobee and Lilly’s Zepbound for millions of seniors. President Trump also said drug companies would sell discounted versions of their drugs through TrumpRx, the federal government’s direct-to-consumer website scheduled to launch in 2026.
Novo and Lilly agreed to sell the drug to Medicare for an average of $245 per monthly dose. People on Medicare will be charged a $50 monthly copayment to obtain the weight loss drug. Medicare plans to begin covering the drug in the spring or summer of 2026.
Lilly said the $50 price for eligible Medicare beneficiaries also applies to the “multi-pen” version of Zepbound and the daily anti-obesity drug Folglipron. Both products must first be approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
High list prices and limited insurance coverage for glucagon-like peptide-1 pharmaceuticals (GLP-1) are putting pressure on affordability for consumers. Some consumers are facing increased out-of-pocket costs, including increased co-pays and other cost changes from their insurance plans.
A study by benefits consultant Mercer found that major employers are gradually adding coverage for weight loss drugs. In 2025, 49% of large employers will cover GLP-1 therapeutics, up from 44% in 2024 and 41% in 2023.
