The cutthroat battle for the US weight-loss drug market
Natalie Sherman
Business report
Reuters An injection pen of Zepbound, Eli Lilly’s weight loss drug, is displayed in New York City, U.S., December 11, 2023.Reuters
A monthly dose of Zepbound cost more than $1,000 when it launched in the US in 2023
When Ruth Gonzalez decided to start taking the weight-loss medicine Zepbound last year, she first had to find a way to afford its roughly $350 (£260) monthly cost.
Gonzalez switched her mobile phone plan, dropped all but one of her streaming subscriptions, limited her grocery spending and cut out Starbucks.
The 56-year-old, who is self-employed and pays out of her own pocket because her health insurance does not cover weight-loss drugs, says the financial sacrifices have been worth it.
The spike in her blood pressure, which had scared her into seeking a prescription, was back to normal within six weeks. She has also lost more than 40lb (18kg), dropping her weight to 175lb (79kg), which she is hoping will help her with subsequent diagnoses of sleep apnea and incipient fatty liver disease.
Perhaps more unexpectedly, some of her financial strains have also started to ease.
In December, Zepbound-maker Eli Lilly lowered the price of its vials by $50-$100 (£37.50-£75), allowing her to start taking a more powerful, and expensive, dose. Now she is eyeing new options, including an even lower-cost weight-loss pill the company is expected to launch in the coming months.
”For someone on a fixed budget, it is absolutely helpful,” she says.
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