The obesity drug price war has just begun following the Food and Drug Administration’s Wednesday approval of Zepbound, a weight-loss drug from Eli Lilly and Company. Zepbound is anticipated to be more affordable than Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and will be stocked at US pharmacies after Thanksgiving.
Zepbound is the latest entrant into the GLP-1 craze this year as obese Americans give up Pelotons for ‘miracle’ weight loss drugs that can help people lose up to 5% of body weight in a month. The new drug costs 21% less per month – or about $1,060 for a shot, compared with the premium price of $1,349 a month for Wegovy, according to Bloomberg.
Despite the high monthly cost of Wegovy, which can be comparable to expenses like car payments, rent, or mortgage payments and thus unaffordable for many folks, along with some insurance companies unwilling to pick up the bill, the introduction of Zepbound offers hope for more affordable options in the GLP-1 space.
Bloomberg noted Lilly’s discount has likely instigated the opening move of a “war between the two drugmakers to win over insurers’ dollars.”
There could be a divide-and-conquer strategy between the two drugmakers with insures:
Even…
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