Eli Lilly announced Tuesday that it is selling higher-dose vials of Zepbound at lower prices in its direct-to-consumer program.

The program offers self-administered vials for people whose insurance doesn’t cover the cost of the drug, such as those on Medicare. The vials are only available to people who pay out of pocket on the company’s direct-to-consumer website, Lilly Direct.

The move could attract people who had been taking a compounded version of tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Zepbound. Many people opt for non-branded versions of the drug, which are often sold at a fraction of the price of the FDA-approved branded version from Lilly.

As with compounded tirzepatide, people who use Lilly’s self-pay vials need to administer the drug themselves using a needle and syringe. Participants receive four single-dose vials per month.

The company is now offering 7.5-milligram and 10-milligram vials for $499 per month when patients fill their first prescription or refill any time within 45 days of their last delivery. Otherwise, the prices increase to $599 and $699, respectively.

Lilly started selling self-administered 2.5-milligram and 5-milligram vials last August. The company is now reducing the cost of those doses by $50 each, bringing them to $349 and $499, respectively.

Expanding Single-Dose Vials for Zepbound Users

A Lilly spokesperson told Verywell that about 10% of people who start taking Zepbound for the first time enroll in the self-pay program. This includes people who previously used compounded tirzepatide.

For more than a year after Zepbound hit the market in 2022, persistent shortages made it difficult for patients to find the drugs at pharmacies. Telehealth companies like Hims & Hers and Ro partnered with compounding pharmacies to sell off-brand tirzepatide to their members.

Legally, when a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is in shortage, compounding pharmacies can produce alternative versions of the drug. Providers usually prescribe a compounded medication when a patient needs a different dose or formula than the approved drug. In the case of GLP-1 drugs, compounded versions are often much cheaper than branded ones.

In December, the FDA said the tirzepatide shortage had been resolved and removed it from the shortage list. In response, the Outsourcing Facilities Association, a compounding pharmacy trade group, filed a lawsuit against the FDA. The organizations claim that tirzepatide was still not widely available and removing it from the shortage list is “reckless and arbitrary,” in part because the FDA did not originally allow for a transition period.

This week, the FDA also removed Ozempic and Wegovy from the drug shortage list. The agency gave compounding pharmacies a 30- to 60-day off-ramp period to help patients transition to the brand-name version.

“I do question whether in resolving the shortage FDA has taken into account demand for the compounded drug—the number of patients who’ll need to be transitioned from compounded version to FDA-approved version,” Scott Brunner, CEO of the Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding, said in a statement. “There’s likely to be some sticker shock for many, and whether they’ll be able to continue to afford the therapy remains to be seen.”

Differences Between Zepbound Vials and Pens

Zepbound typically comes in an auto-injector pen prefilled with a set dose that patients can administer under their skin with the press of a button.

Patients using Lilly’s self-pay program receive single-dose vials instead. They must use a syringe and needle to draw up the medication and inject themselves. Lilly provides instructions on how to properly fill the syringe, tap out air bubbles, and inject the medication to ensure you get the full dose.

Brintha Vasagar, MD, MPH, a family medicine doctor in Wisconsin, recommends that people who are trying self-injection for the first time speak with their healthcare team for tips on where and how to inject the medication.

“The needles for these types of injections are small, but you can also make the process more comfortable by using an ice pack for a few minutes prior to numb the skin,” Vasagar told Verywell in an email. “Self-injecting from a single-use needle versus an autoinjector usually takes a little more preparation to make sure you are taking the right dose, but both feel similar when you are getting the injection.”

Compounded tirzepatide products may contain different ingredients depending on the pharmacy that made it. Vasagar said that patients may experience different side effects when transitioning from a compounded version to the brand-name version.

“Both the branded and the compounded medications require physician oversight and a prescription,” she said. “Your family medicine physician can help you manage any side effects, make sure you are on the right dose for your body, and ensure you are successful in making lifestyle changes to maintain a healthy weight.”