Dive Brief:
- Eli Lilly is partnering with Walmart to help expand access to its obesity shot Zepbound, announcing Wednesday a deal that enables patients to pick up orders made through the drugmaker’s online service at the superstore chain’s pharmacies.
- Retail pickup at Walmart will be available by mid-November for people with Zepbound prescriptions who pay cash instead of relying on insurance to cover the cost. Zepbound’s cost for people using this option is 50% lower than the list price of other GLP-1 obesity medications, Lilly said.
- The Walmart partnership extends a push that began more than a year ago as Lilly sought to fight back against drug compounders and telehealth companies selling knockoff versions of Zepbound. It’s also a way to sidestep insurers that can limit access to treatment.
Dive Insight:
Obesity medicine is evolving into a different market than many other drugs, with a substantial number of people with prescriptions for Zepbound and Novo Nordisk’s competing shot Wegovy paying exclusively in cash. Insurance coverage limits have been a big reason why, along with the availability of cheap, compounded versions sold by telehealth companies.
According to Lilly, which reports earnings on Thursday, 35% of new prescriptions in the second quarter of 2025 were filled through direct-to-consumer channel, an online service called “LillyDirect.”
“The growth of LillyDirect's direct-to-consumer offering underscores the momentum behind a more modern, consumer-driven model of care,” said Jennifer Mazur, senior vice president and general manager of LillyDirect, in a statement. "LillyDirect, powered by Walmart, builds on that progress — extending convenience and choice to patients while reinforcing LillyDirect's mission to empower more people on their health journey."
Through the cash-pay program, Lilly sells Zepbound in vials, rather than the auto-injectors offered under other coverage. The 2.5 milligram starter dose is available at $349 a month, with higher doses ranging from 5 to 15 milligrams all available at $499.
People receiving those higher doses must enter the “self-pay journey program,” which is meant to support continuity of care and access to Zepbound.
