Alright, fam, Eli Lilly is coming in hot with a cheaper version of Zepbound (one of those trendy weight loss injectables), but it’s not as easy as it sounds. Wanna save some cash? Cool, just get ready to buy your own syringes and play DIY pharmacist. 😬
What’s the Deal?
Eli Lilly’s latest money-saving hack is to offer single-dose vials of tirzepatide (the magic ingredient in Zepbound and Mounjaro). You gotta draw and inject it yourself, which saves you up to 50% compared to the pre-filled pens. Instead of paying a cool $1,059, you can snag the 2.5mg vial for $399 or the 5mg for $549. 💸
But Here’s the Catch 🧪
It’s giving old-school vibes—like, remember how people used to dose insulin with vials and syringes? Yeah, it’s like that. Not a biggie unless you’re afraid of needles. According to Dr. Jody Dushay from Harvard, lots of folks still do this for diabetes meds, so it’s not exactly rocket science. Unless you’ve got needle phobia… then, well, good luck. 😅
The DIY Movement
Oh, and it’s not just Lilly jumping on the “self-inject” train. Some people have already been drawing up their own tirzepatide… but here’s where it gets sketchy. There are these less-regulated compounded versions floating around. Eli Lilly’s basically like, “Um, stick with us if you want the real deal, not some knock-off that’ll land you in the ER.”
Fake vs. Real 🤷♂️
Lilly’s throwing shade at compounding pharmacies that offer “generic” versions of their meds. While those versions save cash, they’re not always the safest (read: random hospital visits 💀). Lilly’s even gone full lawsuit mode on some of these pharmacies for tricking customers into thinking they’re getting legit meds.
TL;DR:
Eli Lilly is slashing Zepbound prices, but you gotta inject it yourself. It’s cheaper than the pen version but, uh, make sure you’re cool with handling needles! 😳
Watch out for those sketchy knock-offs while you’re at it.