Eli Lilly now offers vials of obesity medication Zepbound directly to self-pay patients at a nearly 50% discount off the drug’s list price. But more than offering patients a lower-cost alternative, this move represents a strategic stance against certain pharmaceutical industry players.
In a Phase 3 study, Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide led to a 94% reduction in the risk that obese or overweight prediabetes patients progress to type 2 diabetes. Lilly was already planning to expand use of the blockbuster metabolic disorders drug to sleep apnea and heart failure.
The future looks bright for the integrated specialty pharmacy model – for health systems, providers, and most importantly, for patients.
Eli Lilly drug tirzepatide, marketed as Zepbound for weight management, has results from two Phase 3 studies showing reductions in the breathing problems caused by obstructive sleep apnea. Lilly is now preparing regulatory submissions to add this indication to the drug’s label.
Eli Lilly reported 74% of patients treated with tirzepatide achieved resolution of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, or MASH. However, the Phase 2 results showed only “clinically meaningful” improvement in resolving liver fibrosis, a key measure of the drug's potential competitiveness in a crowded field of contenders.
Eli Lilly diabetes drug tirzepatide beat long-acting insulin in the last of a series of global studies designed to support regulatory submissions for the type 2 diabetes drug, a potential successor to blockbuster drug Trulicity. The Indianapolis-based drug giant said it expects to file for approval by the end of 2021.