Lilly partners with Ro to sell discounted Zepbound vials through telehealth app

Eli Lilly will sell lower-priced single-dose vials of Zepbound (tirzepatide) through the telehealth platform Ro, the companies said Wednesday ^[1][2]. It is the first time the vials are being offered through a telehealth company rather than only through Lilly's own direct-to-consumer site, LillyDirect ^[1][2].

Under the agreement, Ro patients who are prescribed Zepbound can order vials through Ro's app, and the digital pharmacy Gifthealth will dispense them ^[1][2]. Ro described it as a "complete end-to-end" experience on a single platform: eligible patients can get a diagnosis and a prescription for Zepbound and have the drug delivered to their homes ^[2].

The 2.5-milligram vials cost $399 per month and the 5-milligram vials cost $549 per month before insurance, according to CNBC. The single-dose autoinjector pen form of Zepbound costs around $1,000 per month before insurance ^[2]. Lilly began selling the vials through LillyDirect in August 2024. They are a cash-pay product, meaning patients pay for them directly rather than through insurance, and Ro says they carry the "most affordable" price of a branded GLP-1 drug before insurance ^[2].

Ro co-founder and CEO Zachariah Reitano told CNBC that patients usually have to go to "multiple places to get Lilly's drug, like the doctor's office then a pharmacy," and that the integration lets them "access doctors, labs and a pharmacy that will give them access to Zepbound vials all in one place" ^[2]. Reitano acknowledged that roughly $400 to $500 a month is "still out of reach for many, but it is now far more in reach than" $1,000 or more ^[2]. Patrik Jonsson, Lilly's president of cardiometabolic health, said the goal of the integration is to "break down barriers and provide patients with safe and effective options they can rely on" ^[2].

The deal is notable because Ro has been one of the major telehealth platforms offering compounded copies of GLP-1 obesity drugs during shortages of the branded versions, and Lilly has criticized compounded products, including by sending cease-and-desist letters to telehealth sites that sold them ^[1]. Cheaper compounded GLP-1s gained traction while supplies of the branded drugs were limited, and the shortages have since subsided ^[2].

Why it matters for patients

Where a patient fills a prescription is starting to affect what a GLP-1 costs. Someone prescribed Zepbound through a Ro clinician can now get the $399 or $549 vials without going through a separate pharmacy, rather than handling a doctor's visit, labs and a pharmacy separately ^[2]. The vials are still cash-pay, so they do not use insurance, and the pricing described covers only the 2.5-milligram and 5-milligram doses; the other form Ro offers is the autoinjector pen, which costs about $1,000 per month before insurance ^[2].

The bigger question hangs over compounded tirzepatide. The FDA is reconsidering its decision to take Zepbound off its drug shortages list after a lawsuit from a trade association representing compounding pharmacies; if the drug stays off the list, compounding pharmacies would essentially be prevented from making custom versions ^[2]. That matters to patients now getting compounded tirzepatide, because that option could disappear and they would need to find another source. Reitano said Ro "will both follow all applicable laws and guidance" under the FDA and also "fight to make sure that our patients have access to the most effective products and most affordable products" ^[2].

It is not yet known whether Lilly will strike similar deals with other telehealth companies, whether the cash prices for the vials will change, or what Ro charges for its services on top of the drug. The sources do not say whether any insurance plan will cover the vials.

What happens next

The FDA's review of Zepbound's shortage-list status is pending, and no decision date has been reported ^[2]. Lilly has not disclosed when or whether other telehealth platforms will be able to sell the vials ^[1][2].