Hims & Hers adds Zepbound as Lilly says it has no affiliation with the company

Hims & Hers said on April 1, 2025 that it would add Eli Lilly's Zepbound to its platform, and the telehealth company's shares rose on the news ^[1]. Zepbound's active ingredient is tirzepatide ^[2]. Hours later, Lilly published a statement titled "Statement: Lilly has no affiliation with hims & hers" ^[2].

The Lilly statement was brief and direct. "Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) has no affiliation with hims & hers," it read ^[2]. The company added that Zepbound "can be prescribed by any licensed healthcare professional" ^[2]. The statement did not describe a supply agreement, a distribution deal or any other commercial arrangement between Lilly and Hims & Hers.

Lilly used the statement to point patients to its own pricing. People who are commercially insured with coverage for Zepbound may be eligible to pay as low as $25, according to the statement ^[2]. For people who pay for the drug themselves, Lilly said Zepbound is available starting at $349 per month on LillyDirect, the company's direct-to-patient ordering site ^[2].

The two announcements landed on the same day but described different things. Hims & Hers said it would offer the branded drug on its platform ^[1]. Lilly said it has no relationship with the company and listed the prices available through its own channel ^[2]. Whether a Zepbound prescription written through Hims & Hers would be filled through LillyDirect, a retail pharmacy or another route has not been reported, and a launch date for Zepbound on the Hims & Hers platform has not been disclosed. Financial terms of any arrangement have not been disclosed either.

No response from Hims & Hers to Lilly's statement was included in the Lilly release ^[2].

Why it matters for patients

Zepbound is a brand-name, FDA-approved tirzepatide product made by Lilly ^[2]. Patients may now encounter it through more than one kind of seller: the manufacturer's own site, a retail pharmacy, or a telehealth platform. Where a prescription is filled can change what a patient pays.

The prices Lilly cited are specific to its own programs. The $25 figure applies to people who have commercial insurance that covers Zepbound and who meet the eligibility conditions for that program, and the $349 starting price applies to self-pay patients buying through LillyDirect ^[2]. Lilly's statement does not say whether those prices are available to patients who get a Zepbound prescription through Hims & Hers, and that has not been reported.

Lilly also made a point that does not depend on any deal: any licensed healthcare professional can prescribe Zepbound ^[2]. That means a patient is not required to use Lilly's own service, or any particular telehealth company, to get a prescription.

The public distance Lilly put between itself and Hims & Hers is unusual for a company whose drug is being added to another company's platform. Patients comparing options should note that the two companies are describing the same medicine, but not the same prices, channels or relationship.

What happens next

Hims & Hers has not said when Zepbound will become available on its platform, and no timeline for the rollout has been reported ^[1]. Lilly's statement did not address whether it would take any further action regarding Hims & Hers ^[2]. It also is not yet known how prescriptions written through telehealth platforms will be routed or priced under Lilly's patient programs.