Patients will have access to single-dose Zepbound vials in Ro
Courtesy: Ru
Direct-to-consumer healthcare startup Ro said on Wednesday that its platform will now offer affordable single-dose vials of the weight-loss drug Zepbound through a new partnership with… Eli Lillywhich aims to simplify access to popular treatment.
Ro said it will offer a “complete, end-to-end” experience on a single platform and app, allowing eligible patients to get a diagnosis and prescription for Zepbound and have vials of the drug delivered to their homes. This is made possible through a first-of-its-kind integration with Eli Lilly's direct-to-consumer LillyDirect, which already offers home delivery of Zepbound vials through its third-party digital pharmacy, Gifthealth.
Gifthealth will distribute the vials to patients who receive Zepbound prescriptions through an Ro-affiliated provider.
Zepbound vials are a cash-in product offered only through LillyDirect, meaning patients pay for it themselves with cash at a lower cost than the self-injection form of the medication. The vials have the “most affordable” price of a brand-name GLP-1 drug before insurance, according to Ro. GLP-1s, a class of drugs that mimic gut hormones to curb appetite and regulate blood sugar, have skyrocketed in demand over the past two years.
“Patients typically have to go to multiple places to get overnight medication, like a doctor’s office and then a pharmacy,” Zachariah Reitano, co-founder and CEO of Ro, told CNBC in an interview. “This integration really creates a seamless experience for the patient where they don't have to go anywhere else. They have access to doctors, labs and a pharmacy that will give them access to Zepbound vials, all in one place.”
Ro runs a weight-loss program that already prescribes Zepbound in a single-dose self-injection pen, which patients can inject directly under their skin with the click of a button. But this type of medication is much more expensive than vials, costing about $1,000 a month before insurance.
The 2.5-milligram and 5-milligram single-dose vials of Zepbound cost $399 per month and $549 per month before insurance, respectively, making them affordable for those who do not have insurance coverage for the drug. Eli Lilly began offering those vials through LillyDirect in August.
“Whether you're covered by insurance, or whether you want to get the less expensive cash-in-brand GLP-1, which are Zepbound vials, you can get all of that by coming to Ro,” Reitano said, noting that the company will help Eligible patients get to decide which form of medication is best for them based on their insurance.
He acknowledged that roughly $400 to $500 a month for Zepbound “is still out of reach for many, but it's now much more affordable than” $1,000 or more.
Patients will have access to single-dose Zepbound vials in Ro
Courtesy: Ru
Popular expensive treatments like Zepbound and Novo NordiskWegovy weight loss injection has led to widespread shortages in the United States. The problem has since subsided after Eli Lilly and Nordisk rushed to increase manufacturing capacity for the drugs.
However, cheaper compounded versions of GLP-1s have gained traction amid the limited supply of brand-name drugs. Eli Lilly is expanding access to branded Zepbound in what appears to be an effort to eliminate compounded versions of the drug.
The goal of the new integration is to “break down barriers and provide patients with safe and effective options they can rely on,” Patrick Johnson, president of Eli Lilly's cardiovascular health division, said in a statement Tuesday.
The FDA is currently reconsidering its decision to remove Zepbound from its drug shortage list following a lawsuit from a trade association representing compounding pharmacies. Removing Zepbound from the shortage list will prevent compounding pharmacies from making custom versions of the drug.
If so, Reitano said Roe “will follow all applicable laws and guidance” under the FDA and will also strive to make sure our patients have access to the most effective and affordable products.
