Lilly sells Zepbound through Ro telehealth
Eli Lilly shares went down a little. Lilly will sell Zepbound, a weight loss drug, in single-dose vials on the telehealth platform Ro. This will help more patients get the drug because some cannot get insurance coverage for it.
Since August, Lilly has sold starter doses online for $399 per month. The higher dose can cost $549 per month. These prices do not include insurance coverage. The price is much less than the autoinjector pen, which costs about $1,000 per month.
Bank of America expert Allen Lutz said this news is “mixed” for telehealth companies. He thinks it’s good that Lilly is working with them, but the profits might be lower.
Hims & Hers shares went down more than 3% after this news.
Lutz said this shows that online sales are a good way to sell the drug, but the profits are not as good as other methods.
—Christina Cheddar Berk
Vocabulary List:
- Telehealth /ˈtɛlɪhɛlθ/ (noun): The provision of healthcare remotely by means of telecommunications technology.
- Coverage /ˈkʌvərɪdʒ/ (noun): The extent to which something is dealt with or included in this case insurance benefits.
- Profit /ˈprɒfɪt/ (noun): The financial gain obtained after subtracting expenses from revenue.
- Starter /ˈstɑːrtər/ (noun): An initial dose or quantity of a drug or product intended to begin a treatment.
- Single-dose /ˈsɪŋɡəldoʊs/ (adjective): Referring to a single amount of a drug intended for use at one time.
- Vials /vaɪəlz/ (noun): Small containers used to hold liquid medication or samples.
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