Eli Lilly partners with Walmart to sell weight loss drug directly to patients nationwide

Patients will be able to access Eli Lilly’s weight loss drug Zepbound at Walmart pharmacies nationwide through its direct-to-consumer program as soon as next month. 

The partnership between Eli Lilly and Company and Walmart, announced Wednesday, will allow people with a valid prescription to pick up single-dose vials of Zepbound at Walmart pharmacies nationwide or opt for home delivery. 

Both are enabled through Eli Lilly’s direct-to-consumer platform, LillyDirect. 

Lily’s direct-to-consumer platform, which launched in early 2024, is the company’s solution to improve the affordability and availability of the blockbuster drug because it allows some consumers to buy medicines directly from Eli Lilly without going through insurance.

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The company said LillyDirect offers savings of 50% or more compared to the list price of similar medicines for obesity. With Eli Lilly’s direct-to-consumer platform, patients can access the recommended starting dose of Zepbound for $349 per month. The price sits at $499 per month for all other doses. 

However, to access the higher doses, patients need to meet the requirements for the Zepbound Self Pay Journey Program, the company said.

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The drug has surged in popularity due to its weight loss effects since it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2023, but access to it hasn’t always been easy due to insurance and coverage issues.

The drug was approved for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or overweight conditions. It is considered a GLP-1 agonist, a class of Type 2 diabetes drugs that improves blood sugar control but may also lead to weight loss. Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Ozempic, is also considered a GLP-1 drug.

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Even if patients have insurance, companies like Cigna often require prior authorization for Zepbound and involve specific criteria such as BMI thresholds, comorbid conditions and prior treatment attempts.

Demand for the drugs surged largely because of people using them off-label for weight loss, leaving many patients who relied on them for approved treatments struggling to get access.