Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) — the new twincretin approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes — was priced by Lilly, the company that will market the drug, at a list price of $974.33 for four weekly doses regardless of dose size, a cost that adds up to about $12,666 per year, according to a statement made on May 20 by a Lilly spokesperson.
This price puts tirzepatide, which combines the activity of two of the primary human incretins in one molecule, roughly in the same ballpark as what might be its main competitor, semaglutide (Ozempic) for type 2 diabetes, which retails at many US pharmacies for about $925 for four weekly doses, or about $12,025 per year, although Ozempic’s posted retail price is about $100 higher for four doses.
According to the Lilly spokesperson, discount programs could reduce the monthly out-of-pocket cost for patients to as little as $25.
Tirzepatide, which received approval from the FDA on May 13, is a dual glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) agonist. Several GLP-1 receptor agonists are already approved in the United States, including semaglutide, which is indicated as Wegovy for weight loss in patients with obesity regardless of diabetes status.
Mitchel L. Zoler is a reporter for Medscape and MDedge based in the Philadelphia area. @mitchelzoler
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