Zepbound Pricing: September 2026
Zepbound list price $1,087/mo. LillyDirect vials and KwikPen $299-449/mo. Medicare Bridge $50 copay since July 1. CVS Caremark returns October 1, 2026.
Zepbound's list price has not moved, but almost nobody pays it. The wholesale acquisition cost (WAC) is the list price a drugmaker sets, and for Zepbound it is about $1,087 for a 28-day fill, the figure TrumpRx.gov shows as the "original price." Eli Lilly cut its self-pay vial prices in December 2025 and has held them since. As of September 2, 2026, LillyDirect lists the 2.5 mg starting dose at $299 a month, the 5 mg dose at $399, and every dose from 7.5 mg to 15 mg at $449. The multi-dose KwikPen, approved in February 2026, costs the same as the vial at every dose. The $449 tier requires a refill within 45 days; miss that window and the regular price applies, which is $499 for 7.5 mg and $699 for 10, 12.5, and 15 mg. TrumpRx.gov now lists Zepbound at $299 a month rather than the $350 average quoted when the program was announced in November 2025.
Medicare now covers Zepbound for obesity, with one catch. The Medicare GLP-1 Bridge launched July 1, 2026, and eligible Part D members pay a $50 copay each month while Lilly supplies the drug at a net price of $245, leaving Medicare's share near $195. Only the KwikPen qualifies, because CMS excludes the single-dose vial and the single-dose pen, and pen needles are not covered either. The program runs through December 31, 2027, a date CMS extended because the broader BALANCE Model will not launch in Medicare in 2027. Prescribers file a prior authorization, which is an approval request, through Humana, the program's central processor.
Commercial coverage widens on October 1, 2026. A pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) builds the drug list, called a formulary, for employer health plans, and CVS Caremark, one of the three largest PBMs, dropped Zepbound from its standard formulary in mid-2025. Zepbound returns on October 1 as an added preferred option, joining Express Scripts and OptumRx, which already cover it. Caremark's standard template reaches 25 to 30 million people. Insured patients with coverage can use Lilly's savings card and pay as little as $25 a month, although the card caps savings at $100 a month and $1,300 a year.
Lilly's second quarter shows where prices are heading. Zepbound brought in $4.93 billion in the quarter ended June 30, 2026, up 46% from a year earlier, and Lilly told investors that volume grew while the average price it collected fell, partly because of the cash-pay discounts above. Under the November 2025 deal, CMS said TrumpRx prices for injectable GLP-1s should fall toward the $245 Medicare level over 24 months.
For the same drug under its diabetes label, see Mounjaro Pricing: September 2026. For Lilly's pill, see Foundayo Pricing: September 2026. For Medicare rules in detail, see the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge Pricing Guide. For the whole class, see the GLP-1 Drug Pricing Guide: September 2026.
LillyDirect self-pay: vials and KwikPen (verified September 2, 2026)
Lilly sells Zepbound directly to cash-paying patients through LillyDirect, and the vial and the multi-dose KwikPen cost the same at each dose. The two lowest doses carry no refill condition, while the $449 tier for 7.5 mg and up depends on refilling within 45 days under the Zepbound Journey Program. TrumpRx.gov sends Zepbound buyers to these same LillyDirect prices.
| Channel | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2.5 mg vial or KwikPen (starting dose) | $299/mo | LillyDirect |
| 5 mg vial or KwikPen | $399/mo | LillyDirect |
| 7.5, 10, 12.5, and 15 mg vial or KwikPen | $449/mo | LillyDirect |
| Regular price if a refill is late (7.5 mg / 10-15 mg) | $499 / $699 per mo | LillyDirect |
| TrumpRx.gov listing | $299/mo | TrumpRx.gov |
| Amazon One Medical cash-pay program | $299/mo | CNBC |
List price, savings card, and the CVS Caremark return
The list price is the wholesale acquisition cost, or WAC, and insurers and PBMs negotiate down from it, so patients rarely pay it. Lilly's savings card only helps people whose commercial plan already covers Zepbound. Patients whose plan excludes the drug get a smaller discount on the single-dose pen, or they can buy the KwikPen at the self-pay prices above instead.
| Channel | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| List price (WAC), 28-day fill | $1,087/mo | TrumpRx.gov |
| Commercial insurance with coverage + savings card | As low as $25/mo | Zepbound.com |
| Commercial insurance without coverage (single-dose pen) | As low as $499/mo | Zepbound.com |
| CVS Caremark standard commercial formulary | As low as $25/mo from Oct 1, 2026 | CVS Health |
| Express Scripts and OptumRx | Covered | CNBC |
Medicare GLP-1 Bridge: $50 copay, KwikPen only
The Bridge is a CMS demonstration that pays for obesity GLP-1s outside the normal Part D benefit. It started July 1, 2026 and now runs through December 31, 2027, because the BALANCE Model will not launch in Medicare in 2027. The $50 copay does not count toward the Part D deductible or the out-of-pocket cap, and patients need a prior authorization from their prescriber, processed by Humana.
| Channel | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Patient copay (eligible Part D members) | $50/mo | CMS |
| Covered Zepbound formulation | KwikPen only | CMS |
| Medicare net price | $245/mo | KFF |
| Lilly's Bridge statement | No more than $50/mo | Zepbound.com |
| TrumpRx framework price at launch (injectables) | $346/mo average | White House |
| TrumpRx price path | Toward $245/mo over 24 months | AMCP |
What Lilly's second quarter says about Zepbound prices
Lilly reported second-quarter 2026 results on August 5, and Zepbound revenue rose even as the average price Lilly collected per prescription fell. The company raised its full-year revenue forecast at the same time. Together the numbers explain why the self-pay tiers have held at $299 to $449 rather than rising.