Zepbound’s price depends on one thing first: whether a plan covers it. If yours does, Lilly’s savings card can bring a fill to as little as $25 [2]. If it doesn’t, LillyDirect sells it for $299 to $449 a month by dose [1]. Medicare has its own route, and the list price sits far above all three. Here’s each price with the conditions that come attached.
Zepbound’s price at a glance
| Route | Who it’s for | Price per fill | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Savings card, plan covers Zepbound | Commercial insurance | As little as $25 | Card saves up to $100 a month and $1,300 a year; up to 13 fills; ends December 31, 2026 | Lilly [2] |
| Savings card, plan doesn’t cover it | Commercial insurance | As low as $499 (single-dose pen) | 1-month fill | Lilly [2] |
| LillyDirect self-pay, 2.5 mg | Anyone with a prescription | $299 | Starting dose only | LillyDirect [1] |
| LillyDirect self-pay, 5 mg | Anyone with a prescription | $399 | Needles extra | LillyDirect [1] |
| LillyDirect self-pay, 7.5 to 15 mg | Anyone with a prescription | $449 | Refill within 45 days; otherwise $499 (7.5 mg) or $699 (10 to 15 mg) | LillyDirect [1] |
| Medicare GLP-1 Bridge | Eligible Part D enrollees | $50 copay | July 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027; CMS sets eligibility | CMS [3] |
| TrumpRx | Self-pay | $299 lowest deal | TrumpRx shows $1,087 as the “Original Price” | TrumpRx [4] |
Lilly’s savings terms define a month as 28 days [2]. Manufacturer and government prices as currently listed.
Without insurance, LillyDirect charges $299 to $449 a month
Through LillyDirect, Zepbound vials and KwikPens cost $299 a month at the 2.5 mg starting dose and $399 at 5 mg [1]. Every higher dose, from 7.5 mg to 15 mg, costs $449 a month, but only “when you refill within 45 days.”
Miss that window and the price jumps. Lilly’s wording: “Regular prices will apply if prescription is not refilled within 45 days ($499 for 7.5mg, $699 for 10mg, $699 for 12.5mg, and $699 for 15mg)” [1]. On a 15 mg dose, one late refill costs $250 more than an on-time one.
| Dose | Refill within 45 days | Regular price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 mg | $299 | $299 | Starting dose; not approved as a maintenance dose |
| 5 mg | $399 | $399 | Needles bought separately |
| 7.5 mg | $449 | $499 | Needles bought separately |
| 10 mg | $449 | $699 | Needles bought separately |
| 12.5 mg | $449 | $699 | Needles bought separately |
| 15 mg | $449 | $699 | Needles bought separately |
Vials need a needle and syringe; KwikPens need pen needles [1].
Two details catch people out. First, the 2.5 mg price is for starting only; Lilly notes that “2.5 mg is a starting dose and is not approved as a maintenance dose” [1]. Second, needles aren’t included. Vials say “Needle and syringe purchase required” and KwikPens say “Pen needle purchase required.”
A year of Zepbound is 13 fills, not 12
Lilly’s savings terms define a month as 28 days [2]. Weekly doses over a full year come to 13 four-week fills. So the yearly cost is the price per fill times 13.
| Dose | Per fill | Formula | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 mg (if it were taken all year) | $299 | 13 × $299 | $3,887 |
| 5 mg | $399 | 13 × $399 | $5,187 |
| 7.5 to 15 mg, refilled on time | $449 | 13 × $449 | $5,837 |
| 7.5 mg, regular price | $499 | 13 × $499 | $6,487 |
| 10 to 15 mg, regular price | $699 | 13 × $699 | $9,087 |
Our arithmetic from LillyDirect’s prices [1]. Needles not included. Most people pay a mix of doses in their first year as the dose changes.
With coverage, the savings card can cut a fill to $25
If your commercial plan covers Zepbound, Lilly’s savings card can bring the pen to “as little as $25 for a 1-month, 2-month, or 3-month prescription fill” [2]. The card has limits. It saves at most $100 on a 1-month fill ($200 on 2 months, $300 on 3) and $1,300 per calendar year, for up to 13 fills. Lilly says the “card expires and savings end on 12/31/2026.”
The $100 cap matters if your plan leaves you a big copay. If your share of a fill is $150, the card covers $100 and you pay $50. People on government insurance can’t use it; the terms say “Governmental beneficiaries excluded” [2].
If your commercial plan doesn’t cover Zepbound, the card still helps a little. It brings the single-dose pen to “as low as $499” for a 1-month fill [2]. In that case the KwikPen, at $299 to $449 with on-time refills and up to 11 fills a year, is the lower price.
The card works at CVS or any other pharmacy once it’s activated. Lilly’s terms also describe a mail-in reimbursement claim, with the pharmacy receipt, for some fills paid without it [2].
Your plan’s formulary decides coverage, not your insurer’s name
Some commercial plans cover Zepbound and many don’t. The answer sits in your specific plan’s formulary, the list of drugs it pays for. Two people with the same insurer can get different answers because their employers chose different plans. Lilly says coverage “has been restored for Zepbound … on select CVS Caremark formularies starting at $25/month” [2].
- Find your plan’s drug list (formulary) in your member portal, or call the number on your card.
- Look up Zepbound’s tier, and whether it needs prior authorization (approval before the plan pays).
- Ask whether your plan excludes drugs used for weight loss. Some plans do.
- Ask whether your plan treats sleep apnea differently. Zepbound is approved for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity [7], and some plans handle that use separately.
Medicare: the GLP-1 Bridge charges a $50 copay
Federal law leaves drugs used for weight loss out of what Part D covers. The Part D statute excludes drugs that may be restricted under Medicaid’s list, which includes “agents when used for anorexia, weight loss, or weight gain” [5] [6].
CMS has opened a separate route. The Medicare GLP-1 Bridge is “a short-term demonstration run by CMS that will provide eligible Medicare Part D beneficiaries with access to certain GLP-1 drugs between July 1, 2026, and December 31, 2027” [3]. Eligible people pay a $50 copay. The Part D deductible doesn’t apply, the copay doesn’t count toward your out-of-pocket total, and there’s no low-income subsidy.
Lilly says eligible Part D patients prescribed Zepbound for weight management can get it through the Bridge “for no more than $50/month” [2]. Lilly notes that eligibility is “based on Medicare GLP-1 Bridge Clinical Criteria,” and CMS runs prior authorization through a central processor [3]. Check whether you qualify through Medicare before you count on the $50 price.
TrumpRx lists Zepbound at $299, the same as LillyDirect
TrumpRx lists Zepbound at $299 a month as its lowest deal, against an “Original Price” of $1,087 (TrumpRx) [4]. The $299 matches LillyDirect’s starting-dose price. TrumpRx’s homepage doesn’t show its higher-dose prices, so check the dose you’ll be on before you compare.
Zepbound is expensive because it’s a brand-only drug
Zepbound has no generic version, and the list price TrumpRx shows is about $1,087 a month [4]. Lilly’s own programs are the main way around that. Prices have already moved: the self-pay prices quoted in 2024 launch coverage are out of date, and today’s LillyDirect tiers replace them. Nobody outside Lilly knows what 2027 prices will be, and the savings card is set to end December 31, 2026 [2].
Telehealth programs add their own fee on top of the drug
Telehealth programs that prescribe brand Zepbound usually charge a membership or program fee on top of the pharmacy price. 7 programs on this site prescribe brand Zepbound. Two that publish a monthly figure:
| Program | How the drug is supplied | Monthly, drug plus fee |
|---|---|---|
| AgelessRx | LillyDirect prices, plus a monthly membership | $364/mo at the starting dose |
Prices from each program’s own pages. The drug cost rises with your dose; the program fee usually doesn’t. Use the monthly cost calculator to work out a plan's cost at your dose.
Also offered by (no standing monthly price published): Sesame.
The same rule answers questions about any program that prescribes Zepbound: find what it charges for the visit or membership, then add the LillyDirect or pharmacy price for your dose.
For most people without coverage, $299 is the floor and $449 the ongoing price
Without coverage, the lowest Zepbound price is LillyDirect’s $299 starting dose, and the lowest ongoing price is $449 with on-time refills [1]. With coverage, the savings card is the lowest route. On Medicare, it’s the Bridge, if you qualify.
Compounded tirzepatide costs $85–$433 a month across programs on this site, but it isn’t Zepbound. It skips FDA approval, so nobody at FDA judges whether it’s safe, whether it works, or how well it was made before a pharmacy ships it. Prices are in compounded tirzepatide cost, the trade-offs are in compounded tirzepatide vs Zepbound, and sources are in where to get compounded tirzepatide. Programs are scored on the compounded tirzepatide scores.
Free Zepbound isn’t offered on Lilly’s self-pay or savings pages. If cost rules out every route here, ask your prescriber or Lilly whether you might qualify for patient assistance. For other brands, see Wegovy cost and Ozempic cost without insurance. Doses are explained in Zepbound dosage, and the drug itself on the Zepbound page.