Eli Lilly (LLY) has added a new telehealth partner to expand access to single-dose vials of its blockbuster weight loss drug Zepbound.
Ro Health is joining other telehealth platforms and Amazon Pharmacy (AMZN) in giving patients access to Lilly’s top GLP-1 product by plugging in to the pharmaceutical giant’s new direct-to-consumer platform, LillyDirect.
“Offering Zepbound single-dose vials — the most affordable branded incretin medicine by list price — through another platform to LillyDirect will help ensure broader availability of rigorously tested, FDA-approved and regulated obesity treatment,” said Patrik Jonsson, executive vice president and president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health, in a statement.
The announcement comes as Lilly overcomes drug shortages and looks for avenues to compete with compounded, or copycat, versions of its drug, also known by its key ingredient tirzepatide.
Ro CEO Zach Reitano told Yahoo Finance that he was impressed at the speed with which Lilly made the deal, just over 100 days since the single-dose vial option was launched.
Lilly launched the vials to bypass the production constrains of auto-injectors, which has lead to supply shortages that have only recently been resolved. The US Food and Drug Administration has declared the shortages over, but delayed a decision that would halt production of compounded GLP-1s that have been widely popular as patients struggle for access.
Patients turned to vials and injections even though they are a little harder to administer than the auto-injectors amid the shortages over the past two years. But Reitano said that many patients who are diabetic or who have had fertility journeys are familiar with needles and therefore able to adapt quickly.
The information page on Ro’s site describing how to administer the shots is one of the top-visited sites for the company, Reitano said.
“They will watch the video over and over again because it is a new experience for many. But they do get the hang of it. I would say by week four of five, they are watching the video less and less,” Reitano said.
Other telehealth platforms have continued to offer the compounded products of both Lilly and competitor Novo Nordisk’s (NVO) drugs. Ro is not offering tirzepatide but is offering compounded semaglutide, the copycat of Novo’s weight loss drug Wegovy, Reitano said.
Anjalee Khemlani is the senior health reporter at Yahoo Finance, covering all things pharma, insurance, care services, digital health, PBMs, and health policy and politics. That includes GLP-1s, of course. Follow Anjalee on social media platforms X (Twitter), LinkedIn Bluesky @AnjKhem.