Eli Lilly

Zepbound (tirzepatide)

7.3

halfrx score

The strongest approved weight-loss drug. $449/mo once titrated — or $699 if you ever miss the 45-day refill window.

All-in, per month

$299–$699

$449 once titrated — the figure this site scores on

✓ verified 2026-08-19Visit Zepbound (tirzepatide) ↗

List price: $1,086
Medication: brand
Avg weight loss: 20.9%
Form: injection
Price checked: 2026-08-19

RxNorm 2669702 for the product, 2601723 for the ingredient. The codes the US National Library of Medicine assigns, so this page names one specific thing rather than a brand that could mean several.

It carries a boxed warning — the strongest the FDA issues

In rodents this molecule caused thyroid C-cell tumors at human-relevant doses. Whether it does so in people is unknown, and the label carries that as a boxed warning. It is contraindicated outright with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN 2.

From FDA prescribing information for ZEPBOUND. Everything the label lists, including who cannot take it →

LillyDirect self-pay, read 19 Aug 2026: $299 at 2.5 mg, $399 at 5 mg, $449 at 7.5–15 mg. The page reads "2.5 mg/0.6 mL (starting dosage) Self-pay price: Starting at $299/month" and "15 mg/0.6 mL Self-pay price: Starting at $449/month". The $449 applies only under the Zepbound Journey Program, which requires a refill within 45 days. Miss it and the price is $499 at 7.5 mg and $699 at 10, 12.5 and 15 mg. Same prices for vial and KwikPen. Lilly defines a month as 28 days.

What this page used to say

2026-09-13 — What Zepbound's label says to do when side effects do not settle. Was: Nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and constipation are the reason most people stop. They are worst in the first days after each dose increase and usually settle; a schedule held longer at one step is the standard answer, and it is a conversation with the prescriber rather than a reason to quit unannounced. Now: Most people who stop Zepbound because of side effects do so in the first few months, over gastrointestinal reactions such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. In the two weight trials 4.8% to 6.7% stopped because of side effects, rising with the dose, against 3.4% on placebo. Most nausea, vomiting and diarrhea comes during dose escalation and eases over time. If a maintenance dose is not tolerated, the label's answer is a lower maintenance dose, which is a conversation with the prescriber rather than a reason to quit unannounced.
2026-09-13 — The label section cited for the Zepbound stopping trial. Was: FDA prescribing information for ZEPBOUND, section 14.4. Now: FDA prescribing information for ZEPBOUND, section 14.1.
2026-09-12 — How much more Zepbound costs after a lapse. Was: The advertised $449 ceiling is conditional. It holds only while you refill within 45 days; lapse once and 10 mg and above cost $699 — 55% more than the number in the advert. Now: The advertised $449 ceiling is conditional. It holds only while you refill within 45 days; lapse once and 10 mg and above cost $699 — 56% more than the number in the advert.
2026-09-12 — What the Zepbound savings card does without coverage. Was: Requires a commercial plan that already covers the Zepbound single-dose pen. Lilly's terms exclude anyone in a state, federal or government-funded program, and the list is longer than Medicare and Medicaid: Medicare Part D, Medicare Advantage, Medigap, DoD, VA and TRICARE are all named in it. Now: The $25 needs a commercial plan that already covers the Zepbound single-dose pen. Without coverage the same card lets you pay as little as $499 for a 28-day fill of the single-dose pen, up to 13 fills a year, or for the KwikPen as little as $299 at 2.5 mg, $399 at 5 mg and $449 from 7.5 mg up. Lilly's terms exclude anyone in a state, federal or government-funded program, and the list is longer than Medicare and Medicaid: Medicare Part D, Medicare Advantage, Medigap, DoD, VA and TRICARE are all named in it.
2026-09-12 — Who qualifies for the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge. Was: …and who meet one of the demonstration's BMI and clinical categories. Now: …BMI 35+, or 30+ with one of three conditions, or 27+ with prediabetes, a previous heart attack or stroke, or symptomatic peripheral artery disease.
2026-09-11 — What the dosage page said the steps cost. Was: LillyDirect self-pay reads $299 a month at 2.5 mg and $449 at the higher doses — and both hold only if you refill within 45 days; miss that and Zepbound lists at $699. So the escalation above is also a $150 price rise at week 5. Now: LillyDirect self-pay reads $299 a month at 2.5 mg, $399 at 5 mg and $449 from 7.5 mg up. From 7.5 mg the $449 holds only if you refill within 45 days; miss that and 7.5 mg is $499 and 10 mg and above $699. So the escalation above is also a $100 price rise at week 5 and another $50 at week 9.
2026-09-05 — The card's published expiry, and who its terms exclude. Was: No published end date. Requires your plan to cover Zepbound already. Not available to Medicare or Medicaid beneficiaries. Now: Ends 31 December 2026. Excludes any state, federal or government-funded program — Medicare Part D, Medicare Advantage, Medigap, DoD, VA and TRICARE included.
2026-09-05 — Split the lapsed price by dose. Was: One line, 7.5 mg and above, with a lapsed price of $699 — $8,387 for the year if the refill window was ever missed. Now: 7.5 mg is $499 without the program and 10 mg and above are $699, so the year after a missed window is $8,137. The program year is unchanged at $5,637.
2026-09-05 — Updated the label version the dosage and side-effects pages cite. Was: The pages said they quoted the version published 2026-05-06. Now: They quote the version published 2026-09-02 (Lilly document ZEP-0016-USPI-20260828, revised 08/2026), which is the current DailyMed version. The doses and reactions on the pages did not change between the two.
2026-09-05 — Rebuilt the serious reactions as the label's section 5, in the label's order. Was: Five items: acute pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, acute kidney injury, diabetic retinopathy complications, pulmonary aspiration. Now: Eight, in label order: severe gastrointestinal reactions (5.2), acute kidney injury (5.3), acute gallbladder disease (5.4), acute pancreatitis (5.5), hypersensitivity reactions (5.6), hypoglycemia (5.7), diabetic retinopathy complications (5.8), pulmonary aspiration under anesthesia (5.9).
2026-09-05 — Added the label warning against sharing a pen between patients. Was: The serious reactions list did not mention pen sharing. Now: Never share a KwikPen between patients, even with a new needle (5.10) — sharing risks passing on blood-borne infection.
2026-08-24 — Who runs the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge, what it costs, and which drugs it covers. Was: Listed as an Eli Lilly program sourced to LillyDirect, priced 'Published by Lilly on application', with no end date and tirzepatide as the only molecule. Now: A CMS demonstration at $50 a month running to 31 December 2027, covering all formulations of Foundayo and Wegovy and the KwikPen formulation of Zepbound — with the catch that the $50 counts toward neither the Part D deductible nor the out-of-pocket maximum.
2026-08-19 — The top of the self-pay price range. Was: $299–$449 a month by dose. Now: $299–$699. The $449 ceiling holds only under the Zepbound Journey Program, which requires a refill within 45 days; without it 10 mg and above cost $699.

Every correction on this site, dated →

How much does Zepbound (tirzepatide) cost a month?

halfrx records Zepbound (tirzepatide) at $299–$699 a month all-in, read from its own published page on 2026-08-19. The figure that matters is $449 once titrated, because the starting dose is not the dose anyone stays on, and that is the number this site scores. It carries one flag on this site: boxed warning. A pharmacy acquires the same drug for about $482 a month under the federal NADAC survey, which is the comparison the price above is worth reading beside. It scores 7.3 out of 10 on a published formula that is arithmetic over the facts on this page, not an editor's opinion. The cheapest verified maintenance price on the site is $75, so this sits above the floor rather than at it. Average weight loss in the trial cited on the page is 20.9%. The medication is the branded, FDA-approved product rather than a compounded copy. Molecule: tirzepatide.

Tracked since 2026-08-19. Last corrected on 2026-09-12 — see what this page used to say, above.

No clinician has reviewed this page. Label and trial statements are quoted from the FDA label or the trial cited beside them. General guidance is marked as such, and every price carries the date it was verified. That is sourcing, not medical review. What we do and do not check · Who checked the price

Price conditional on refill timingBoxed warning

What is good about Zepbound?

+Highest average weight loss of any approved medication — around 20.9% at the 15 mg dose in SURMOUNT-1.[2]
+Dual GIP/GLP-1 agonist, a different mechanism from semaglutide, so it often works for people semaglutide failed.[2]
+$299/mo at the starting dose direct from Lilly against a $1,086 list price, with home delivery of vials or pens at the same price.[1]
+Also approved for obstructive sleep apnea, which can unlock insurance coverage that a weight indication alone would not.[2]
+If you are commercially insured with coverage, Lilly's card can bring it to as little as $25 a month.[1]

What are the downsides of Zepbound?

−Weekly injection with the usual GI side effects — nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation are the common discontinuation reasons.[2]
−The advertised $449 ceiling is conditional. It holds only while you refill within 45 days; lapse once and 10 mg and above cost $699 — 56% more than the number in the advert.[1]
−Lilly defines a month as 28 days, so a year is 13 fills, not 12. At $449 that is $5,837 a year against the $5,388 that 'per month' implies — $449 of hidden annual cost.[1]
−$1,086 list price if you have no coverage and do not use LillyDirect self-pay.[1]
−Weight regain after stopping is the documented norm, so the cost is ongoing rather than a course.[2]
−2.5 mg is a starting dose and is not approved for maintenance, so the $299 headline is a price nobody stays on.[1]

How this score is built

3.5/3.5Evidence — 20.9% mean weight loss, the intention-to-treat result on the FDA label
3.0/3Approval — FDA approved for chronic weight management and obstructive sleep apnea
0.3/2.5Cost — $449/mo at maintenance
0.5/1Caveats — −0.5: boxed warning −0.5

The full formula →

Clinical evidence

FDA approved for chronic weight management and obstructive sleep apnea

SURMOUNT-1, Study 1 on the label, 72 weeks: 20.9% mean weight loss at 15 mg against 3.1% on placebo, intention-to-treat.

A pharmacy acquires this for about $482 a month under the federal NADAC survey. What that says about the price you are quoted →

What a full year costs at these doses →

How long Zepbound takes to work, and what each week costs →

What happens if you stop Zepbound: in the label's own withdrawal trial, the group that came off gained 14% of body weight in 52 weeks →

What you can take instead of Zepbound, with each one's verified price →

Why every source quotes a different price

12 different figures appear on the first page of results for this question, including two from the manufacturer's own site that disagree with each other. Every one is true under some condition. Almost none of those pages states the condition, which is the whole reason the number looks unknowable.

Figure	What it is the price of	The condition
$25Lilly's own pricing page	the floor a manufacturer copay card can reach	Commercial insurance that already covers Zepbound. The card lowers a copay; it does not set a price, and it is closed to anyone whose care is paid for by Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE or VA.
$299LillyDirect, Lilly, Walgreens	one month at the 2.5 mg starting dose, self-pay	2.5 mg is the four-week starting dose. Nobody stays on it, so quoting it as the price of Zepbound describes the first month of treatment and no month after.
$399LillyDirect	one month at 5 mg, self-pay	The second step of the titration, also four weeks.
$449what this site recordsdrugs.com — and halfrx	one month at 7.5 mg and above, self-pay	The maintenance rate under Lilly's self-pay program, which requires a refill within 45 days. This is the figure this site records, because it is what a person pays for eleven of the thirteen fills in a year.
$499Lilly's coverage and savings page	the same 7.5 mg month	The rate once the 45-day refill window has been missed. Lilly's two pages quote $449 and $499 for one dose because both are true — under different refill behavior. Neither page says so.
$599.85GoodRx	a box of 2.5 mg pens at a retail pharmacy	A pharmacy counter price rather than the manufacturer's direct-to-patient price. Buying the same starting dose through Lilly is $299.
$699Lilly's coverage and savings page	one month at 10 mg and above	Again the lapsed rate — the price after the refill window is missed.
$1,086.37Lilly's pricing page, repeated by Ro and Noom	the list price of one fill	What a plan is invoiced before any discount. Nobody paying cash encounters it, and no page quoting it says so.
$1,059 to $1,349BuzzRx, Universal Drug Store	list-price ranges by dose	Variations on the list price above, again with no discount applied.
$7,900 a yearSingleCare	an annual estimate	Built from list or retail pricing. Walking the actual self-pay ladder at thirteen 28-day fills gives $5,637 — the only annual figure on that page, and it is over two thousand dollars out.

Collected from the first page of results on 2026-08-29. Each figure is quoted as its publisher states it; the condition beside it is read from the same source, or from the terms the program itself publishes.

What Zepbound costs with insurance

There is no single figure, and any page giving one is describing a plan that is not necessarily yours. What decides it is below, and every part of it is checkable.

Zepbound savings card: As little as $25 for up to a 3-month prescription Who it is for: Commercially insured with coverage for Zepbound The catch: The $25 needs a commercial plan that already covers the Zepbound single-dose pen. Without coverage the same card lets you pay as little as $499 for a 28-day fill of the single-dose pen, up to 13 fills a year, or for the KwikPen as little as $299 at 2.5 mg, $399 at 5 mg and $449 from 7.5 mg up. Lilly's terms exclude anyone in a state, federal or government-funded program, and the list is longer than Medicare and Medicaid: Medicare Part D, Medicare Advantage, Medigap, DoD, VA and TRICARE are all named in it.
Medicare GLP-1 Bridge: $50 a month. Who it is for: Part D beneficiaries 18 or older whose prescriber submits a prior authorization attesting the drug treats obesity, and who have a BMI of 35 or higher, a BMI of 30 or higher with diastolic heart failure, uncontrolled hypertension or stage 3a chronic kidney disease, or a BMI of 27 or higher with prediabetes, a previous heart attack or stroke, or symptomatic peripheral artery disease. Not for anyone with type 2 diabetes, moderate-to-severe sleep apnea or fatty liver disease, or whose Part D plan already covers a GLP-1. Covers all formulations of Foundayo and Wegovy, and the KwikPen formulation of Zepbound only — not the single-dose Zepbound vials or pens. The catch: The $50 does not count toward your Part D deductible or the out-of-pocket maximum, because the demonstration sits outside Part D coverage rather than inside it. It is also time-limited: a demonstration under Section 402 authority, not a benefit. The full terms, and every drug it covers.
It is closed to you if a government program pays for your care. Manufacturer copay cards exclude Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE and VA beneficiaries by their own terms — a federal anti-kickback rule rather than a plan decision, so there is nothing to appeal. Medicare's own route is the separate one above, and it is not a manufacturer card. Which coupons you can actually use.
The indication on the prescription. A plan that excludes weight-loss drugs excludes the use, not the molecule — and Zepbound is separately approved for obstructive sleep apnea, which that exclusion does not reach. What each drug is approved to treat.
If the answer is no. The cash price is what remains, and it is on this page. Every verified route to the same drug is priced with the date each was read.