Eli Lilly Just Launched a New Program to Make GLP‑1 Weight‑Loss Drugs Cheaper for Millions of Workers

The new platform lets employers offer GLP-1 drugs like Zepbound at a discounted rate while choosing from a marketplace of administrators.

BY LEILA SHERIDAN, NEWS WRITER

GLP-1 weight-loss drugs have quickly become some of the most sought-after medications in the United States, but their price tags have also made them one of the most difficult benefits for employers and insurers to cover. Eli Lilly’s obesity treatments can cost more than $1,000 per month, putting them out of reach for many people without insurance coverage.

Now, Eli Lilly is introducing a new program designed to make those drugs easier for companies to offer their workers.

On Thursday, the drugmaker behind blockbuster medications like Zepbound and Mounjaro unveiled a new employer-focused platform aimed at expanding coverage for obesity treatments in the U.S. The initiative, called Employer Connect, will allow companies to offer GLP-1 drugs to employees at lower out-of-pocket costs while also giving employers transparency and flexibility over how those benefits are administered, CNBC reported. 

While Lilly and its chief rival Novo Nordisk have already made moves to slash the cash prices of their popular obesity injections for people paying entirely out of pocket, employer coverage of the drugs remains uneven. About half of people with commercial insurance are unable to start or remain on treatment because of cost barriers, Lilly said in a release.

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As of October, nearly one-fifth of companies with more than 200 workers— including 43 percent of companies with 5,000 or more employees—said they cover GLP-1 drugs for weight loss, according data from the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker highlights the gap. 

Lilly’s new platform attempts to address some of the challenges employers face when deciding whether to offer that coverage.

“I think we’ll learn in the coming months ahead, if this is a solution that maybe enables some employers who have been sitting on the sidelines to opt into obesity coverage for their employees,” Kevin Hern, senior vice president of Lilly Employer, said in an interview, according to CNBC. He added that some employers could add coverage in the coming months, while others may wait until 2027.

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