Manufacturer direct-pay program
Both Lilly and Novo Nordisk run self-pay programs for people without coverage. Pricing tiers change frequently — check the official program page for current rates.
GLP-1 cost
You are trying to work out what this will cost you per month.
Reference and calculator, not medical advice. Dosing figures below are transcribed from FDA-approved prescribing information and link back to it. Last reviewed August 2026.
The reason GLP-1 prices seem impossible to pin down is that the quotes describe different things. A telehealth membership bundles a prescriber visit with medication. A pharmacy quote covers the drug alone. A manufacturer self-pay figure assumes no insurance involvement. None of these are comparable until they are converted to the same unit — and the unit that works is cost per milligram, because it survives a dose change.
Cost comparison calculator
Enter the quotes you have actually been given. Everything is normalised to cost per month and cost per milligram so the options are comparable.
Monthly requirement21.65 mg4.33 doses/month × 5 mg
| Option | Per month | Per year | Per mg | One unit lasts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Option A | — | — | — | — |
| Option B | — | — | — | 2.0 weeks |
Where the price comes from
The routes people actually pay through, and what determines the number in each.
Through insurance (copay)
If your plan covers the drug for your indication, your cost is the plan copay. Coverage for weight-loss indications is far less common than for type 2 diabetes.
Telehealth platform (brand drug)
Online clinics bundle a prescriber visit with brand-name medication. Membership fee is usually separate from drug cost.
Compounded semaglutide / tirzepatide
Compounded versions are prepared by pharmacies rather than the original manufacturer. Availability and legality depend on FDA shortage status, which has changed several times — verify current status before relying on this route.
Retail pharmacy cash price
List price without insurance, sometimes reduced by discount cards.
Four variables move this number far more than which pharmacy you use: whether your plan covers the drug for your specific indication, whether you qualify for a manufacturer self-pay programme, whether the product is branded or compounded, and what dose you settle at. That last one is chronically underestimated — monthly consumption at a maintenance dose can be several times what it is at the starting step.
Zepbound — how much you actually consume
Weekly dosing means about 4.33 doses a month. Quantity drives cost, so this is the table that decides your monthly bill.
| Dose | Per month | Per year | A 10 mg vial lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 mg | 10.82 mg | 130 mg | 4.0 weeks |
| 5 mg | 21.65 mg | 260 mg | 2.0 weeks |
| 7.5 mg | 32.48 mg | 390 mg | 1.3 weeks |
| 10 mg | 43.30 mg | 520 mg | 1.0 weeks |
| 12.5 mg | 54.13 mg | 650 mg | 0.8 weeks |
| 15 mg | 64.95 mg | 779 mg | 0.7 weeks |
Cost per milligram is the only figure that stays comparable across these rows. Enter your own quotes below to convert them onto that basis.
Common questions
- Why does my quote change when my dose goes up?
- Because you consume more drug. A vial or pen contains a fixed quantity, so higher doses mean it runs out sooner. Any price quoted at a starting dose will understate what you pay at maintenance.
- Is insurance likely to cover it?
- Coverage is considerably more common for type 2 diabetes than for weight management. Where weight-management coverage exists it often requires prior authorisation and documented criteria. Your plan formulary is the only authoritative answer.
- Why does this site not just list prices?
- Because they change faster than any page can track, and a stale price is worse than no price. The calculator takes the quote you were actually given and tells you what it works out to per month and per milligram.
Common questions
- Why do quoted GLP-1 prices vary so much?
- Because the quotes are not measuring the same thing. A membership fee, a per-vial price, and a per-pen price all describe different quantities, and the dose you are on determines how long that quantity lasts. Converting everything to cost per milligram is the only way to compare them directly.
- Does insurance usually cover this?
- Coverage is far more common for type 2 diabetes indications than for weight management. Whether your specific plan covers your specific indication is something only your plan documents can answer.
Sources and last review
Every dosing figure on this page is transcribed from an FDA-approved label and links back to it. Conversions are arithmetic you can repeat by hand. Nothing here is reviewed by a clinician, and this site does not employ one — which is exactly why what I do publish stays traceable to its source.
- Zepbound (Tirzepatide) prescribing information — Eli Lilly, label revised 6 May 2026, checked 7 August 2026
Transcribed from the labels above and checked by me — Gavin, who builds this site, takes a GLP-1, and is not a clinician. Last reviewed August 2026. Found an error? [email protected] — I treat corrections as bugs. How this site is built and funded.
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