Eli Lilly introduces drug delivery service for weight management drug

Eli Lilly has launched LillyDirect, a digital drug delivery service designed to assist U.S. patients grappling with obesity, migraines and diabetes.

Key components of LillyDirect include a digital pharmacy solution, coupled with affordability solutions for eligible patients. The platform also provides educational resources for disease state management, access to independent telehealth providers for remote care, and a search tool to locate nearby healthcare professionals. LillyDirect integrates disease management resources, personalized support, and direct home delivery of specific Lilly medicines facilitated by third-party pharmacy dispensing services. 

Importantly, the platform will tackle some of the accessibility issues related to Eli Lilly’s weight loss drug, tirzepatide. Branded as Zepbound, the treatment received FDA approval in Zepbound in November.

Zepbound will go head-to-head against Novo Nordisk's blockbuster, Wegovy, in a surging obesity market now projected to hit $100 billion in sales by 2030. According to Lilly, Zepbound is sold at a list price of $1,059.87, which is approximately 20% lower than Novo's semaglutide 2.4 mg injection for weight loss.

Analysts say tirzepatide has the potential to usurp Humira to become the best-selling drug of all time. According to UBS analyst Colin Bristow, the drug is expected to generate annual sales of $25 billion — a figure that would exceed the previous record of $20.7 billion set by AbbVie's Humira in 2021.