Eli Lilly slashes prices of weight-loss drug Zepbound for single-use vials

TAKE PERCUSSIONS LIKE WEARING PROPER CLOTHING OR REPELLENT WHEN OUTSIDE. IF THAT WAS MIKE SULLIVAN REPORTING. >>> ELI LILLY IS SLASHING PRICES FOR CERTAIN DOSES OF ITS WEIGHT-LOSS DRUG. THE DRUGMAKER IS NOW SELLING SINGLE-DOSE VIALS AT MUCH CHEAPER PRICES. THE APPETITE FOR OBESITY DRUGS CONTINUE TO SOAR ACROSS THE COUNTRY. FOR MORE ON THIS LET'S BRING IN A PROFESSOR IN THE GLOBAL HEALTH PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-SAN DIEGO. FIRST OFF, WHY IS ELI LILLY DOING THIS? >> ELI LILLY IS DOING THIS IN DIRECT RESPONSE TO THE RISE OF TELEHEALTH AND COMPOUNDING PHARMACIES THAT ARE PROVIDING THESE DRUGS VERY EASILY AND ACCESSIBLE. IT MIGHT'VE BEEN EXPOSED TO A LOT OF ADVERTISING ABOUT GETTING GOP-WENT THROUGH A TELEHEALTH PROVIDER. THIS IS A WAY FOR THEM TO PROVIDE ANOTHER CHANNEL OF ACCESS TO PATIENT AND A DIFFERENT TYPE OF PRODUCT AT A LOWER PRICE. >> I WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT COMPOUNDING PHARMACIES. THE FIRST I GENERALLY WANT TO ASK WHY IS ZEPBOUND SO POPULAR? IS THIS AN OVERALL INCREASE IN PEOPLE WANTING ACCESS TO WEIGHT LOCKS DRUGS OR ZEPBOUND IN PARTICULAR? >> I THINK IT IS A REALLY INTERESTING CASE STUDY OF A BLOCKBUSTER DRUG BECAUSE IT HAS SUCH A WIDE IMPLICATION. SO MANY PEOPLE COULD BENEFIT . AT THE SAME TIME THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF PROMOTION OF THE PRODUCT OUTSIDE OF TRADITIONAL CHANNELS BY CELEBRITIES AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC. THERE IS A LOT OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THESE GLP-1 BEING USED FOR WEIGHT LOSS MANAGEMENT. SOME OF THE DRUGS ARE ONLY APPROVED FOR TYPE TWO DIABETES. IT'S CONSUMER DEMAND THAT IS DRIVING THESE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT MANUFACTURERS AND ALSO TELEHEALTH PROVIDERS ARE TRYING TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO THESE DRUGS. >> YOU BROUGHT UP SOMETHING THAT WAS VERY INTERESTING ABOUT COMPOUNDING PHARMACIES. PHARMACIES THAT USE THE ACTIVE INGREDIENTS IN THESE WEIGHT- LOSS DRUGS AND CREATE SOMETHING VERY SIMILAR TO THE BRAND-NAME PRODUCTS. IT ALSO MEANS THAT PEOPLE CAN ACCESS THEM WITHOUT PRESCRIPTIONS. CERTAINLY SOME PEOPLE HAVE PRESCRIPTIONS AND MAYBE IT IS VERY EXPENSIVE AND THEY CANNOT KEEP UP SO THEY MIGHT ALSO TURN TO COMPOUNDING PHARMACIES. I WANT TO ASK YOU, IS THERE A CONCERN ABOUT THE EASY ACCESS TO THESE TYPES OF DRUGS EVEN IF THEY ARE NOT KIND OF THE BRAND- NAME ONES? >> ABSOLUTELY. BECAUSE THERE IS SO MUCH DEMAND THERE ARE SO MANY CHANNELS OF ACCESS. ONE OF THEM IS THROUGH THE TELE- PHARMACIES WITH A TELEHEALTH PROVIDERS THAT, YOU KNOW, STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THEY PROVIDE VERY EASY ACCESS. SOMETIMES THAT PRESCRIBING MAY NOT BE AS MEDICALLY APPROPRIATE AS IT WOULD BE IF YOU WENT TO A CLINICIAN WHO KNOWS YOU AND KNOWS HER HEALTH HISTORY, ET CETERA. THERE IS ONE RISK WHEN MAYBE IT IS NOT AS NECESSARY AS IT SHOULD BE. THEY HAVE AN ONLINE PHARMACY MARKET THAT SELLS IT WITH NO PRESCRIPTION. YOU CAN SEARCH THAT VIA GOOGLE. WE HAVE DONE STUDIES AND DISCOVERED PRODUCTS THAT ARE NOT AUTHENTIC AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS. THAT IS WHY MANUFACTURERS LIKE ELI LILLY ARE TRYING TO CREATE ANOTHER PATHWAY FOR HOPEFULLY YOU CAN GAIN ACCESS TO THE LEGITIMATE PRODUCT. AT THE SAME TIME THEY ARE TRYING TO CAPTURE THAT MARKET SHARE BACK OF THAT PRODUCT THAT THEY ARE TRYING TO PROFIT OFF OF. >> ELI LILLY HAS SAID IF YOU WANT TO GET THE SINGLE-DOSE ZEPBOUND YOU WILL BE DOING IT THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE AND THEIR ONLINE ACCESS. YOU WOULD KNOW THAT IT IS LEGIT. I FOUND IT CURIOUS THAT THEY HAD MOVED INTO THAT DIRECTION TO PROVIDE THE DRUG TO PEOPLE WHO WANT IT. >> ABSOLUTELY. THE UNITED STATES IS ONE OF ONLY TWO COUNTRIES THAT ALLOW THIS DIRECT CONSUMER ADVERTISING THAT YOU SEE ON T.V. THAT ADVERTISES DRUGS TO PEOPLE. THIS IS A MOVE TO REALLY ENGAGE MORE DIRECTLY WITH THE PATIENT, HAVE A PATIENT RELATIONSHIP. YOU GO THROUGH THEIR PORTAL, YOU GO TO THEIR TELEHEALTH PROVIDER. THEY HAVE A LINK ON THE WEBSITE AND THEN YOU GET THE PRODUCT SHIPPED TO YOU DIRECTLY. MOST OF THE TIME YOU ARE PAYING OUT-OF-POCKET. THIS IS A VERY DIFFERENT MODEL OF ENGAGING DIRECTLY WITH THE PATIENT AND HOPEFULLY KEEPING THE PATIENT INTERESTED IN YOUR PRODUCT. YES, THE LOWER PRICES ON THE VIALS, BUT MAYBE THE VIALS ARE NOT A THING YOU WANT TO HAVE YOU SWITCH OVER TO A PAN. THAT IS MORE EXPENSIVE. THERE ARE MANY WAYS FOR THE MANUFACTURER TO KEEP THAT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PATIENT. ULTIMATELY THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY CAN CONTINUE TO SELL THE PRODUCTS IN THE LONG-TERM. >> IT IS GOOD FOR ELI LILLY TO KEEP THE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PATIENT, BUT IT ALSO GOES AROUND THE PATIENT'S PERSONAL DOCTOR. IS THAT A CONCERN? >> ABSOLUTELY. IN THIS CASE YOU DO HAVE TO HAVE A VALID PRESCRIPTION IN ORDER TO GET THIS PRODUCT DELIVERED TO YOU VIA ELI LILLY. APPOSITION-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP CAN HAPPEN WITH A TELEHEALTH PROVIDER INSTEAD OF YOUR GENERAL PRACTICE POSITION THAT YOU HAVE A LONG RELATIONSHIP WITH, THAT KNOWS HER FULL HEALTH HISTORY, AND KNOWS WEIGHT LOSS MANAGEMENT IS A VERY COMPLEX ISSUE THAT INCLUDES ALL TYPES OF THINGS LIKE DIET AND EXERCISE. THAT IS A BIG CONCERN AMONG PEOPLE IN THE PUBLIC HEALTH SPACE. IS THIS GOING TO LEAD TO A LOT OF OVERPRESCRIBING AND PEOPLE NOT GETTING THE BENEFIT OF