Zepbound® (tirzepatide) KwikPen® for single-patient use available from Lilly at $449 across all doses through the Lilly Employer Connect platform, with reduced cost-share pricing available to employees
Flexible benefit designs expand access to obesity treatment while aligning with employer needs and budgets
Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today announced the launch of its Employer Connect platform, introducing new options to help close the access gap in U.S. obesity care. Lilly’s platform expands choice, empowering employers to coordinate with independent program administrators to develop flexible, transparent solutions that enable employee access to obesity management medicines.
Obesity affects over 100 million American adults and costs the U.S. economy more than $1.7 trillion annually—including $480 billion in direct medical costs and $1.24 trillion in lost productivity.1 Although obesity is a chronic disease, coverage for obesity management medications remains inconsistent across employer-sponsored plans, leaving roughly half of commercially insured employees without covered access.2
“For far too many people living with obesity, starting or staying on treatment isn’t just a medical decision, it’s an access decision driven by coverage and cost,” said Ilya Yuffa, executive vice president and president, Lilly USA and Global Customer Capabilities, Eli Lilly and Company. “To address these challenges, we’re building an employer program that connects employers to a range of independent program administrators and cost-sharing solutions—from those providing holistic obesity management to those focused on benefits administration—so their employees can access prescribed treatment at reduced out-of-pocket costs.”
Scaling Access Through Independent Program Administrators
Lilly’s employer access program is launching with over fifteen independent program administrators and nationwide pharmacy support delivered through a dedicated network, including dispensing pharmacies HealthDyne and CenterWell. These administrators range from organizations offering low-cost benefits administration to more holistic solutions that provide comprehensive obesity care and wraparound support services. This breadth of offerings allows employers to design programs tailored to their needs, while preserving both provider and patient choice.
“By enabling coverage outside traditional benefit designs, we lower barriers to treatment and give employers greater control over how they support employee access to obesity care,” said Kevin Hern, senior vice president, Lilly Employer, Eli Lilly and Company. “This innovation can help employees access authentic obesity management medicines with more affordable out-of-pocket costs.”
Lowering Cost Barriers to Obesity Care for Employees
Lilly Employer Connect is designed to expand access to obesity care by lowering cost barriers for employees while giving employers greater cost predictability and transparency. Lilly’s pricing model helps operationalize this for employers, enabling access for patients. From in-person or virtual clinical care to behavior-change support, employers can pair medication access with a range of services that fit their workforce needs.
Through this employer platform, Lilly’s Zepbound® (tirzepatide) KwikPen® is available from Lilly to network pharmacies at a discounted price of $449 for all doses. Final cost to the employer may vary based on their choice of pharmacy and program administrator; and out-of-pocket patient costs for employees will vary based on the costshare model an employer chooses and the dispensing and service fees agreed to with independent program administrators. Fundamentally, this approach provides employees access to obesity management medicines at lower out-of-pocket costs, and gives employers greater choice and clarity, along with the ability to expand coverage in a way that aligns with their benefits strategy and budget.
Lilly will continue to grow the program administrator options for employers on the platform, which already includes 9amHealth, Andel, Calibrate Health, Crux Health, eMed, FlyteHealth, Form Health, Goodpath, GoodRx, Ilant Health, Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company, Onsera Health, ReviveHealth, SALTA Direct Primary Care, Sesame, Teladoc Health, Transcarent and Waltz Health. Employers, benefit consultants, or other stakeholders interested in learning more about the program should contact EmployerAccess@lilly.com.
Enabling Access to One of the Most Prescribed Obesity Management Medications
As part of Lilly’s employer platform, Zepbound® KwikPen® is available to eligible employees, offering access to one of the most prescribed weight management medications in the U.S. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the single-patient use Zepbound KwikPen, which delivers four weekly injections from a single device. Zepbound was the most prescribed weight management medication in 2025.³ The demand for Zepbound highlights its strong efficacy profile.
Zepbound is an injectable prescription medicine that may help adults with obesity, or some adults with overweight who also have weight-related medical problems, to lose excess body weight and keep the weight off. Zepbound may also help adults with moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and obesity to improve their OSA. Zepbound contains tirzepatide and should not be used with other tirzepatide-containing products or any GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines. It is not known whether Zepbound is safe and effective for use in children.
Zepbound is available in 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg, or 15 mg doses. The 2.5 mg is a starting dose and not an approved maintenance dose. The recommended maintenance doses are 5 mg, 10 mg, or 15 mg injected subcutaneously once per week for weight reduction and long-term maintenance. The recommended maintenance doses are 10 mg or 15 mg for OSA.
In the SURMOUNT-1 trial, adults taking Zepbound 15 mg lost an average of 20.9% of their body weight over 72 weeks, compared to 3.1% with placebo. In the SURMOUNT-5 open-label study, people who took Zepbound on average lost 50 lbs (20.2% weight loss) compared to people who took injectable Wegovy and on average lost 33 lbs (13.7% weight loss). See additional data below. To learn more about Zepbound and KwikPen, visit Lilly.com/lillydirect/medicines/zepbound?device=kwikpen.
Individual results vary. Zepbound is not for cosmetic weight loss. Zepbound may cause tumors in the thyroid, including thyroid cancer. Watch for possible symptoms, such as a lump or swelling in the neck, hoarseness, trouble swallowing or shortness of breath. If you have any of these symptoms, tell your health care provider. Do not use Zepbound if you or any of your family have ever had a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). Do not use Zepbound if you have Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2). Do not use Zepbound if you have had a serious allergic reaction to tirzepatide or any of the ingredients in Zepbound.
