Medicines like semaglutide (Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Zepbound) are approved to help adults lose weight and keep it off over the long term [1, 2]. That makes cost a big part of choosing one. It’s worth thinking about what you could pay month after month, not just for the first month.
This article explains the main ways people in the US pay for GLP-1 medicines for weight: the makers’ own self-pay pharmacies, insurance, Medicare’s new GLP-1 Bridge, and HSA or FSA cards. We checked every price on October 18, 2026. Prices and offers change often, so always check the pharmacy’s own page before you order.
Self-pay prices from the makers’ pharmacies
The companies that make these medicines sell them directly to people who pay for themselves, at prices posted on their websites. Eli Lilly sells tirzepatide (Zepbound) and orforglipron (Foundayo) through LillyDirect. Novo Nordisk sells Wegovy through NovoCare Pharmacy [3, 4, 5, 6]. You need a prescription from a licensed clinician. You can have the medicine delivered to your home for free or pick it up at a pharmacy [3, 4, 6].
| Medicine | How you take it | Starting dose | Higher doses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zepbound (tirzepatide) | Injection once a week, from a vial or a KwikPen | $299 (2.5 mg) | $399 (5 mg). $449 (7.5 to 15 mg) if you refill within 45 days. Otherwise $499 (7.5 mg) or $699 (10 to 15 mg) [3] |
| Foundayo (orforglipron) | Pill once a day | $149 (0.8 mg) | $149 (2.5 mg) and $199 (5.5 mg) through December 31, 2026. $299 (9 mg, and 14.5 or 17.2 mg if you refill within 45 days) [4] |
| Wegovy (semaglutide) pen | Injection once a week | $199 a month for your first 2 months (0.25 or 0.5 mg) if you’re new to NovoCare, through December 31, 2026. Then $349 | $349 (up to 2.4 mg). $399 (7.2 mg, called Wegovy HD) [5] |
| Wegovy (semaglutide) pill | Pill once a day | $149 (1.5 mg) | $199 (4 mg). $299 (9 or 25 mg) [6] |
What to know about these prices
- What a month means. For Zepbound, a month is 28 days. For Foundayo, it’s 30 days. For Wegovy, it’s a box of 4 pens or a bottle of 30 pills [3, 4, 5, 6].
- Prices often rise with your dose. Each medicine starts at a low dose that goes up step by step [1, 2], and most cost more at higher doses. So your cost may change over your first few months.
- Some prices depend on refilling on time. Lilly’s lower prices for the higher doses apply only if you refill within 45 days [3, 4].
- Some prices are short-term offers. Wegovy’s first-2-months price and Foundayo’s reduced 2.5 mg and 5.5 mg prices run through December 31, 2026 [4, 5].
- Supplies cost extra. Zepbound vials need needles and syringes, and the KwikPen needs pen needles. These aren’t included [2, 3].
- Offers can change. Both makers say they can change or end these programs at any time [3, 4, 5, 6].
TrumpRx.gov
TrumpRx.gov is a free federal website that lists cash prices agreed with drug makers, including prices for Wegovy and Zepbound. For some medicines, it shows a coupon you can use at local pharmacies. For others, it sends you to the maker’s own website. Its prices are only for people paying cash, not through insurance [7].
If you have insurance
Each health plan sets its own rules for covering GLP-1 medicines for weight. To find out what yours covers, check its list of covered drugs (often called a formulary) or call the number on your insurance card. Some plans ask your clinician to fill in a form called a prior authorization, which shows you meet the plan’s rules for that medicine.
Coverage can also depend on why a medicine is prescribed. Besides weight management, Wegovy is approved to lower the risk of heart attack, stroke and death from heart disease in adults with cardiovascular (heart or blood vessel) disease who have obesity or overweight. Wegovy injection is also approved for a liver disease called MASH in adults with moderate to advanced liver scarring but not cirrhosis. Zepbound is approved to treat moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity [1, 2]. If one of these applies to you, ask your plan how it covers that use.
If your plan covers the medicine, the maker may offer a savings card that lowers your copay. For example, Lilly says people with commercial insurance that covers Foundayo could pay as little as $25 a month [4]. Each card has its own rules. Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy offer, for instance, only applies when Wegovy is prescribed for a use on its label [8].
You can also choose to pay the self-pay price instead of using your insurance. TrumpRx advises people with insurance to compare its cash price with what they’d pay through their plan [7]. If you do pay cash, ask your plan whether it counts toward your deductible.
If you have Medicare
From July 1, 2026, through December 31, 2027, a Medicare program called the GLP-1 Bridge offers certain GLP-1 medicines for weight to eligible people with Medicare Part D drug coverage. The cost is $50 for a month’s supply [9].
The Bridge covers Foundayo, Wegovy (pen and pill) and Zepbound KwikPens. It doesn’t cover Zepbound vials or single-dose pens [10]. To qualify, you must be at least 18 and be prescribed the medicine to lose excess weight and keep it off. When you start, one of these must also be true [10]:
- Your BMI (body mass index) is 35 or higher.
- Your BMI is 30 or higher, and you have heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, chronic kidney disease stage 3a or higher, or blood pressure that stays above 140/90 even though you take two blood pressure medicines.
- Your BMI is 27 or higher, and you have prediabetes, have had a heart attack or stroke, or have peripheral artery disease (narrowed arteries, usually in the legs) that causes symptoms.
The Bridge isn’t for people who have type 2 diabetes, moderate to severe sleep apnea or MASH, or who have already gotten a GLP-1 through their Part D plan. For them, coverage goes through their Part D plan instead. A few less common kinds of Medicare plans aren’t included [10].
To use the Bridge, your clinician sends your prescription to a pharmacy with a note asking it to send the claim to the Bridge. Then your clinician fills in a prior authorization form. Medicare decides whether you qualify and mails you its decision. Only 28-day or 30-day fills are covered [10].
If you have Medicare or other government insurance and pay a self-pay price instead, read the pharmacy’s terms first. NovoCare’s terms, for example, say you agree not to ask your insurance to pay you back, and not to count the cost toward your deductible or out-of-pocket limit [11].
If you have Medicaid, ask your state’s Medicaid program or your health plan whether it covers GLP-1 medicines for weight.
Using an HSA or FSA
A health savings account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA) lets you pay for medical costs with money set aside before tax. Lilly says Zepbound and Foundayo from LillyDirect are HSA and FSA eligible, but that eligibility may vary by plan [3, 4]. Before you use an HSA or FSA card for any medicine, check your plan’s rules.
Other costs to plan for
- Your clinician’s care. Someone needs to prescribe the medicine, raise the dose and check in on side effects. Ask what’s included and whether there’s a monthly fee.
- Blood tests, if your clinician orders them.
- Supplies, such as needles and syringes for Zepbound vials or pen needles for the KwikPen, and a sharps container to throw them away safely [2, 3].
- The months ahead. If cost might make you stop later, read what happens when people stop a GLP-1 and talk it through with your clinician before you start.
Be careful with prices that seem too good to be true
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lists “deep discounts or prices that seem too good to be true” among its warning signs of risky online sellers. It also warns that compounded versions of semaglutide and tirzepatide are not FDA approved [12]. Our article on brand-name and compounded GLP-1s explains the difference.
The bottom line
The makers of Zepbound, Foundayo and Wegovy now post self-pay prices that start at $149 to $299 a month and usually rise with the dose. Insurance, savings cards and Medicare’s GLP-1 Bridge can lower the cost for some people, but each has its own rules. Check the pharmacy’s current price before you order, and plan for the months ahead, not just the first one.
References
- Novo Nordisk. WEGOVY (semaglutide) injection and tablets: prescribing information. DailyMed, US National Library of Medicine. Label revised June 2026. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=ee06186f-2aa3-4990-a760-757579d8f77b
- Eli Lilly and Company. ZEPBOUND (tirzepatide) injection: prescribing information. DailyMed, US National Library of Medicine. Label revised August 2026. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=487cd7e7-434c-4925-99fa-aa80b1cc776b
- Eli Lilly and Company. Zepbound (tirzepatide). LillyDirect. Accessed October 18, 2026. https://www.lilly.com/lillydirect/zepbound
- Eli Lilly and Company. Foundayo (orforglipron). LillyDirect. Accessed October 18, 2026. https://www.lilly.com/lillydirect/foundayo
- Novo Nordisk. NovoCare Pharmacy. NovoCare. Accessed October 18, 2026. https://www.novocare.com/pharmacy.html
- Novo Nordisk. Wegovy at NovoCare Pharmacy. NovoCare. Accessed October 18, 2026. https://www.novocare.com/pharmacy/wegovy.html
- US federal government. TrumpRx: frequently asked questions. TrumpRx.gov. Accessed October 18, 2026. https://trumprx.gov/
- Novo Nordisk. Wegovy savings offer: eligibility and restrictions. NovoCare. Accessed October 18, 2026. https://www.novocare.com/eligibility/wegovy-savings-card.html
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Coming soon: CMS to provide $50 monthly access to GLP-1 medications for Medicare beneficiaries. CMS. 2026. https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/coming-soon-cms-provide-50-monthly-access-glp-1-medications-medicare-beneficiaries
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Medicare GLP-1 Bridge: information for prescribers. CMS. June 2026. https://www.cms.gov/files/document/glp-1-prescribers-c-1.pdf
- Novo Nordisk. NovoCare Pharmacy program: eligibility and terms. NovoCare. Accessed October 18, 2026. https://www.novocare.com/eligibility/pharmacy.html
- US Food and Drug Administration. FDA’s concerns with unapproved GLP-1 drugs used for weight loss. FDA. 2026. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-alerts-and-statements/fdas-concerns-unapproved-glp-1-drugs-used-weight-loss
This article is for education only and isn’t a substitute for advice from your own clinician.