Pricing

What a GLP-1 Actually Costs Over a Year, and Over Five

Twelve months of treatment ranges from about $300 with commercial coverage to roughly $5,088 on brand pricing following the label's titration. The spread comes from cover

Why annual is the wrong horizon, and still better than monthly

SURMOUNT-4 randomised participants who had completed a 36-week lead-in to continue tirzepatide or switch to placebo. Those continuing lost a further 5.5% of body weight over 52 weeks. Those withdrawn regained 14.0%.

That is consistent with obesity understood as a chronic condition: the treatment manages it while present, and the effect does not persist after withdrawal. Which means the relevant figure is neither the monthly price nor the annual total, but the indefinite monthly cost at a maintenance dose.

We publish annual figures because they are comparable and because most people plan in years. The five-year column is there to make the actual commitment visible.

The full range

What drives the spread

Coverage status. The single largest variable, and the one most people never check. A covered brand can land near $25 a month; the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge is $50 for eligible Part D enrollees through 31 December 2027. Both are an order of magnitude below every cash route.

Dose structure. The second largest. Where a programme charges more as the dose rises, the advertised figure describes roughly four weeks — the label states 2.5 mg is treatment initiation and is not approved as a maintenance dosage. A flat-rate plan and a tiered one advertising a similar entry price can differ by thousands across a year.

Required fees. Memberships in our dataset run $19.99 to $149 a month, which is $240 to $1,788 a year on top of medication.

The three questions that produce your number

1. Do I have coverage for a brand GLP-1, for my indication? Ask about the indication specifically — many plans exclude weight management while covering the same molecule for diabetes.
2. What will I pay per month at 10 mg, including every required fee?
3. What is the plan if I stop — and what does the evidence say happens?

The third is not a financial question until you notice that it determines how many years the first two apply for.

Questions readers actually ask