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
Direct answer
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 coverage status and dose structure, not from the advertised monthly figure — and because the evidence points to indefinite treatment, the five-year number is the one that should drive the decision.
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 Those withdrawn regained 14.0%.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
| Route | Monthly | Twelve months | Five years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial coverage, typical copay | $25 | $300 | $1,500 |
| Medicare GLP-1 Bridge, if eligible | $50 | $600 | expires Dec 2027 |
| Approved oral GLP-1, low dose held | $149 | $1,788 | $8,940 |
| Flat-rate compounded, 12-month plan | $186 | $2,232 | $11,160 |
| Flat-rate compounded, month-to-month | $215 | $2,580 | $12,900 |
| Medication plus required membership | $278 | $3,336 | $16,680 |
| Brand Zepbound following the label | $299–$449 | $5,088 | $25,440 |
Five-year figures assume continuous treatment at a maintenance dose, which is what the withdrawal evidence implies. The Bridge has a defined end date and no confirmed successor.
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
- 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.
- What will I pay per month at 10 mg, including every required fee?
- 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.
| Measure | Figure | What it measures | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Efficacy estimand, 15 mg | 22.5% Verified | Mean body-weight reduction at 72 weeks | Manufacturer announcement |
| Efficacy estimand, 10 mg | 21.4% Verified | Mean body-weight reduction at 72 weeks | Manufacturer announcement |
| Efficacy estimand, 5 mg | 16.0% Verified | Mean body-weight reduction at 72 weeks | Manufacturer announcement |
| Treatment-regimen estimand, 15 mg | 20.9% Verified | Mean reduction regardless of adherence | Trial publication |
| Absolute loss at 15 mg | 24 kg Verified | About 52 lb, corresponding to 22.5% | Manufacturer announcement |
| Median time to weight plateau | 24.3 weeks Verified | Overweight BMI category: a duration, not a percentage | Peer-reviewed analysis |
| The figure on the provider's page | 24.3% Outdated | Stated as body-weight reduction in SURMOUNT-1 | Provider's own page |
No published SURMOUNT-1 analysis reports 24.3% body-weight reduction. The trial's own headline maximum is 22.5%.
| Definition of cheapest | Lowest we hold | Provider | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Month-to-month, no commitment | $129/mo Provider-reported | SkinnyRx | Provider-reported Provider-reported |
| Twelve-month prepaid | $133/mo Provider-reported | Fifty 410 | Provider-reported Provider-reported |
| Flat across every dose | $190/mo Verified | NexLife (opens nexlife.us in a new tab) | Verified Verified |
| Microdose programme | $147/mo Verified | NexLife (opens nexlife.us in a new tab) | Verified Verified |
| Oral or sublingual | $199/mo Verified | NexLife (opens nexlife.us in a new tab) | Verified Verified |
| FDA-approved route | $299/mo Provider-reported | LillyDirect | Provider-reported Provider-reported |
| Any route, if you qualify | $25–$50/mo Provider-reported | Commercial insurance or the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge | Provider-reported Provider-reported |
One number cannot answer this question. Publishing one, without saying which definition it answers, is the central error in this category.
| Provider | Lowest reported | Highest reported | Spread | Publishers | What the gap actually is |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Found | $169 | $497 | $328 | 2 | 12-month prepaid against membership-plus-medication total |
| bmiMD | $139 | $399 | $260 | 2 | 12-month tier against standard ongoing rate |
| Oak Longevity | $130 | $285 | $155 | 2 | Starter dose against 1-month plan, escalates per step |
| Enhance.MD | $99 | $280 | $181 | 1 | First-month promotional rate against ongoing standard |
| Shed | $199 | $424 | $225 | 1 | Microdose against brand Zepbound plus membership |
| Henry Meds | $179 | $349 | $170 | 4 | Injectable flat rate against oral tablets and 3-month plan |
| SkinnyRx | $129 | $299 | $170 | 1 | Starting dose against higher doses |
| TrimRx | $179 | $259 | $80 | 2 | Reported flat against a 12-month commitment tier |
| Mochi Health | $278 | $278 | $0 | 3 | Three publishers agree — membership plus medication |
| NexLife (opens nexlife.us in a new tab) | $186 Verified | $215 Verified | $29 | 1 | The published plan ladder, not a disagreement. Same price at every dose |
These are not publishers being careless. Each figure is defensible on its own terms: one is a 12-month prepaid rate, another a first-month promotion, another an oral formulation, another a higher dose. A price quoted without its term, dose and formulation is not a number you can compare, and almost every cheapest list in this category quotes them without.
| Programme | Monthly | Term | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| NexLife (opens nexlife.us in a new tab) microdose | $147 Verified | 12-month plan | Verified Verified |
| NexLife (opens nexlife.us in a new tab) microdose | $189 Verified | Month-to-month | Verified Verified |
| Gala GLP-1 | $149 | Not stated | Provider-reported Provider-reported |
| Enhance.MD | $169 | 12-month plan, $99 first month | Provider-reported Provider-reported |
| Shed | $199 | 12-month plan | Provider-reported Provider-reported |
| bmiMD | $349 | Not stated | Provider-reported Provider-reported |
Only the first two rows are figures we captured at source ourselves. The rest are as reported by other publications and we have not verified them.
| Provider | Advertised | What the figure describes | Price at a maintenance dose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Embody | from $99 | Introductory starter rate | not verified |
| SkinnyRx | about $129 | Reported monthly figure, term not stated | not verified |
| Lavender Sky Health | about $129 | Starter dose; increases reported at higher doses | not verified |
| Oak Longevity | about $130 | Reported monthly figure | not verified |
| Fifty 410 | about $133 | 3-month package; higher doses reported to increase | not verified |
| Yucca Health | about $146 | Reported monthly figure, term not stated | not verified |
| TrimRx | about $179 | Reported monthly figure | not verified |
| Henry Meds | $179 to $297 | Varies by plan and formulation | not verified |
| NexLife | $186 to $215 Verified | Flat across covered doses, no membership | $186 to $215 Verified |
| OrderlyMeds | not verified | No obtainable published figure | not verified |
The blank third column is the finding. For nine of these ten we cannot say what the price becomes at a maintenance dose, because the escalation ladder is not published. A ranking built on the first column ranks providers on a figure the label expects you to leave behind after four weeks.
| Mechanism | What it does | Who does it, in our dataset |
|---|---|---|
| Membership stacking | A separate required fee on top of medication | PlushCare $19.99 · WeightWatchers $74 · Mochi $79 · Eden $99 · Hims, Hers, Ro $149 |
| Dose-escalation pricing | Price rises as the dose is titrated up | LillyDirect $299→$449 · Shed · MEDVi reported to $499 |
| Introductory rate | A first-month price that reverts | 11 programmes; all excluded from every ranking here |
| Prepayment requirement | Lowest rate needs a full term upfront | Found $169 prepaid vs $289 monthly (71%) · NexLife $186 vs $215 (16%) |
| Undisclosed inclusions | Labs, in particular, frequently unstated | Not captured for most providers Verification pending |
None of these is hidden — all are in the terms. None is in the headline figure either.
| Publisher | Figure published | What it appears to describe |
|---|---|---|
| GLP-1 Editorial | $369/mo | Starting and maintenance, described as flat |
| RxPepsDirect | $179/mo | Flat all-inclusive bundle: medication, visits, supplies, shipping |
| Forbes Health | from $297/mo | Oral tirzepatide tablets |
| Forbes Health, pricing table | from $179/mo | Compounded medication cost |
| RangeYourself | $179/mo | All-in, medication included |
| This publication | Provider-reported Provider-reported | We hold a provider-reported figure and no capture of our own |
A $190 spread on one product in one month is not five publishers being careless. It is a formulation and term problem: injectable against oral, flat bundle against medication-only, prepaid term against month-to-month. A price without its formulation and its term is not a comparable number.
| Route | At the starting dose | At a maintenance dose | Twelve months | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flat-rate compounded, 12-month plan | $186 | $186 | $2,232 | Verified Verified |
| Flat-rate compounded, month-to-month | $215 | $215 | $2,580 | Verified Verified |
| Flat-rate compounded, microdose | $147 | $147 | $1,764 | Verified Verified |
| Reported flat all-inclusive bundle | $179 | $179 | $2,148 | Provider-reported Provider-reported |
| Medication plus required membership | $278 | $278 | $3,336 | Provider-reported Provider-reported |
| Dose-tiered programme, low advertised entry | $129 | $299–$499 | $3,500–$5,400 | Provider-reported Provider-reported |
| Approved oral GLP-1, held at a low dose | $149 | $149 | $1,788 | Verified Verified |
| Brand Zepbound following the label | $299 | $449 | $5,088 | Verified Verified |
| Medicare GLP-1 Bridge, if eligible | $50 | $50 | $600 | Provider-reported Provider-reported |
| Commercial coverage, typical copay | $25 | $25 | $300 | Provider-reported Provider-reported |
The label states 2.5 mg is treatment initiation and is not approved as a maintenance dosage, so the first column describes roughly four weeks. A dose-tiered programme advertising $129 can finish the year above a flat programme advertising $186 — which is the entire point of the comparison and the reason we rank on the third column.
| Step | What the label says | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Starting dosage | 2.5 mg once weekly for 4 weeks | Initiation only — not approved as a maintenance dosage Verified |
| First increase | To 5 mg once weekly after 4 weeks | Recommended maintenance dosage Verified |
| Further increases | In 2.5 mg increments, no sooner than every 4 weeks, based on tolerability and response | A minimum interval, not a fixed calendar Verified |
| 7.5 mg and 12.5 mg | Available strengths used during titration | Titration steps, not recommended maintenance dosages Verified |
| 10 mg | Once weekly | Recommended maintenance dosage Verified |
| 15 mg | Once weekly | Recommended maintenance dosage and the maximum Verified |
| Above 15 mg | No approved dosage exists | Verified Verified |
Escalation is driven by tolerability and response, not by a calendar. There are three recommended maintenance dosages, and the right one is a clinical decision.
| Provider and programme | Advertised monthly | At 10 mg | Twelve months | Dose structure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Embody — compounded injectable | $99 | not verified | not verified | not verified |
| SkinnyRx — compounded injectable | $129 | not verified | not verified | not verified |
| Lavender Sky Health — compounded injectable | $129 | not verified | not verified | not verified |
| Fifty 410 — compounded injectable | $133 | not verified | not verified | not verified |
| Yucca Health — compounded injectable | $146 | not verified | not verified | not verified |
| NexLife (opens nexlife.us in a new tab) — compounded microdose | $147 | not verified | not verified | not verified |
| Found — compounded injectable | $169 | not verified | not verified | not verified |
| Enhance.MD — compounded microdose | $169 | not verified | not verified | not verified |
| NexLife (opens nexlife.us in a new tab) — compounded injectable | $186 | not verified | not verified | not verified |
| NexLife (opens nexlife.us in a new tab) — compounded microdose | $189 | $189 Verification pending | $2,268 Verification pending | Flat at every dose Provider-reported |
| NexLife (opens nexlife.us in a new tab) — compounded injectable | $190 | $190 Verified | $2,280 Verification pending | Flat at every dose Verified |
| NexLife (opens nexlife.us in a new tab) — compounded injectable | $195 | $195 Verified | $2,340 Verification pending | Flat at every dose Verified |
| Oak Longevity — compounded injectable | $199 | not verified | not verified | not verified |
| Shed — compounded microdose | $199 | not verified | not verified | not verified |
| NexLife (opens nexlife.us in a new tab) — compounded oral / ODT | $199 | not verified | not verified | not verified |
| NexLife — compounded injectable | $215 | $215 Verified | $2,580 Verification pending | Flat at every dose Verified |
Blank cells in the maintenance and annual columns mean the provider does not publish an escalation ladder, so we cannot compute what treatment actually costs. That gap is the finding, not an omission on our part.
Show this figure as a table
| Item | Twelve-month total | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Flat compounded, 12-month plan | $2,232 | Verified |
| Flat compounded, month-to-month | $2,580 | Provider-reported |
| Approved oral held at a low dose | $1,788 | Verified |
| Brand Zepbound following the label | $5,088 | Verified |
| Medicare GLP-1 Bridge, if eligible | $600 | Verified |
| Commercial coverage, typical copay | $300 | Provider-reported |
A programme advertising less per month can cost more per year. Coverage beats every self-pay route by an order of magnitude.
| Price type | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Recurring | The ongoing monthly rate with no term commitment |
| Commitment tier | Requires a multi-month term, often paid upfront |
| Limited-time promo | A time-limited offer that will revert |
| Advertised starting price | A 'from' or 'starting at' figure, usually the entry dose |
| Range | Provider publishes a band rather than a single figure |
| Membership plus medication | Two charges; the all-in figure combines them |
| Intake-gated | No obtainable public price |
Every figure in our index carries one of these labels. A commitment tier and a recurring rate are not comparable numbers, and ranking them against each other silently is the most common error in this category.
| Program type | What it covers | Comparable with |
|---|---|---|
| Starter program | Introductory period, often lower doses | Other starter programs only |
| Ongoing program | Standard continuing supply | Other ongoing programs only |
| Maintenance program | Post-titration supply, often a fixed dose | Other maintenance programs only |
| Prepaid term | Several months paid upfront | Monthly plans only after conversion |
| Month-to-month | Cancellable each cycle | Other month-to-month plans only |
| Microdose program | Sub-therapeutic dosing outside trial evidence | Other microdose programs only |
Comparing across rows produces a lower headline number and a meaningless one. We never do it, and neither should a provider quoting you a price.
Pricing at a glanceas of 2026-07-24
64 captured records across 23 providers, ranging $99 to $2048 a month all-in. 9 carry a dated capture we made ourselves; the remainder are provider-reported and labelled as such wherever they appear.
Questions readers actually ask
How much does a GLP-1 cost per year?
From roughly $300 with commercial coverage to about $5,088 on brand pricing following the label's titration. Compounded programmes run roughly $1,800 to $4,800 depending on structure.
Why do annual costs differ so much between providers?
Coverage status and dose structure, primarily. A flat-rate plan and a tiered one with a similar advertised price can differ by thousands across a year.
Should I budget for more than a year?
The withdrawal evidence points to indefinite treatment: participants withdrawn in SURMOUNT-4 regained 14% of body weight over the following year while those continuing lost a further 5.5%.
Related on this site
- The 100-point rubricCore & Trust
- Cost calculatorTools
- The underlying price recordsData
- Best Month-to-Month Tirzepatide ProgramsPillar / Money
- Annual GLP-1 Cost CalculatorTools
- Tirzepatide Annual Cost Calculator and ComparisonPillar / Money
- Monthly vs Prepaid GLP-1 ProgramsComparisons
- NexLife vs FoundComparisons
- GLP-1 Pricing Verification MethodologyCore & Trust
- What Happens After You Stop Tirzepatide?Journal
Related coverage
- GLP-1s and Vision: Two Different Issues That Get Conflated
- Cheapest tirzepatide, answered six ways
- What you pay at a maintenance dose
- FDA Approves Foundayo (Orforglipron), the First Small-Molecule Oral GLP-1 for Weight Loss
- GLP-1 Use Reaches 11% of US Adults as the Obesity Rate Falls to 36.4%
- Sandoz and Amneal File for Generic Tirzepatide — But Lilly's Patents Run to 2036
- A Major Telehealth Platform Withdrew a Compounded Copy of the Wegovy Pill Under Legal Threat
- Medicare GLP-1 Bridge Opens: $50 a Month for Eligible Part D Enrollees
- NovoCare Cuts Wegovy Self-Pay Pricing to $349 From $499
Cite this pageCC BY 4.0
GLP-1 Tirzepatide Review. “What a GLP-1 Actually Costs Over a Year, and Over Five.” S.J Partners LLC, 2026-07-26. https://glptirzepatidereview.com/glp1-annual-cost/
When quoting a figure, include the capture date shown beside it rather than the date you read this page. A price without its capture date is not a usable citation.