GuidesGuide
GLP-1 cost and pricing guide: list price vs what you may pay (2026)
Wegovy, Ozempic, Zepbound, Mounjaro, and Rybelsus list prices, manufacturer self-pay offers, and savings-card basics—sourced from Novo and Lilly pages, as of Oct 26, 2026.
Updated October 26, 2026 (America/Chicago). Figures below are from manufacturer pricing and savings pages checked on that date. Programs change often, exclude many government beneficiaries, and have dose and fill limits—confirm on the linked page before you rely on a number.
Medical disclaimer: This article is for general education and comparison only. It is not medical advice and does not create a doctor–patient relationship. Do not start, stop, or change any medication based on this page. Talk with a licensed clinician about whether a prescription medicine is appropriate for you.
List price (wholesale acquisition cost, or WAC) is what the manufacturer publishes to wholesalers before discounts and rebates. Most insured people never pay WAC at the pharmacy counter. Cash and “self-pay” offers from NovoCare and LillyDirect are different numbers again. This guide separates those layers for the main FDA-approved GLP-1 and dual GIP/GLP-1 brands.
We do not list gray-market or unapproved compounded products as a way to “save.” The FDA has warned that many unapproved GLP-1 drugs are not reviewed for safety, effectiveness, or quality the way approved drugs are (FDA).
Quick map: list price vs self-pay vs insured copay
| Path | What it is | Who it is for (typical) |
|---|---|---|
| List / WAC | Manufacturer price to wholesalers | Benchmark; rarely your final price |
| Commercial savings card | Lowers copay if commercial plan covers the drug | Non-government commercial insurance; rules apply |
| Manufacturer self-pay | Cash price via savings offer and/or manufacturer pharmacy | Uninsured, non-covered, or opting out of insurance |
| Telehealth “all-in” | Membership ± labs ± medication | Varies widely; confirm branded vs other products |
Manufacturer list prices (WAC), as checked Oct 26, 2026
| Medicine (examples) | Published list / WAC | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Wegovy (semaglutide) injection pens and tablets (doses listed on Novo page) | $1,349.02 per package | novopricing.com/wegovy; also NovoCare list-price explainer |
| Ozempic (semaglutide) pens and pills (doses listed on Novo pages) | $1,027.51 per package (Novo also shows alternate package figures such as $997.58 on the NovoCare explainer—use the page for the NDC you were prescribed) | novopricing.com/ozempic; NovoCare Ozempic list price |
| Rybelsus (oral semaglutide) 30-tablet packs | $1,027.51 per pack (3 mg / 7 mg / 14 mg packs listed) | novopricing.com/rybelsus |
| Saxenda (liraglutide) | $1,349.02 | novopricing.com/saxenda; NovoCare Saxenda list price |
| Mounjaro / Zepbound (tirzepatide) | Lilly publishes WAC on pricinginfo.lilly.com/mounjaro and pricinginfo.lilly.com/zepbound (value is page-rendered; re-read at publish). Patient-facing self-pay is separate (below). | Lilly Pricing Info |
Forward look (not current WAC): Novo Nordisk announced that effective January 1, 2027, it intends to lower U.S. list price to $675 per month across specified Wegovy, Ozempic, and Rybelsus presentations, and said the change does not alter direct-to-patient self-pay prices (Novo Nordisk U.S. press release).
Manufacturer self-pay and savings offers (branded product)
Eligibility, government exclusions, monthly caps, and “new patient” rules apply. These are not insurance.
Wegovy (NovoCare / Wegovy.com)
From Novo’s savings and “what to pay” pages (Wegovy cost page, NovoCare savings offer):
| Situation | Published patient price (program terms) |
|---|---|
| Commercial insurance + savings offer | As little as $25/month, subject to max savings $100/month; government beneficiaries excluded |
| Self-pay pill | $149/month (1.5 mg); $199/month (4 mg); $299/month (9 mg and 25 mg); 30 tablets = one month |
| Self-pay pen (new to offer / NovoCare delivery) | $199/month for 0.25 mg or 0.5 mg for first two 28-day fills through Dec 31, 2026, then $349/month for 0.25–2.4 mg; Wegovy HD 7.2 mg $399/month |
Ozempic (ozempic.com / NovoCare)
From Ozempic cost & coverage:
| Situation | Published patient price (program terms) |
|---|---|
| Commercial coverage + savings offer | As little as $25 (max savings $100/month; government excluded) |
| Self-pay pen — limited intro | New patients: $199/month for first two fills of 0.25/0.5 mg through Dec 31, 2026 |
| Self-pay pen — standard | $349/month for 0.25, 0.5, or 1 mg; $499/month for 2 mg |
| Self-pay pill | $149 (1.5 mg); $199 (4 mg); $299 (9 mg) per 30-tablet month |
Zepbound via LillyDirect (self-pay KwikPen / vial messaging)
LillyDirect consumer pages (checked via public Lilly materials Oct 26, 2026; confirm live terms at lilly.com/lillydirect/medicines/zepbound and zepbound.lilly.com/savings):
| Dose (KwikPen self-pay framing) | Published self-pay level |
|---|---|
| 2.5 mg | Starting at $299/month |
| 5 mg | Starting at $399/month |
| 7.5–15 mg with timely refill / Journey program | Starting at $449/month when refilled within 45 days; higher “regular” prices if not (Lilly cites examples such as $499 for 7.5 mg and $699 for some higher doses without timely refill) |
Commercial savings card language for covered single-dose pens commonly cites as little as $25 with monthly/annual caps and a 12/31/2026 card end date in Lilly terms pages—government programs excluded. Always open the current terms before counting on a copay.
Mounjaro savings (diabetes label)
Mounjaro savings & coverage describes commercial covered patients paying as little as $25 (with stated monthly/annual caps) and commercial non-covered patients as low as $499/month for a 1-month pen supply, with card end 12/31/2026 and government exclusions. Self-pay channels are also described via LillyDirect for Mounjaro—confirm on Lilly’s site for the presentation you were prescribed.
Insurance basics (not a coverage guarantee)
- Formulary + indication: Plans may cover a drug only for labeled uses (for example, type 2 diabetes vs chronic weight management). Off-label requests are plan-specific.
- Prior authorization / step therapy: Common for anti-obesity medicines. Your clinician’s office usually submits clinical criteria.
- Deductible vs copay vs coinsurance: High-deductible plans may track close to list price until the deductible is met.
- Government programs: Manufacturer commercial savings cards almost always exclude Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, and similar. Some self-pay paths may still be usable outside insurance (you typically cannot submit for reimbursement or count toward deductible)—read the offer terms.
- Accumulators / maximizers: Pharmacy benefit designs can change how coupon dollars apply. Novo’s Wegovy materials note monitoring for these programs.
Check coverage tools on manufacturer sites (for example NovoCare “check coverage” for Wegovy) and call the number on your insurance card for the claim that will actually adjudicate.
Telehealth pricing ranges (how to read them)
Telehealth GLP-1 offers usually bundle some mix of visit fees, membership, labs, and medication. Public cash prices for programs that ship FDA-approved pens or manufacturer vials often land in a broad band roughly from the low hundreds to several hundred dollars per month once medication is included—but the sticker is not standardized, and many ads omit labs, titration, or whether the product is FDA-approved.
How we will treat telehealth prices on this site
- Prefer providers that publish whether you receive brand-name FDA-approved product (and which pharmacy).
- Separate membership from medication in every table.
- Label evidence: provider-reported vs independently verified.
- Skip ranking sellers that push illegal or unreviewed compounded products as a default “GLP-1.”
FDA has also warned telehealth companies about false or misleading marketing of compounded drugs (FDA press announcement).
A full provider ranking is planned separately; until then, use manufacturer self-pay channels above as the clearest published cash benchmarks.
What “cheap GLP-1” should make you pause
- No prescription or “research use only” vials
- Prices far below manufacturer self-pay with no clear FDA-approved product path
- Pharmacy name that does not check out under state licensing / BeSafeRx resources
- Warm packages for products that require refrigeration (FDA has flagged shipping/storage complaints for some compounded products on its unapproved-GLP-1 page)
Labels (safety context, not a price)
Boxed warnings and indications live on the FDA labels—for example Wegovy 2026 label PDF, Ozempic 2026 label PDF, Zepbound 2026 label PDF, Mounjaro 2026 label PDF. Read them with your clinician.
Cross-links
- Living-with guides and side-effect education → glp1userguide.com
- Best FDA-approved GLP-1 drugs ranked
- Wegovy vs Zepbound
- Best GLP-1 telehealth providers
- How to fill a GLP-1 prescription safely
Source list (checked Oct 26, 2026)
- https://www.novopricing.com/wegovy.html
- https://www.novopricing.com/ozempic.html
- https://www.novopricing.com/rybelsus.html
- https://www.novopricing.com/saxenda.html
- https://www.novocare.com/mash/resources/explaining-list-price.html
- https://www.novocare.com/diabetes/products/ozempic/explaining-list-price.html
- https://www.novocare.com/patient/medicines/wegovy/savings-offer.html
- https://www.wegovy.com/obesity/what-to-pay-for-wegovy.html
- https://www.ozempic.com/savings-and-resources/save-on-ozempic.html
- https://www.novonordisk-us.com/media/press-releases/novo-nordisk-lowers-wegovy-ozempic-list-price.html
- https://www.lilly.com/lillydirect/medicines/zepbound
- https://zepbound.lilly.com/savings
- https://mounjaro.lilly.com/savings-coverage
- https://pricinginfo.lilly.com/mounjaro
- https://pricinginfo.lilly.com/zepbound
- https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/fdas-concerns-unapproved-glp-1-drugs-used-weight-loss
- https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-warns-30-telehealth-companies-against-illegal-marketing-compounded-glp-1s
For day-to-day living with these medicines (appetite, protein, side effects), see sister site glp1userguide.com.