TrumpRx, LillyDirect, NovoCare: What Brand GLP-1s Cost Without Insurance in 2026

What do brand GLP-1s cost without insurance in 2026?

In October 2026, brand GLP-1s cost $149 to $499 a month without insurance. The Wegovy pill and Foundayo start at $149, Zepbound at $299, and the Wegovy and Ozempic pens at $199 for two starter fills. Prices rise with the dose. Eligible Medicare patients pay a $50 copay through the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge.

You can buy these medicines at the self-pay price through three doors: the federal TrumpRx site, Eli Lilly's own pharmacy service, LillyDirect, and Novo Nordisk's, NovoCare Pharmacy. They are not three different prices for the same thing. TrumpRx lists the manufacturers' self-pay offers in one place and hands you to the maker to finish the order, so the price is the same whichever door you use. You still need a prescription from a licensed clinician.

We read every price below on the official pages in October 2026²³⁴⁶. Several are promotional rates that end on December 31, 2026, so check the page on the day you order.

How much is each brand GLP-1 by dose?

A few conditions sit behind those numbers.

Zepbound's higher doses depend on refilling on time. The $449 price for 7.5 mg and above applies when you refill within 45 days. If you miss that window, LillyDirect's regular prices apply: $499 for 7.5 mg and $699 for 10, 12.5 and 15 mg³⁵. A Lilly "month" is 28 days: four vials or one four-dose KwikPen.

Foundayo's two middle doses are on sale. The 2.5 mg and 5.5 mg prices are temporarily reduced through December 31, 2026. The regular prices are $199 and $299. The $299 price for the two highest doses also depends on refilling within 45 days.

The Wegovy and Ozempic pen starter price is for new patients only. New self-pay patients pay $199 for their first two monthly fills of the 0.25 mg or 0.5 mg dose, an offer that runs through December 31, 2026. After that, the pen is $349 a month.

Ozempic and Mounjaro are approved for type 2 diabetes, not weight loss. Wegovy, Zepbound and Foundayo carry the weight-management approval. A clinician may still prescribe Ozempic or Mounjaro off label, but for weight loss the approved products cost the same or less.

What is TrumpRx, and how does buying through it work?

TrumpRx is a federal website that lists discounted self-pay prices that drug makers have agreed to offer. For GLP-1s it shows the Wegovy pill, the Wegovy pen, Ozempic, Zepbound and Foundayo, each with the "original" list price beside the discounted one. Zepbound's list price there is $1,087 a month; the Wegovy pen's is about $1,349.

How you complete the purchase depends on the maker. For Lilly's medicines, TrumpRx sends you to LillyDirect, which confirms your eligibility and ships the medicine or sends it to a retail pharmacy. For Novo Nordisk's medicines, TrumpRx gives you a coupon to present at your pharmacy.

Two rules apply to every TrumpRx offer. You must be paying out of pocket, and if you have any government coverage such as Medicare, Medicaid or TRICARE, you agree not to submit the purchase to that plan or count it toward your deductible. The Wegovy pill offer excludes government beneficiaries outright. If you have insurance, the pages suggest checking your copay first, because it may be lower.

How do LillyDirect and NovoCare Pharmacy work?

LillyDirect is Lilly's direct-to-patient pharmacy service for Zepbound, Foundayo and Mounjaro. Your clinician sends the prescription there, or to a telehealth program that routes it there. The Zepbound vial is sold only through LillyDirect self-pay. The KwikPen can be delivered or picked up at a Walmart pharmacy. Needles and syringes are bought separately for the vial and KwikPen.

If you have commercial insurance that covers the medicine, Lilly's savings cards can bring the single-dose Zepbound pen or Foundayo down to as little as $25 a month. Those cards exclude government beneficiaries.

NovoCare Pharmacy is Novo Nordisk's equivalent for Wegovy and Ozempic, pens and pills. Its self-pay prices match the TrumpRx list. A month of the pill is one bottle of 30 tablets; a month of the Wegovy pen is one box of four pens.

Vials, pens or pills: which costs least?

At the starting dose, the pills are the lowest-cost way into brand treatment. The Wegovy pill and Foundayo both start at $149. At the dose most people stay on, the gap narrows:

The pills are not identical in how you take them. The Wegovy pill must be taken on an empty stomach with up to 4 ounces of water and a 30-minute wait before food, drink or other medicines, while Foundayo can be taken at any time, with or without food. For women those differences have real consequences, from birth control to thyroid medicine, covered in our Foundayo vs Wegovy pill guide.

What is the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge?

The Medicare GLP-1 Bridge is a temporary federal program that, from July 1, 2026 through December 31, 2027, gives eligible people with Medicare drug coverage access to certain weight-loss GLP-1s for a $50 copayment per month's supply¹.

What it covers. Foundayo tablets, Wegovy (injection or tablet) and the Zepbound KwikPen. It does not cover Zepbound single-dose vials or pens.

Who qualifies. You need Medicare drug coverage (a standalone Part D plan, a Medicare Advantage plan with drug coverage and some other plan types), you must be 18 or older, and when you start the medicine you must meet one of these¹:

Who does not qualify. People who already get a GLP-1 covered by their Part D plan, and people with type 2 diabetes, moderate-to-severe sleep apnea or fatty liver disease, whose own Part D plan may cover a GLP-1 instead.

How it works. Your clinician sends the prescription and, when asked, completes a prior authorization and certifies that you are using the medicine alongside a diet and exercise program. Once approved, the authorization covers refills and dose changes through December 31, 2027 unless you switch GLP-1s. The $50 does not count toward your Part D deductible or out-of-pocket limit, and Extra Help cannot lower it¹.

For many women this is the most important line in the article. Most women on Medicare are well past menopause, and if you qualify, $50 a month for Wegovy or Zepbound is far below any self-pay price.

Is brand self-pay now cheaper than compounded?

Sometimes. Across the telehealth programs we price, compounded semaglutide has a median standing price of $199 a month and compounded tirzepatide $279. Those programs usually include the clinician visit in that figure, while the brand prices above are for the medicine alone.

So compounded is still lower at maintenance doses for most women. But brand medicine at the starting doses, at $149 to $199, now overlaps the compounded range, and brand medicine is FDA-approved, made by the manufacturer and reviewed for safety, effectiveness and quality. Compounded medicine is not. Our compounded semaglutide price index has the full distribution, and our compounded vs brand-name guide explains the trade-off.

Do you still need a telehealth program?

You need a prescriber. If your own doctor or gynecologist will prescribe a GLP-1, you can send the prescription straight to LillyDirect or NovoCare Pharmacy. If not, a telehealth program can evaluate you and send it for you, for a visit or membership fee on top of the medicine.

Some programs we review list brand options. Found offers brand Wegovy, Zepbound, Foundayo and the Wegovy pill alongside compounded medicine, and says it can help eligible Medicare members use the GLP-1 Bridge. Sesame Care publishes brand Zepbound vial and Wegovy pill prices plus its own care fee. Alloy prescribes brand Wegovy, Zepbound and the Wegovy and Foundayo pills, and treats menopause in the same practice, which matters if you are also considering hormone therapy. Check each program's current fee on top of the medicine price, and compare programs on our GLP-1 board for women or the menopause board.

What should women check before buying brand self-pay?

Birth control. Zepbound and Mounjaro can make the pill less reliable for 4 weeks after starting and after each dose increase, and Foundayo's label gives a 30-day window. Our guide to GLP-1 medication and birth control explains what to use instead.

Pregnancy plans. These medicines are not used in pregnancy. The Wegovy label advises stopping at least 2 months before a planned pregnancy because semaglutide stays in the body for weeks.

Breastfeeding. The Wegovy pill is not recommended while breastfeeding because of an absorption enhancer in the tablet, and Foundayo is not recommended for nursing women. Our guide to GLP-1 medication and breastfeeding covers the options.

Refill timing. The lower prices at Zepbound's and Foundayo's higher doses depend on refilling within 45 days. Plan around travel and surgery.

How we read these prices

Every figure in this guide comes from the official TrumpRx, LillyDirect, Lilly pricing and NovoCare Pharmacy pages and Medicare's own Bridge page, read in October 2026¹²³⁴⁵⁶. Manufacturers can change or end these offers at any time.

Educational content, not medical advice. Talk to a licensed clinician before starting any treatment. We earn a commission when you start treatment through some links on this site, at no extra cost to you. CoreAge Rx is a featured partner, and providers we work with may appear first.