Why Per-Milligram Pricing Matters
Monthly pricing tells you what leaves your bank account. Per-milligram pricing tells you what you actually get for that money. Two providers charging $179/month can deliver wildly different amounts of medication per dollar depending on their dosing protocol, format (oral vs. injectable), and what dose the price covers.
This table normalizes every major provider to cost per milligram of active ingredient at maintenance dose — the only metric that allows true apples-to-apples comparison.
Semaglutide: Cost Per Milligram at Maintenance (1.7mg/week)
At 1.7mg/week, a patient uses approximately 7.3mg of semaglutide per month. Here is what each provider charges per milligram at that dose level:
| Provider | Monthly Cost | Monthly mg Delivered | Cost/mg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telos Rx (12-mo plan) | $49 | ~7.3mg | $6.71 |
| GobyMeds | $99 | ~7.3mg | $13.56 |
| Trimi | $99 | ~7.3mg | $13.56 |
| Get Thin MD | $119 | ~7.3mg | $16.30 |
| Oak Longevity | $130 | ~7.3mg | $17.81 |
| NewSelf | $135 | ~7.3mg | $18.49 |
| Embody | $299 (maint.) | ~7.3mg | $40.96 |
| Gala | $179 | ~7.3mg | $24.52 |
| Yucca Health | ~$289 (maint.) | ~7.3mg | ~$39.59 |
| NovoCare Wegovy | $349 | ~7.3mg | $47.81 |
| Wegovy (retail) | $1,349 | ~7.3mg | $184.79 |
The range is staggering: from $6.71/mg at Telos Rx (12-month commitment) to $184.79/mg at Wegovy retail. Same molecule, same dose, 27x price difference.
Tirzepatide: Cost Per Milligram at Maintenance (10mg/week)
At 10mg/week, a patient uses approximately 43mg of tirzepatide per month:
| Provider | Monthly Cost | Monthly mg Delivered | Cost/mg |
|---|---|---|---|
| GobyMeds (tirz) | $133 | ~43mg | $3.09 |
| Gala (tirz) | $179 | ~43mg | $4.16 |
| LillyDirect Zepbound vials | $449 (7.5mg+) | ~43mg | $10.44 |
| Zepbound (retail) | $1,086 | ~43mg | $25.26 |
Tirzepatide is dosed at higher milligram amounts than semaglutide, which makes its per-milligram cost appear lower — but the total monthly cost is generally higher because more milligrams are required.
💡 Per-milligram pricing is an analytical tool, not a shopping metric. A lower cost/mg does not mean better value if the provider's clinical support, pharmacy quality, or patient experience is inferior. Use $/mg to identify outliers and understand the cost structure — then evaluate the full package.
Oral Formats: The Bioavailability Adjustment
Per-milligram pricing for oral GLP-1 formats requires a caveat: because oral bioavailability is lower than injectable (roughly 10–40% absorption vs. ~95% for injection), oral formats require higher absolute doses to achieve equivalent blood levels. This inflates the milligrams delivered while potentially not increasing the effective dose proportionally.
A fair comparison adjusts for bioavailability:
| Format | Dose | Est. Bioavailability | Effective mg | Monthly Cost | Cost/Effective mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Injectable sema (1.7mg/wk) | 7.3mg/mo | ~95% | ~6.9mg | $99–$179 | $14–$26 |
| Sublingual sema (daily) | ~30mg/mo | ~25% | ~7.5mg | $169–$199 | $23–$27 |
| Oral tablet sema (daily) | ~90mg/mo | ~10% | ~9mg | $199–$249 | $22–$28 |
When adjusted for bioavailability, the cost per effective milligram is broadly similar across formats. The format choice is about convenience and needle preference, not cost efficiency per unit of absorbed drug.
What the Per-Milligram Table Reveals
- Flat-rate budget providers deliver the most medication per dollar. GobyMeds at $13.56/mg and Telos at $6.71/mg represent extraordinary value relative to brand-name alternatives.
- Tiered providers are expensive per milligram at maintenance. Embody at $40.96/mg and Yucca at ~$39.59/mg cost nearly 3x what flat-rate providers charge per milligram — the price of the clinical support services they bundle.
- Brand-name pricing is disconnected from ingredient cost. At $184.79/mg (Wegovy retail), the markup over estimated manufacturing cost ($0.12–$0.65/mg) exceeds 28,000%.
- Oral format $/mg is misleading without bioavailability adjustment. Raw per-milligram cost for oral formats appears cheap, but adjusting for absorption brings it in line with injectables.
The Bottom Line
Per-milligram pricing strips away marketing and reveals the true cost of the molecule you are buying. At $6.71–$13.56/mg, flat-rate budget providers deliver semaglutide at 3–27x less per milligram than brand alternatives. Use this data to benchmark any provider you are considering — and remember that the cost per milligram at maintenance dose (not the introductory dose) is the number that matters for your annual budget.
⚠️ Compounded GLP-1 medications are not FDA-approved. Dosing, bioavailability, and milligram amounts in this article are estimates based on standard protocols and may vary by provider and individual patient. Always follow your prescriber's dosing guidance.