GLP-1 cash price index: $307 a month in August 2026
The median US GLP-1 telehealth program charged $307 a month in August 2026, up $4 from July 2026, according to GLP Chart's GLP-1 Cash Price Index, published September 4, 2026. The median runs over a fixed panel of 12 programs that have carried a valid monthly price in every weekly check. The cheapest verified compounded semaglutide route was $178 and the cheapest verified branded route $299.
The three numbers
| Measure | August 2026 | Month on month | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median all-in cash price 12 programs priced in every weekly check | $307/mo | up $4 (1.32%) | Median of the weekly medians over a fixed panel: the programs carrying a valid non-prepaid price in every weekly check since the record opened. A fixed panel is what stops a change in which programs are tracked reading as a change in price. |
| Cheapest compounded semaglutide Mochi Health | $178/mo | unchanged (0%) | Median of the weekly floors across programs publishing one flat all-in monthly price for compounded semaglutide at every dose. |
| Cheapest branded route Knownwell | $299/mo | unchanged (0%) | Median of the weekly floors across branded-supply programs with verified maintenance pricing. |
The gap between the two routes was $121 a month in August 2026. Branded cost 1.68x the compounded route. Compounded medications are not FDA-approved products, and they are not the same product as the branded drug.
The panel median held at $307 in every August 2026 check. It reads up $4 on July 2026 because July 2026's own figure straddles a mid-month move: Hone Health went from $185 to $315 and Sesame Care went from $358 to $398 on July 20, 2026.
What moved in August 2026
4 tracked pricesmoved. Each was read off the program's own published page on the date shown.
| Program | Was | Now | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ivim Health | $200/mo | $175/mo | August 10, 2026 |
| Costco / Success by Sesame | $408/mo | $358/mo | August 31, 2026 |
| GoodRx for Weight Loss | $388/mo | $338/mo | August 31, 2026 |
| Sesame Care | $398/mo | $358/mo | August 31, 2026 |
What a pharmacy pays for the same month
The CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost survey records what US retail pharmacies pay their wholesaler. It is an acquisition-cost benchmark. It is not pharmacy margin: the distance to a cash price also covers dispensing, the clinician visit, shipping and the seller's own costs, and a manufacturer selling direct does not buy through a wholesaler at all. NADAC dashboards have been published free by 46brooklyn Research since 2019. What is added here is the join to verified consumer cash prices.
| Drug | Pharmacy acquisition, a month | Cheapest verified cash |
|---|---|---|
| Wegovy NADAC effective August 19, 2026 | $1,302 to $1,307 | $299/mo Sam's Club Member Health |
| Zepbound NADAC effective August 19, 2026 | $482 to $1,052 | $449/mo Ro Body |
A month of branded Wegovy cost a US pharmacy $1,302 to acquire in August 2026, against $299 for the cheapest verified cash route in this index, according to GLP Chart's reading of the CMS NADAC file effective August 19, 2026.
Packaging, same drug, same dose
Lilly sells Zepbound as single-dose pens and as a multi-dose KwikPen. At the same dose a pharmacy pays different money for each.
| Dose | Multi-dose KwikPen | Single-dose pens | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zepbound 2.5 mg | $482/mo | $1,052/mo | 2.18x |
| Zepbound 5 mg | $482/mo | $1,052/mo | 2.18x |
| Zepbound 7.5 mg | $482/mo | $1,052/mo | 2.18x |
| Zepbound 10 mg | $675/mo | $1,052/mo | 1.56x |
| Zepbound 12.5 mg | $678/mo | $1,052/mo | 1.55x |
| Zepbound 15 mg | $672/mo | $1,051/mo | 1.56x |
The series
One row per month since the weekly record opened. The monthly value is the median of that month's weekly checks.
| Month | Median all-in | Compounded floor | Branded floor | Checks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | $299/mo | $178/mo | $299/mo | 1 |
| June 2026 | $299/mo | $178/mo | $299/mo | 5 |
| July 2026 | $303/mo | $178/mo | $299/mo | 4 |
| August 2026 | $307/mo | $178/mo | $299/mo | 5 |
Method, version 1.0
- Universe. Every program in the GLP Chart index that is active, prices in cash rather than an insurance copay, and publishes an all-in monthly price.
- Compounded semaglutide route. Programs publishing one flat all-in monthly price covering compounded semaglutide at every dose. Entry and starting-dose prices are excluded.
- Branded route. Programs whose primary supply is branded medication and whose maintenance pricing is verified rather than estimated.
- The monthly value. The median of the weekly floors inside the data month.
- Prepaid rates. An observation equal to a program's published 12-month prepaid monthly rate is dropped. A prepaid plan is a year of money charged today.
- Excluded. Insurance copays, introductory and starter-dose rates, prepaid plan rates, and programs that publish no ongoing price.
- Classification. Programs are classified by the pricing model they publish today; the weekly prices are the historical record.
Prices come from each program's own published pricing page, checked every Monday. Full method on the methodology page.
Revisions
None. This release is at revision 1, published September 4, 2026. A published number on this page is never edited in place. A correction becomes a new revision, listed here, with the old value kept.
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GLP-1 Cash Price Index, September 2026 release (August 2026 data), GLP Chart, method version 1.0. glpchart.com/price-index/2026-09/
Any cut of this data by state, drug or program, within 24 hours: press@glpchart.com.
Every release
- September 2026 (this page), August 2026 data
- The live price index, checked every Monday
- Every price change, week by week