So, for the first time we are getting a clue about how much GlaxoSmithKline will charge for the over-the-counter diet pill Alli, at least at drugstore.com.
According to the pricing on the site, where you can actually pre-order your Alli (it won't be available until next month), it'll cost about 83 cents per pill (60 capsules for $49.99). You're supposed to take about three a day, one at every mealtime. But if you buy in bulk (120 pills), the price goes down to about 62 cents apiece. Drugstore.com is also offering free shipping.
There is a full-court press ahead of the Alli launch. A colleague here at CNBC received a blitz email on her AOL account yesterday pushing the drug.
Some analysts think Alli could become a $100 million to $200 million annual seller for GSK. That's big for an over-the-counter drug, but very small by branded, prescription drug standards. And even if peak sales rise to that level, they'd hardly begin to fill the financial hole GSK may find itself in, if forecasts about the damage to the Avandia franchise are on target.
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