Head-to-head · Cost-Efficiency Index
Apex MD vs altRX
Two GLP-1 programs on the bench, scored on the same six factors. Here's how their real cost of ownership compares — and which one we'd start with.
Apex MD
Patients who want unlimited visits and labs bundled into a flat month-to-month price and don't mind the medication being combined with NAD/B-12/L-carnitine.
Visit Apex MDaltRX
Cost-first shoppers who want locking in a flat, same-at-every-dose promotional rate before it expires.
Visit altRXThe verdict
Apex MD takes it, leading the Cost-Efficiency Index 71 to 70. Apex MD is a nationwide telehealth platform selling compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide bundled with NAD, B-12, and L-carnitine (not single-ingredient GLP-1) at a flat $299/mo and $399/mo month-to-month respectively. altRX still earns a C — Cost-first shoppers who want locking in a flat, same-at-every-dose promotional rate before it expires.
Worth knowing either way: our overall #1 pick is CoreAge Rx (Cost-Efficiency Index 94/100 — the top of the ranking). See how it stacks up: CoreAge Rx vs Apex MD.
Factor by factor
Both providers scored on our six Cost-Efficiency Index factors. The stronger side on each row is marked in teal.
Normalized Cost/Month
Price Transparency
Nationwide Access
Formulation Options
Clinical Oversight
Contract Flexibility
Pricing, coverage & formulary
The disclosed facts behind the scores. Lower price wins its row (teal).
| Spec | Apex MD | altRX |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-Efficiency Index | 71/100 | 70/100 |
| Semaglutide / mo | $299/mo (all doses, bundle, compounded) | $89/mo (all doses, promotional rate, plus a separate fee, compounded) |
| Tirzepatide / mo | $399/mo (all doses, bundle, compounded) | $149/mo (all doses, promotional rate, compounded) |
| Semaglutide / yr (modeled) | $3,588 | $1,068 |
| Tirzepatide / yr (modeled) | $4,788 | $1,788 |
| Coverage | All 50 states | Coverage not published |
| Oral / sublingual | Yes | No |
| Brand-name access | Compounded only | Yes |
| Rank here | #80 | #85 |
Apex MD
71/100Where the value is
- Genuinely all-in flat pricing: 'no other fees' across all doses, with unlimited provider visits and Labcorp labs included
- No membership fee, no sign-up fee, no lab fee — confirmed verbatim on the pricing page
- Both semaglutide and tirzepatide, in injectable or daily-oral form
The tradeoffs
- Not single-ingredient GLP-1 — every tier bundles NAD, B-12, and L-carnitine into the compound, so the $299/$399 price isn't directly comparable to a plain-semaglutide/tirzepatide competitor
- Compounding pharmacies are never named, only described generically as 'Legit Script Certified pharmacies'
altRX
70/100Where the value is
- Same price at every dose — titrating up does not raise the monthly cost, unlike per-mg-tiered competitors
- No membership fee, no insurance required; price stated to be all-in (consultation, dosing plan, medication, free delivery, clinician support)
- LegitScript certified
The tradeoffs
- The advertised $89/$149 prices are an explicitly time-limited promotion with a live countdown on the page — the standing price is roughly double, and a naive reading of the headline as a stable price would be wrong within about a week of this research
- No compounding pharmacy is individually named, only '503A compounding pharmacies within the altRx network'
Regulatory note: the FDA issued a warning letter to Trinity HealthCare Supply, LLC dba altRx in June 2026. We still list and link to altRX; you should know the letter is on the public record before you decide.
Assume any provider we list may compensate us — we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. It never changes the Cost-Efficiency Index. Pricing, states and verification reflect each provider's public disclosures at last review; prices change — confirm on the provider's site. Not medical advice. See our disclosure.