Head-to-head · Cost-Efficiency Index
CoreAge Rx vs Telos Rx
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.
CoreAge Rx
Anyone optimizing for real value — a transparent flat price you can model for a full year, nationwide, without a bait-and-switch.
Visit CoreAge RxTelos Rx
Needle-averse shoppers pricing an oral tirzepatide tablet at a flat rate that does not climb with the dose, and who accept that the injectable side of the menu will not quote a standing price until they are inside the funnel.
Visit Telos RxThe verdict
CoreAge Rx takes it, leading the Cost-Efficiency Index 94 to 56. Best value in the ranking: both molecules at one flat, all-50 price with no teaser step-ups — the lowest true cost of ownership, not the lowest teaser. Telos Rx still earns a C — Needle-averse shoppers pricing an oral tirzepatide tablet at a flat rate that does not climb with the dose, and who accept that the injectable side of the menu will not quote a standing price until they are inside the funnel.
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 | CoreAge Rx | Telos Rx |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-Efficiency Index | 94/100 | 56/100 |
| Semaglutide / mo | $99/mo | Not disclosed — intake-gated |
| Tirzepatide / mo | $149/mo | $229/mo oral tablets (a Telos month is 4 weeks; injectable not published) |
| Semaglutide / yr (modeled) | $1,188 | — |
| Tirzepatide / yr (modeled) | $1,788 | $2,748 |
| Coverage | All 50 states | Claims 50 states; per-service limits unpublished |
| Oral / sublingual | No | Yes |
| Brand-name access | Compounded only | Compounded only |
| Rank here | #1 | #278 |
CoreAge Rx
94/100Where the value is
- Flat all-in monthly price — no intro rate that silently triples after month one, so the modeled annual cost is the real cost
- Both compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide on one account at published prices
- Available in all 50 states — no coverage gamble
The tradeoffs
- Not the rock-bottom sticker price — 30 of the 381 priced semaglutide programs we track list a cheaper figure, though most attach a term or a step-up that CoreAge does not
- No FDA-approved brand-name option (compounded only)
Telos Rx
56/100Where the value is
- One ladder is published properly, and it is published the honest way: oral tirzepatide at $199/$129/$99/$49 for the first month with the standing $229/$159/$139/$129 printed beside it, so the step-up is visible before you buy
- Fees are itemised as waived rather than merely absent — visit fee $49→$0, shipping $25→$0, dose adjustments $0, 24/7 support $0, membership $0, and "Pay $0 if not approved"
- Flat pricing that does not rise as the dose is titrated, which is the single most common way a cheap first month becomes an expensive fourth one
The tradeoffs
- The injectable rung tables are not public at all — those cards read "Start your intake for pricing", so the $99 semaglutide and $139 tirzepatide on the marketing pages are first-month floors on the deepest prepay plan with no standing rate published anywhere
- Its own pages disagree: /pages/oral-tirzepatide advertises "as low as $129/month" while the gender landers price the same 12-month plan at $49 first month and $129 after, so the headline is the post-intro rate of a plan the headline does not mention
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.