By Sneha S K (Reuters) -Telehealth company Ro said on Wednesday it will offer single-dose vials of Eli Lilly's weight-loss drug Zepbound to patients with obesity, becoming the first alternative platform for the lower-cost version of the drug to Lilly's own website.

Patients self-administer the drug using a pre-dosed injector pen, but Lilly recently introduced the product in single-dose vials for injection via syringe -- a move to increase production of these popular drugs and decrease both costs of manufacturing and costs for the patient.

It is made possible through a first-of-a-kind integration with Eli Lilly's direct-to-consumer website, and aims to streamline access to the popular treatment.