- A woman who had life-changing results with a popular weight loss drug couldn’t afford it for years.
- She found stability in a cheaper version of the drug through the burgeoning telemedicine market.
- Pharmaceutical companies are under intense scrutiny in the U.S., where drugs are expensive, sometimes costing $1,000 a month.
Tara RothenhoeferA 49-year-old Florida woman says participating in a clinical trial for a promising new weight loss drug changed her life.
During the 18-month trial period from 2020 to 2021, she lost more than 200 pounds, or more than a third of her body weight. Suddenly, she was free to pursue healthy habits without the pervasive “food noise” and eating obsessions that had plagued her for years.
Rothenhöfer was testing a drug sold by pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly that later received FDA approval for weight loss in 2023 under the brand name Zepbound. A similar version of the drug, called Munjaro, will be available to people with type 2 diabetes from 2022.
But once the trial ended, she faced the prospect of staying on the drug or paying more than $1,000 a month to continue losing weight without it. This is incredibly difficult because, as far as we know, the effects of drugs are not long-lasting. know.
Now, after three years of navigating a nightmarish maze of shortages and lack of insurance coverage, she finally has stable, affordable access to her medication.
she is not alone.
As highlighted in a recent article, the high cost of weight loss drugs leaves out millions of Americans who could benefit. Senate Committee HearingIn , Novo Nordisk’s CEO faced tough questions about the company’s versions of similar drugs Ozempic and Wigovy.
Here’s how she, like many others, found a way to circumvent the health care system and keep taking her medication.
First, she tried a pharmaceutical solution: coupons.
After the trial, Rothenhoefer’s doctor gave her a prescription for Munjaro, but she knew she couldn’t afford it because of her corporate job.
The manufacturer, Eli Lilly, told her no problem, she could get a coupon and get the drug at a deep discount.
Offering coupons is a common technique used by pharmaceutical companies to encourage patients to try their products rather than those of competitors, and is a common practice for pharmaceutical companies to encourage new products in already popular and expensive markets. This is especially true if
However, the coupon expired in June 2023. And all she could do was ration the remaining doses and hope for the best.
“My insurance doesn’t cover it. Most people can’t afford it. I didn’t have a choice,” she said.
Spread the dosage to increase the duration of the drug
Rothenhöfer did everything she could to make the medication last longer, trying to administer it every 10 to 14 days instead of weekly, but no matter what she did, the weight gradually returned. I started.
“Even though my habits were the same, my weight fluctuated a lot,” she said.
Studies have shown that people who lose weight on GLP-1 drugs need to continue taking them or they will gain the weight back. So Rothenhöfer needed a long-term plan just to stabilize her weight.
“I’m on maintenance, and the rest of my life is on maintenance,” she said.
But she has since been able to find a stable and affordable source and is now taking 7.5 to 10 mg of compounded tirzepatide delivered to her home every week for at least the next year, if not longer. I plan to continue this course.
The promise of cheaper “combined drugs”
Rothenhöfer said he had heard about a cheaper version of GLP-1 known as compound tirzepatide.
The active ingredient in Mounjaro and Zepbound is tirzepatide, a GLP-1 drug that mimics the hormones that our bodies naturally produce to control appetite and blood sugar levels. (Ozempic and Wegovy contain a similar drug called semaglutide.)
Complex medications are custom prescriptions of medications provided by specialty pharmacies. Brand-name GLP-1 drugs have long been in short supply, so pharmaceutical compounders are legally allowed to fill the gap in demand with their own versions of the same active ingredients, semaglutide or tirzepatide.
Although these combination drugs are regulated, they are not approved by the FDA, and doctors have raised concerns about inconsistent quality.
The gray market for weight loss drugs is vast and complex.
Some weight loss clinics and medical spas offer injections for as little as $20 with vetted methods, and a recent study found that some online clinics are simply financial scams.
Rothenhoefer contacted a telemedicine company with a certified pharmacy.
The combined version she takes costs $329 a month, compared to the brand name’s list price of more than $1,000 a month.
Pharmaceutical companies are competing against lower-cost competitors in the GLP-1 market.
In August, Eli Lilly cut the price of its weight-loss drug Zepbound in half. Analysts say the company aims to lure customers back to branded drugs through single-dose vials.
But Rothenhöfer said manufacturers need to keep lowering prices if they want people to buy their products.
“I think if it’s available and affordable, everyone will be interested in that brand. But some people who are alive today, if they don’t take care of their health, in five years There are people who may not have been there, or who may not have been there in five years,” she said of patients like herself who are now on combination drugs.
great sense of security
Rothenhöfer has previously said she is constantly concerned about protecting the dwindling stockpile of medicines in her refrigerator.
Now that reliable access is available, a huge burden has been eased, Rothenhöfer said. She is no longer fixated on putting ice in the cooler to take her medication as her top priority, and is free to think about all the other important things.
“I have no fear at all anymore,” she said. “My mind is completely at ease and I can now focus on the rest of my life.”
