Chad Terhune
(Reuters) – Drugs like Wigovy may trim your waistline, but they don’t pay for your medical bills, according to an analysis of U.S. health insurance claims shared with Reuters.
Two years after starting Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy or a similar GLP-1 drug, obese patients in the United States had an average annual treatment cost of $18,507. That’s 46% more than the average annual medical cost of $12,695 before taking the drug, according to data provided by pharmacy benefits manager Prime Therapeutics.
Costs for patients in a similar control group not taking the drug increased by 14% over the same period.
For GLP-1 patients, medical costs also increased over the two-year period, although most of the increase in spending was for prescription drugs.
The two-year analysis found “no reduction in obesity-related medical events,” including heart attacks, strokes, type 2 diabetes diagnoses, and prescription drug use for high blood pressure and high cholesterol, compared to a control group. did. .
Novo and rival Eli Lilly, which makes the GLP-1 weight loss drug Zepbound, have made billions of dollars in profits since the new drug hit the U.S. market, but out of an estimated 100 million obese patients, , only a small number of people used the new drug.
They claim that their medicines will alleviate many health problems associated with excess weight, resulting in savings for society.
However, many U.S. employers and government health officials remain reluctant to add coverage for these highly effective but expensive drugs due to the large upfront investment and uncertainty about future savings. Be cautious.
“The budget hit here is scary for many governments and private entities,” said Ben Ippolito, an economist at the American Enterprise Institute. “What makes these drugs different is the huge potential demand.”
Some analysts say the weight loss drug market could reach $150 billion annually over the next decade.
“We know that treating obesity leads to improved health outcomes, even if bureaucrats don’t know how to account for these savings,” Novo Nordisk said in a statement. Lilly did not respond to a request for comment.
Not “completely conclusive”
Prime Therapeutics examined pharmacy and medical claims data for 3,046 people with commercial health insurance coverage for GLP-1 drugs. They all received a new GLP-1 prescription between January and December 2021 and were diagnosed with obesity or a BMI of 30 or higher.
In the analysis, 46% of patients were taking Novo’s Ozempic or Wigovy, both injectable versions of semaglutide. Others were taking older Novo drugs Saxenda or Victoza, both of which are liraglutide, Libersus, an oral version of semaglutide, or Lilly’s Trulicity (dulaglutide).
