A study by a major U.S. health insurance company found that more than half of people prescribed the weight-loss drugs Saxenda and Wegovy over the past decade stopped treatment too soon to see any meaningful health benefits.
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association analyzed nearly 170,000 pharmacy and medical claims from July 2014 to December 2023 and found that 58% received 12-week prescriptions for the drug liraglutide or semaglutide, which is sold under the trade name. It turned out that I had not completed the course. Saxenda and Wigovy.
Almost one in three patients discontinued treatment within four weeks before the recommended dose reached the drug’s target strength. These patients were less likely to receive medical benefit from weight loss because they dropped out before completing the recommended treatment, the study said.
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association is a coalition of dozens of for-profit and nonprofit companies that provide health insurance to approximately 118 million people in 50 states. Insurers want to inform decision makers and the public about how these two hugely popular weight loss drugs are used to “paint a clearer picture of what makes a person successful.” published data that had not been peer-reviewed, said Razia Hashmi, vice president of the insurance company. Blue Cross Blue Shield Clinical Operations.
A spokeswoman for Novo Nordisk, which sells Saxenda and Wigovy, declined to comment on the study, which has not been published in an independent medical journal.
This class of weight-loss drugs, called GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptor agonists, is extremely popular among consumers: One study estimated that quarterly sales of anti-obesity drugs could exceed $1.1 billion by mid-2023. report From the Congressional Budget Office.
These drugs were initially used to treat diabetes. Pharmaceutical companies then won approval to market them as weight loss and heart disease treatments. Pharmaceutical companies continue to explore other potential uses for GLP-1, which could cost more than $10,000 a year out-of-pocket.
These drugs are very widely prescribed and expensive, so understand how patients are using these drugs to lose weight and whether they are reaping any health benefits. Hashmi said that is important. It is also important to understand why so many patients stop taking their drugs before they reach the right dose to start enjoying benefits.
The study found that patients who were prescribed weight loss drugs by an endocrinologist or obesity specialist were more likely to stay on the drugs for longer. Patients who visited their doctor or other prescriber more frequently during the first 12 weeks were also more likely to continue taking the drug. The study found that young adults between the ages of 18 and 34 were more likely to stop taking their medication before completing their prescribed course.
Saxenda, which requires daily injections, was the only GLP-1 drug approved for weight loss from 2014 to 2021. Fewer than 6,000 people started taking it each year during that time, according to the study.
After Wegovy received Food and Drug Administration approval as a once-weekly injection for weight loss in 2021, prescriptions soared, reaching nearly 121,000 in 2023, the study said.
Employers and health plans are trying to slow spending on these drugs. Many insurance companies impose requirements such as prior authorization and step therapy, requiring lower-cost drugs to be tried first. In some cases, your employer or insurance company may deny coverage outright.
The study did not mention how various Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance plans cover these weight loss drugs. Hashmi said Blue Cross Blue Shield does not use this evidence to determine coverage.
“Our reporting decisions are always based on published evidence-based research and literature,” Hashmi said. “This research increases our knowledge of real-world evidence. But until it’s published, peer-reviewed, and critiqued, it won’t become part of the standard.”
Employers should scrutinize whether patients continue to take these drugs, said James Gelfand, president and CEO of the ERISA Industry Committee, which represents companies that provide employee benefits. He said it would be.
“It can take a year or more for a $1,000-a-month weight-loss drug to have real benefits,” Gelfand says. “If a patient quits early, as most patients do, that money was wasted, resulting in higher health insurance premiums for everyone with employer health insurance. .”
Ken Alltucker is at @kalltucker in X. Email [email protected]..
