Obesity drug prices are dropping, but getting a steady supply remains a challenge

Prices fall for popular obesity treatments, but continuous access to drugs is challenging.

Drugs are still about 500 dollars per month for those who do not have insurance – for many patients cannot be reached. And even for people with insurance, coverage It remains irregular.

“Drugs should be present, the question at what price and people can continue it, Mat said Matt Maciewski, a professor of Duke University who examines the scope of obesity treatment.

Doctors say that the situation is forcing patients to be creative in treating patients, but prices can fall more in the future.

Wegovy and Zepbound are part of an obesity drug wave known as GLP-1 receptor agonists rising in popularity.

Zepbound brought $ 2.3 billion in US sales in the first quarter of this year and made it one of the best -selling drug producer Eli Lilly.

Novo Nordisk said that Wegovy has approximately 200,000 prescriptions per week in the US and brought about $ 1.9 billion in the first quarter sales.

Mercer, a benefit consultant, says that more businesses with 500 or more employees add the scope of drugs for workers and family members.

And Novo says that 85% of patients with the United States pay $ 25 or less per month.

In addition, some patients with diabetes may scope GLP-1 drugs from Novo and Lilly, who are approved to treat this, Özempic and Mounjaro.

But most of them were financed as states and federals Medicaid Programs Do not cover medications for obesity and not mainly medicare, which is a federal program for people aged 65 years and older.

Dr. Beverly Tchang said that even plans covering drugs have paid only a portion of the invoice and exposed patients to hundreds of dollars for monthly costs.

Drug producers offer help with this pocket costs, but this help may be limited.

Tchang, a New York -based doctor, who served as a paid advisor to Novo and Lilly, said, “Scope is not the same as our scope access”.

Invoice payments, such as employers, are nervous about drugs that can be used indefinitely by many people.

Some big employers It left the coverage area Drugs caused by expense. Pharmacy Benefits Managers or PBMs begin to select one brand to another while negotiating agreements with drug producers.

One of the largest PBMs in the country operated by CVS Health, falling zepbound On July 1, wegovy in favor of the national formula or a list of indoor drugs.

This forced TChang to find another treatment plan for several patients who took Tchang, Zepbound, because he made them less nausea.

Dr. Courtney Younglove’s office sends a video link to potential patients how to check for drugs before visiting the website of insurance companies.

Kansas, “Then some cancel their appointments because because they do not have the coverage,” he said.

Combining pharmacies and other assets were allowed to make cheaper copies of Wegovy and Zepbound when there was a shortage of drugs. However, US Food and Pharmaceutical Administration was determined Earlier this year end of famine.

These compound versions must have terminated, but there is an exception: Some compounds are allowed when a drug is personalized for the patient.

The health company HIMS & HERS HEALTH offers compound semagludid doses, the drug behind Wegovy, which adjusts dose levels to help patients manage side effects. HIMS says that these plans started at $ 165 per month for 12 months and that customers pay exactly.

This is a controversial issue. Eli Lilly filed a lawsuit against pharmacies and Telealth companies trying to prevent them from selling their compound versions of their products.

Novo recently ended with a short -lived partnership with HIMS to sell Wegovy because Telehealth continued its compounds. Novo says that compound versions of the drug puts patient safety at risk, because the components are made by foreign suppliers that are not monitored by US regulators.

HIMS says the US controls all materials to ensure that they meet quality and safety standards. It also uses a third -party laboratory to verify that the power of a drug is correctly labeled.

Both drug producers sell most of the doses Approximately $ 500 per month for people who do not have insurance, a few hundred dollars less than some starting prices.

However, this expenses will eat approximately 14% of the average annual income per capita in the United States, which is about $ 43,000.

There are some factors that can suppress prices over time. Both companies improve pill versions of their treatment. They can be released next year, which can reduce prices for older, injected doses.

Younglove said that some patients have saved up to 15% by sending their doses from a pharmacy in Canada. The Canadians would take them from an Israeli pharmacy until they dropped their prices.

In addition to such a competition, the promotion of pill versions will put pressure on US prices.

“I think price wars will drop it,” he said. “I think we’re in early stages. I have hope.”

The Associated Press Department of Health and Science receives support from the Science and Education Media Group of Howard Hughes Medical Institute. AP is only responsible for all content.