"President Donald Trump unveiled a deal Thursday with drugmakers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to expand coverage and reduce prices for their popular obesity treatments Zepbound and Wegovy. The drugs are part of a new generation of obesity medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists that have soared in popularity in recent years. But access to the drugs has been a consistent problem for patients because of their cost - around $500 a month for higher doses - and insurance coverage has been spotty."
"Coverage of the drugs for obesity will expand to Medicare patients starting next year, according to the administration, which said some lower prices also will be phased in for patients without coverage. Starting doses of new, pill versions of the treatments also will cost $150 a month if they are approved. "(It) will save lives, improve the health of millions and millions of Americans," said Trump, in an Oval Office announcement in which he referred to GLP-1 as a "fat drug.""
Medicare coverage for GLP-1 obesity medications Zepbound and Wegovy will begin next year, and Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk agreed to phase in some lower prices for patients without coverage. Higher-dose injectable treatments cost about $500 per month, while starting doses of new pill versions would be priced at $150 per month if approved. The drugs target gut and brain hormones that regulate appetite and fullness and produced 15–22% body-weight loss in clinical trials, often equaling 50 pounds or more. Access has been constrained by cost and uneven insurance coverage, so consumer savings will vary by competition and plan benefits.
Read at Fast Company
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