2024-10-25 13:52:00
Drugs like Wegovy can reduce waistlines, but not medical costs, according to an analysis of U.S. health insurance claims.
According to data provided by Pharmaceutical Benefits, the annual cost of care for American obesity patients two years after starting treatment with Novo Nordisk‘s Wegovy or similar GLP-1 drugs averaged $18,507, an increase of 46% compared to the average annual cost of $12,695 made by the doctor before taking the drugs director Prime Therapeutics.
Costs for a similar control group of patients not taking the drugs increased by 14% over the same period. Among patients taking GLP-1, prescription drug costs caused most of the cost increase, but medical expenses also increased over the two-year period.
Over the two years, the analysis found “no reduction in obesity-related medical events,” such as heart attacks, strokes and type 2 diabetes diagnoses, or in the use of prescription drugs for hypertension and diabetes. high cholesterol, compared to the control group.
Novo and rival Eli Lilly, which makes the GLP-1 weight-loss drug Zepbound, have reaped billions of dollars in profits since their new drugs hit the U.S. market, and only a fraction of the estimated 100 million patients affected by obesity used them.
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Analysts expect a profit of 150,000 million dollars in the weight-loss drug market
They claim that the use of their drugs will save society by alleviating many health problems related to excess weight. However, many companies and health authorities in the United States remain reluctant to cover these highly effective but expensive drugs due to the significant initial investment and uncertainty about future savings.
“The budget impact is terrifying for many governments and private entities,” said Ben Ippolito, an economist at the American Enterprise Institute. “What makes these drugs different is the enormous size of the potential demand”
Some analysts say the market for weight-loss drugs could reach $150 billion a year over the next decade.
“We know that treating obesity is linked to better medical outcomes, even if bureaucrats haven’t figured out how to account for these savings,” Novo Nordisk said in a statement. Lilly did not respond to requests for comment.
With information from Reuters
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