semaglutide

Access remains limited to these effective but expensive drugs, even for patients covered by Medicaid, because of stringent prerequisites that must be satisfied before starting the drug.

Participants who took tirzepatide (Zepbound) dropped an average of 50 pounds over 72 weeks. Those who took semaglutide (Wegovy), lost about 33 pounds.

Some of the more than a dozen states that cover the high cost of GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy, Ozempic and Zepbound through Medicaid are scrambling to lessen the budgetary squeeze from fast-rising costs.

Many employers and insurers are scaling back coverage and Medicare doesn’t cover the drugs for obesity. Meantime, some big employers are adding coverage, but their commitment isn’t guaranteed.

The AP-NORC survey shows about half of U.S. adults believe it is a good thing for adults to use Ozempic, Wegovy and similar GLP-1 drugs if they are struggling with weight. That support doesn't go for teens.

A new HHS rule would require Medicare and Medicaid to cover drugs like Wegovy or Zepbound for a large segment of Americans. But it’s unclear if it will will have support of the Trump administration.

In a leadership shakeup, the diet company says CEO Sima Sistani would leave her role effective immediately. Tara Comonte, a board member and former Shake Shack exec, was named interim chief.

As Congress pushes for Medicare to cover payment for anti-obesity drugs, Denmark — home of Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk — has limited coverage of the drug after cost overruns “emptied all the money boxes in the entire public health system.”

Cheaper versions of Wegovy and Zepbound touted on social media could be fleeting. Copies are legal now because the brand-name drugs are in short supply. But the drugmakers are boosting production.

New research shows that the number of 12- to 25-year-olds who used the GLP-1 medications climbed from about 8,700 a month in 2020 to 60,000 a month in 2023.