Weight-loss drugs like Ozempic help patients lose weight by imitating a gut hormone, which reduces appetite by regulating blood sugar. I have heard people say they no long feel the cravings to eat, snack at night or snack between meals. Some people said they got busy and literally forgot to eat. Their thoughts were no longer preoccupied with food. Hunger was no longer a nagging urge.
GLP-1 drugs, like Ozempic and Mounjaro, are expensive, costing about $1,000 a month for patients who lack health insurance. Estimates vary, and are often proprietary, but health plans pay around $650 a month for insured patients on a GLP-1 drug therapy. Thus, insurers are reluctant to cover the cost of weight loss drugs for those whose health does not depend on it. To boost the case for coverage drug makers are conducting research to prove additional health benefits. Early research to assess whether weight loss for its own sake is beneficial enough to require coverage has shown some health benefits. A new finding is that GLP-1 drugs reduce the cravings for drugs and alcohol as well. The following is from the Wall Street Journal:
The study found that those taking the drugs had a 40% lower rate of opioid overdose compared with those who didn’t.Similarly, an analysis of more than 5,600 people with a history of alcohol use disorder and who took the drugs showed they had a 50% lower rate of intoxication compared with those who didn’t take them.
GLP-1 drugs are peptides, a type of drug that is best injected under the skin. The needles are very small and largely painless. However, researchers are currently looking for ways to make the drugs survive stomach acids in order to make them available in pill form. A weight loss pill is expected to increase demand, especially among people who are afraid of needles.
Findings that existing drugs are useful for other diseases and conditions is beneficial not just to drug makers but also patients. More from WSJ:
The runaway success of semaglutide-based drugs has already been shown to yield extra health benefits, with studies proving they also cut the risks of stroke and heart attacks as well as slowing the progression of kidney failure and improving pain and physical function in patients with osteoarthritis.Novo Nordisk is also trialing the effectiveness of its drugs in reducing alcohol consumption and treating alcoholic liver disease and is conducting a late stage trial to test semaglutide as a treatment for Alzheimer’s.
Weight loss drugs are already used to reduce the risk of heart failure, heart attacks and strokes in obese patients. An increase in therapies treatable by GLP-1 drugs will boost competition, something we are already seeing after the runaway success of drugs like Wegovy and Mounjaro. More competition will drive down the cost. Many experts also believe a GLP-1 drug that is available in pill form will drive down costs further. That is good news not just for diabetic patients and overweight people, but patients with other maladies, some that have yet to be identified.