How to cover the sharp rise in spending for diabetes and weight loss drugs

In three years, prescriptions for a new class of weight loss drugs (called GLP-1 receptor agonists) have been so robust that they rank among the top-selling medications in Medicare’s prescription-drug program, according to a new report from KFF.

The report, “Medicare Spending on Ozempic and Other GLP-1s Is Skyrocketing,” shows that medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro gained FDA approval initially for treating patients with type 2 diabetes. On March 8, the FDA approved a new use for Wegovy, to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack and stroke in obese or overweight adults with heart disease.

Since the drugs gained FDA approval, patients with diabetes who took them have lost weight, driving up demand, even though weight loss is an off-label use, as Kristen Monaco reported for MedPage Today in November. While Medicare will not pay for the use of GLP-1s for weight loss, commercial health plans do so, as do standalone Medicare Part D plans and employers. 

Stories to pursue

For journalists, this story is significant because these drugs have a list price of more than $1,000 a month.

Click here to read more.