A box of the diabetes drug Ozempic rests on a drug store counter in Los Angeles, April 17, 2023.
Mario Tama|Getty Images
Blockbuster weight-loss drugs are priced substantially greater in the U.S. than in other big, high-income nations, according to a brand-new analysis launchedThursday
The report from KFF, a health policy company, comes as numerous U.S. health insurance companies balk at the severe expense of weight-loss drugs and drop the medications from their strategies.
At approximately $1,000 each month usually for medications that are normally taken control of an extended period of time, the drugs are straining insurance companies’ spending plans. But a number of the 100 million American grownups who are overweight can’t manage to pay of pocket for the treatments, called GLP-1 agonists.
KFF compared sale price– the rate a drugmaker sets prior to insurance coverage or any discount rates– offered through site searches.
Some nations work out straight with drugmakers such as Novo Nordisk to set lower sale price for medications, according to Krutika Amin, associate director of the Peterson- KFF Health SystemTracker Meanwhile, other nations such as the U.S. do not, adding to significantly various sale price.
A 30- day supply of Novo Nordisk‘s diabetes drug Ozempic, which is utilized off-label for weight reduction, for instance, has a sale price of $936 in the U.S. That’s 5 times as pricey as the $168 market price inJapan
The sale price are even lower in other nations. Ozempic is priced at $103 in Germany, $96 in Sweden and $83 inFrance
Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, which has the exact same active component as Ozempic and is authorized for weight reduction, has a sale price of more than $1,300 in the U.S. Meanwhile, Wegovy’s market price is simply $328 inGermany
Eli Lilly’s diabetes drug Mounjaro, which is likewise utilized off-label for weight reduction, has a sale price of $1,023 in the U.S. however is simply $319 in Japan and $444 in theNetherlands
Representatives for Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly did not instantly react to CNBC’s ask for remark Thursday.
These sale price and the irregular insurance protection of weight-loss drugs in the U.S. certainly impact availability. But a KFF study launched previously this month recommends that they likewise impact clients’ total interest in the medications.
The study discovered that almost half of U.S. grownups are typically thinking about taking a prescription weight-loss drug, however that interest drops to 16% if the medication isn’t covered by insurance coverage.
About 80% of grownups in the study stated insurance provider need to cover the expense of weight-loss drugs for grownups who are obese or overweight, while half stated insurance companies need to cover the expense for anybody who wishes to utilize them to slim down.
New trial information launched by Novo Nordisk recently might possibly put more pressure on U.S. insurance companies to cover weight-loss drugs.
The Danish business’s trial discovered that Wegovy slashed the danger of major heart issues and heart-related death by 20% in obese or overweight clients with recognized heart disease.
The results recommend that Wegovy and most likely other weight problems drugs have substantial health advantages beyond shedding undesirable pounds. But companies representing insurance companies have actually informed CNBC that more information is required prior to they might get approved for wider protection.
