Drugs like Wegovy may trim your waistline but not medical costs, according to an analysis of U.S. health insurance claims shared with Reuters.
The full-year cost of care for U.S. patients with obesity two years after starting on Novo Nordisk's Wegovy or similar GLP-1 drugs was $18,507, on average.
That represents a 46% jump over the average annual medical cost of $12,695 prior to taking the medication, data provided by pharmacy benefits manager Prime Therapeutics show. The costs for a similar control group of patients not taking the drugs grew by 14% for the same period. Among GLP-1 patients, prescription drug costs drove most of the spending increase, but medical costs also climbed over the two-year period.
Over the two-year period, the analysis found "no reduction in obesity-related medical events," such as heart attacks, strokes and diagnoses of type 2 diabetes, or use of prescription drugs for hypertension and high cholesterol, compared to the control group. Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI for Everyone: Understanding and Applying the Basics on Artificial Intelligence By - Ritesh Vajariya, Generative AI Expert View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI-Powered Python Mastery with Tabnine: Boost Your Coding Skills By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development Intermediate Java Mastery: Method, Collections, and Beyond By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Modern Marketing Masterclass by Seth Godin By -.
