Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Medicare Could Save $245B Over A Decade If It Covered Obesity Drugs
Axios: Medicare Could Save Billions Covering Obesity Meds: Study
Medicare coverage of obesity drugs could save taxpayers as much as $245 billion over a decade by reducing demand for hospital care and skilled nursing, according to new research from the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics. The study attempts to put a price tag on the public health benefits from expanding coverage as a new class of obesity drugs hits the market. (Bettelheim, 8/2)
Stat: Alarmed By Ozempic And Wegovy's Popularity, Insurers Wage Battle
Patients are bracing for “D-Day,” the date their insurance companies will stop covering the drugs. Doctors are getting letters from insurance investigators discouraging new prescriptions. And pharmacies are being told by insurers to check for a specific diagnosis when filling prescriptions. It’s a charge on all fronts by insurance companies to contain the spiraling costs of a new class of weight loss-inducing drugs, the GLP-1s. (Chen, 8/3)
NBC News: Makers Of Ozempic And Mounjaro Sued Over 'Stomach Paralysis' Claims
The drugmakers Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly failed to adequately warn patients about the possible risk of severe stomach problems associated with their blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Mounjaro, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday. The 26-page lawsuit, filed on behalf of a Louisiana woman who says she was “severely injured” after taking the two diabetes drugs, is the first to allege that they can cause gastrointestinal injuries. (Lovelace Jr., 8/2)
Also —
Axios: Allurion, Maker Of Weight Loss Balloons, Goes Public
Allurion Technologies, a Massachusetts-based maker of swallowable gastric balloons, today will go public on the New York Stock Exchange. Anti-obesity is health care's new big thing, thanks to the popularity of new drugs like Ozempic, after a long history of most prescribed treatments being behavioral. (Primack, 8/2)
