Weight Loss Drug Prices Start To Drop; Will They Be Affordable?

NBC News: As Costs Of Weight Loss Drugs Like Wegovy And Zepbound Go Down, How Low Can Prices Go?
The price of weight loss drugs is falling. Wegovy and Zepbound, which both sell for a list price of more than $1,000 a month, have long been out of reach for people without insurance or whose insurance refused to cover them. Among adults who take the medications, about half say it’s difficult to afford the cost, according to a May 2024 survey by the health policy group KFF. (Lovelace Jr., 5/27)

The Wall Street Journal: What’s The Price Outlook For Weight-Loss Drugs?
Continuing high prices and demand for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs is creating lots of questions about the affordability of these drugs for U.S. healthcare consumers. For more than two years, drugs administered under the brand names Ozempic, which treats diabetes, and Wegovy, sold for obesity, were on the Food and Drug Administration’s list of drugs in short supply in the U.S. The FDA in recent months has declared shortages over in the U.S., but prices remain high. (Winokur Munk, 5/27)

More industry news —

Modern Healthcare: CarePoint Health Bankruptcy Launches Hudson Regional Health
CarePoint Health Systems' merger with Hudson Regional Hospital is complete after CarePoint launched its plan to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The bankruptcy plan, which paved the way for the merger creating the four-hospital system Hudson Regional Health, became effective on May 22. According to a Tuesday news release, Hudson Regional provided more than $120 million in funding to CarePoint to support its exit from bankruptcy. CarePoint originally filed for bankruptcy in November. (DeSilva, 5/27)

Modern Healthcare: PeaceHealth Layoffs To Affect 1% Of Staff
PeaceHealth, a regional health system spanning Washington, Oregon and Alaska, said Tuesday it plans to reduce its workforce by 1% and is implementing a hiring freeze through the end of 2025. A spokesperson said filled and vacant positions would be affected by the cuts. The system has 16,000 employees. The exact number of positions affected was not disclosed, and when cuts would go into effect will vary by role, the spokesperson said. The hiring freeze will not affect clinical or patient-facing roles. (DeSilva, 5/27)

Fierce Healthcare: Hospital Lobby Steers DOJ, FTC's Regulatory Review Toward Payers
Federal policymakers interested in opening up competition within healthcare should turn their attention toward the statues and regulations incentivizing insurers’ consolidation and vertical integration. That’s the advice the American Hospital Association (AHA) gave the Trump administration in public comments submitted late last week to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Those agencies and others, including Health and Human Services, have solicited recommendations in recent months as part of the president’s 10:1 deregulation initiative. (Muoio, 5/27)

In tech news —

Modern Healthcare: AI-Enabled RCM Tools Speed Up Billing For Sentara, Oregon Health
Healthcare providers are leaning into artificial intelligence to get paid faster by insurers. Investments into AI for revenue cycle management have picked up as algorithms become more adept at coding, managing prior authorization, appealing claims denials and verifying insurance eligibility. Major tech vendors such as Epic, Salesforce and Waystar offer tools and Optum, a division of UnitedHealth Group, unveiled a revenue cycle management platform enabled by AI for providers earlier this month. (Perna, 5/27)

Becker's Hospital Review: Devicemakers Face Growing Strain Amid Tariff Uncertainty: 4 Notes
As President Donald Trump threatens to impose a 50% tariff on all goods from the European Union starting June 1, the medical device industry is warning of consequences, with medical devicemaker Siemens Healthineers and health systems bracing for cost increases and potential disruptions to patient care, The Washington Post reported May 26. Here are four notes: President Trump’s proposed 50% tariff on all goods coming from the European Union would directly impact medical equipment, including advanced scanners produced by Siemens in Germany. A 10% baseline tariff on all imports is already in place after a temporary pause. (Murphy, 5/27)

Modern Healthcare: Connected Care Barriers Divide Providers, Medtech Executives
Medtech leaders misunderstand the main barriers providers face in adopting connected care devices such as robotic surgery systems, imaging machines and bed sensors, according to a new survey. Executives at medtech companies said a lack of interoperability with electronic health records and concerns over data privacy and security were key challenges for providers, according to the survey by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. Providers, meanwhile, said proving end-user value and budget constraints were the primary obstacles. Both groups said integrating connected care technologies with existing workflows was a major difficulty. (Dubinsky and Broderick, 5/27)

In pharma news —

Modern Healthcare: Fairview's James Hereford Boosts Revenue With Specialty Pharmacy
Fairview Health Services is looking to specialty pharmacy revenue and 340B drug discount savings to soften the blow of potential federal funding cuts. James Hereford, president and CEO of the Minneapolis-based system, said Fairview’s diversified revenue streams have shored up the organization’s finances. Specialty pharmacy revenue has been a key part of the 10-hospital system’s growth, leading to the November launch of Fairview Pharmacy Solutions. (Kacik, 5/27)

Becker's Hospital Review: 10 Drugs In Shortage
Here are 10 new shortages and discontinuations, according to drug supply databases from the FDA and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Cholestyramine powder: Upsher-Smith Laboratories has discontinued the 4g/5.5g powder presentations of cholestyramine, used to lower cholesterol and treat certain cardiovascular conditions, due to a business decision. (Murphy, 5/27)

Also —

NBC News: What Supplements To Be Wary Of As Drug-Induced Liver Injuries Rise In The U.S.
The liver is responsible for more than 500 functions in the human body, including filtering harmful substances from the blood. Some people’s livers metabolize toxins more slowly than others, but too much of certain drugs can overwhelm even the healthiest liver. When taken in excess, acetaminophen, for example, the active ingredient in Tylenol, is among the most common causes of drug-induced liver injury, also called toxic hepatitis. Pharmaceutical products aren’t solely the cause. Herbal and dietary supplements are causing liver damage with mounting prevalence. (Leake, Kopf and Ikeda, 5/27)