ONE in eight US adults has tried medications from the fast-growing class of new diabetes and obesity drugs that includes Ozempic and Zepbound, underscoring how quickly the treatments have gained popularity.
Of those who’ve tried the drugs, about half are currently still taking them, according to a poll from health research organisation KFF released on Friday (May 10).
Drugs including Eli Lilly & Co’s Mounjaro and Zepbound and Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy are deepening their reach into the US population where rates of diabetes and obesity have escalated for decades. Yet cost remains a barrier: More than half of respondents who tried the medications said they are difficult to afford, even with coupons and insurance coverage.
A monthly supply of Ozempic costs almost US$1,000 before discounts or rebates. More than half of people on the drugs with health insurance said insurance covered part of the cost, while a quarter said insurance paid in full, according to the KFF poll. The nonprofit routinely polls Americans on their views about health topics.
The medications known as GLP-1s were originally developed to treat diabetes but also helped people taking them lose weight. More recently, some have been approved explicitly to treat obesity.
Drugmakers are expediting research into how they might address other health conditions including Alzheimer’s and sleep apnea to broaden use and win insurance coverage. The market for the drugs is expected to reach at least US$80 billion by 2030, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.
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Celebrity endorsements and media attention have boosted popularity and spiking demand has led to shortages. Some patients have turned to unapproved compounded versions of the drugs, a practice that manufacturers have tried to crack down on.
About a third of adults said they have heard “a lot” about the GLP-1 drugs, up from 19 per cent in a previous KFF poll in July. About four in 10 people on the drugs reported taking them mainly to lose weight.
Medicare, the federal insurance programme for people over 65 or with disabilities, doesn’t currently cover the drugs for weight loss alone.
Just 1 per cent of people over 65 said they had taken a GLP-1 drug for weight loss. Large majorities in the poll across political parties supported having Medicare pay for weight-loss treatments.
A separate KFF study from April found that Wegovy’s approval for heart disease could lead to Medicare coverage for 3.6 million people. Still, out-of-pocket costs could reach US$430 for a monthly supply, which is costly for many people on the federal insurance programme.
The new poll was conducted in late April with a sample of almost 1,500 adults reached online and by phone in English and Spanish. BLOOMBERG
