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HomeHealth & FitnessUsing Wegovy and Ozempic: analysis shows that after two years, most users...

Using Wegovy and Ozempic: analysis shows that after two years, most users discontinue.

An examination of U.S. pharmacy claims supplied to Reuters also revealed a continuous fall in the usage of the popular weight-loss drugs, with just 1 in 4 U.S. patients prescribed Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy or Ozempic two years later still taking them.

The reasons why patients stopped are not discussed in length in the study. Yet, compared to earlier studies that looked at usage for a year or less, it does provide a more comprehensive understanding of the actual experiences of people using the medications.

A discussion over the expense of weight-loss treatments to patients, employers, and government health insurance is being influenced by evidence that many individuals may quit using them soon after beginning.

Weight-loss jabs may be linked to condition that can cause blindness, study  finds | Medical research | The Guardian
Weight-loss jabs may be linked to condition that can cause blindness, study finds | Medical research | The Guardian

Wegovy and related medications, which are classified as GLP-1 receptor agonists, may be quite expensive each month and may take longer to start showing any real benefits.

President Joe Biden and other public leaders have lately criticized the pharmaceuticals’ U.S. pricing, claiming that even if just half of adult obese patients used them, the nation would still have to pay $411 billion annually for these medications. Compared to 2022, Americans will have spent $5 billion more on prescription medications overall.

Dr. Rekha Kumar, chief medical officer of the online weight-loss program Found and an obesity expert at New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center, said that “GLP-1s for everyone isn’t cost effective.” “People want to treat their employees who are obese, but they want to do it in a way that doesn’t break the bank.”

Three thousand six hundred individuals with commercial health insurance that cover GLP-1 medicines had their pharmacy and medical claims data evaluated by Prime Therapeutics and Magellan Rx Management, a pharmacy benefits manager. Between January and December 2021, everyone of them had been diagnosed with obesity or having a body mass index of 30 or greater, and they had all been prescribed new medications.#Wegovy

Patients taking the medications for type 2 diabetes, for which they were first intended, were not included in the PBM. Eighty-one percent of the patients in the study were female, with a mean age of 46.5.

32% of patients were still using GLP-1 medications for weight reduction 12 months after their first prescription, according to statistics released by Prime last year. According to the new statistics, just around 15% of patients were still taking their medications after two years for all of the treatments that were part of the trial.

New Report: Most Patients Stop Taking Wegovy After One Year - Business  Insider
New Report: Most Patients Stop Taking Wegovy After One Year – Business Insider

Compared to 36% of patients who had taken Wegovy for a full year, only 24.1% of patients continued medication for two years without missing more than sixty days from treatment. With Ozempic, which contains semaglutide, the same active component as Wegovy, 22.2% of patients continued to complete their prescriptions after two years, compared to 47.1% after one year of treatment.#Wegovy

GLP-1 medications from earlier generations performed poorly. Only 7.4% of patients were still using Novo’s Saxenda, a less successful weight-loss medication that several health plans mandate patients use before more recent GLPs like Eli Lilly’s Zepbound or Wegovy, at two years.

Of the patients in the study, 45% were on Wegovy or Ozempic. Some were using liraglutide medications such as Victoza or Saxenda, orally administered semaglutide medication Rybelsus, or dulaglutide medication Lilly’s Trulicity.

Dr. Patrick Gleason, assistant vice president for health outcomes at Prime/MRx and a co-author of the report, also noted that 26% of patients changed GLP-1 medications throughout treatment, which may have been caused by shortages or changes in insurance coverage.

Novo and Lilly have both struggled to meet the extraordinary demand for the new medications.

“Really, nobody knows.”
Novo Nordisk listed a number of the analysis’s shortcomings in a statement. It was said that Wegovy wasn’t immediately covered by insurance and wasn’t introduced until June 2021, which was in the midst of the research term. Additionally, the Danish manufacturer said that Ozempic is not licensed for weight reduction, which may have an impact on patients’ coverage and adherence to medication.

“Does not believe these data are sufficient to draw conclusions about overall patient adherence and persistence to various GLP-1 medicines, including our treatments,” the firm said.

Through appetite suppression and the promotion of fullness, the more recent GLP-1s have been shown in clinical studies to assist individuals in losing over 15% of their body weight. Numerous different health advantages that can enhance insurance coverage are being evaluated for them.

In March, Wegovy received permission in the United States to lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes in persons who are overweight or obese.

Long-term usage of Lilly’s Mounjaro and Zepbound, which were introduced after the study’s inception, was not monitored in the analysis. Eli Lilly refused to provide an analysis of the overall results.

Wegovy can Potentially Reduce the Risk of Heart-related Deaths |  MedEsthetics
Wegovy can Potentially Reduce the Risk of Heart-related Deaths | MedEsthetics

Patients were not asked by Prime/MRx why their prescriptions were canceled. According to Gleason, a combination of supply shortages, out-of-pocket expenses not reimbursed by insurance, and side effects including nausea and vomiting are probably to blame.

Doctors warned that after successfully decreasing weight, some patients could choose to discontinue taking the drug. According to other research, most individuals who stop using GLP-1 medications often gain back the majority of their lost weight.

“There’s no real consensus on the optimal duration of medication use,” said Dr. Walid Gellad, a medication adherence researcher at the University of Pittsburgh and medical professor.

According to Kumar, there are clinics and telemedicine services that fail to adequately screen patients or provide sufficient guidance on diet and exercise in addition to medication, which causes patients to have poor outcomes and give up.

About 38 million people’s pharmacy benefits are managed by Prime/MRx, which is owned by 19 Blue Cross and Blue Shield health insurance companies in the United States.

The PBM’s chief clinical officer, Dr. David Lassen, expressed worry about the consistent decline in persistence that occurred two years after treatment.

He said, “It’s not leveling off, but it’s getting slightly worse.” “To achieve long-term outcomes, weight loss really comes down to sustainability.”

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