New Weight Loss/Obesity Drugs Could Transform Economy

[Flieger]

My doctor put me on Ozempic for my Type 2 diabetes early last year. However, as others have mentioned, even with a prescription it's almost impossible for diabetics to get it with any degree of reliability or regularity. At my Walgreens I could get maybe enough to cover every 4th week, and then follow that up with three times as long with none. At some point the scarcity begins to seem genuinely silly. So, I quit using it because I didn't think using it that erratically was a smart idea..

Then my doctor switched my prescription over to Mounjaro which is a similar drug that is more easily available (here), but my insurance wanted to charge me a fortune for that one so it was not possible to switch.

This is my honest assessment of Ozempic's effects on me, only: As far as I could tell, all Ozempic ever did for me was lessen my appetite so that I would eat less. One could try smelling a whiff of human excrement right before each meal and get the same effect IMO. Sorry if TMI. Anyway, for me it was not worth the hassle, especially since seriously bad side effects are apparently starting to be reported by some patients.

If your Dr put you on Ozempic as a drug related to Type 2 Diabetes, that is well off the topic of the OP. My understanding is that the dosage for weight loss is much lower than the dosage for Type 2 Diabetes, so I am not convinced there is a real issue here for Diabetes patients.

I would encourage you however, if you can't get this due to shortage to get with your Dr for other alternatives (Metformin, Jardiance, etc). Type 2 Diabetes is a serious issue, with serious complications.

Flieger

 

[aja8888]

One of my Type II diabetic friends is on Jardiance which has lowered his A1C considerably, but he has not lost any weight. And at about 170 pounds at 5'9" tall, he doesn't need to lose weight. He also walks with me occasionally and averages over 12,000 steps per day (for years now).

My overweight, non diabetic friends, who are on Ozempic for weight loss, told me this morning at coffee that the drug makes you feel so crappy that you don't want to eat, hence, self inflicted weight loss!

All these guys are mid to late 70's in age.

 

[audreyh1]

One thing I heard about SGLT2 inhibitors is that you pee out more sugar (glucose) than normal. So it reduces how much glucose your body absorbs which is good, but this also increases chances of yeast infections down there.

 

[Qs Laptop]

I don't need Zepbound to know I won't be eating this. Yuck!!

 

[RetiredHappy]

A friend who is on Ozempic for weight loss has lost 35 lbs. He did not look obese but his doctor wanted him to lose some weight and hence the prescription. He shares an entree with his wife when we are out for dinner.

I am trying to lose 10 pounds and jokingly told my PCP that I wanted some of the "good" stuff. He looked sternly at me and said absolutely not. I told him that I was only joking and he laughed. My BMI is 22 but I really should lose a few pounds as it would help me with my reflux.

 

[athena53]

Interesting number from the CEO of CVS in a Jim Cramer interview: she said that if everyone in the US qualifying as obese were taking GLP-2 inhibitors, the cost would be $1.2 trillion. (Her point was that she hoped competition would bring that down.) Even if you adjust for people who can't take it for health reasons or side effects, don't want to, etc. the result would probably still be unsustainable, whether Medicare, private insurance or the patients pay for it.

We cannot rely on these meds as the only solution.

 

[audreyh1]

I don't need Zepbound to know I won't be eating this. Yuck!!

View attachment 48193

You could throw away the bun and sweet condiments and just eat the beef patties, cheese and vegetables, and you’d probably be fine.

 

[youbet]

My doctor put me on Ozempic for my Type 2 diabetes early last year. However, as others have mentioned, even with a prescription it's almost impossible for diabetics to get it with any degree of reliability or regularity. At my Walgreens I could get maybe enough to cover every 4th week, and then follow that up with three times as long with none. At some point the scarcity begins to seem genuinely silly. So, I quit using it because I didn't think using it that erratically was a smart idea..

Then my doctor switched my prescription over to Mounjaro which is a similar drug that is more easily available (here), but my insurance wanted to charge me a fortune for that one so it was not possible to switch.

This is my honest assessment of Ozempic's effects on me, only: As far as I could tell, all Ozempic ever did for me was lessen my appetite so that I would eat less. One could try smelling a whiff of human excrement right before each meal and get the same effect IMO. Sorry if TMI. Anyway, for me it was not worth the hassle, especially since seriously bad side effects are apparently starting to be reported by some patients.

Your insurance covered Ozempic?

 

[athena53]

My overweight, non diabetic friends, who are on Ozempic for weight loss, told me this morning at coffee that the drug makes you feel so crappy that you don't want to eat, hence, self inflicted weight loss!

This is my honest assessment of Ozempic's effects on me, only: As far as I could tell, all Ozempic ever did for me was lessen my appetite so that I would eat less. One could try smelling a whiff of human excrement right before each meal and get the same effect IMO.

Hmmm... I have a new product idea that will magically suppress your appetite. Do you think I'll need FDA approval?

 

[Trooper]

Your insurance covered Ozempic?

I'm pretty sure it's covered for diabetes Type 2, but not for weight loss.

 

[Romer]

Nice!

So from someone who is actually on Wegovy (Same as Ozempic) it does make you feel like crap initially, but I no longer have those side effects. Just don't feel hungry. I can eat what I want and sometimes I do splurge like on Thanksgiving, but don't have any cravings to sit in front of the TV and eat a bag a chips. I live my life normally with no discomfort or feeling like crap anymore.

And wegovy for weight loss is covered on my insurance is why I pay $100 a month

 

[Trooper]

So from someone who is actually on Wegovy (Same as Ozempic) it does make you feel like crap initially, but I no longer have those side effects. Just don't feel hungry. I can eat what I want and sometimes I do splurge like on Thanksgiving, but don't have any cravings to sit in front of the TV and eat a bag a chips. I live my life normally with no discomfort or feeling like crap anymore.

For those folks who have taken or are taking one of the subject drugs, do they suppress your desire for all foods, or just the less healthy ones?

 

[rodi]

Here are my random thoughts on this:

1) I'm overweight and the idea is interesting. But I'm not ready to take a new(ish) drug with unknown long term side effects that I might need to take for life. FWIW, I eat healthy (fruits and veggies, not a lot of carbs or sweets), get exercise, am active, and don't eat pies when no-one is looking. Weight has been an issue since my 20's. The only times I lost weight effortlessly was when I was actively nursing my sons. Lost more than the weight I put on with the pregnancy... but when the kids weaned, the weight came back. I'll be watching to see if the side effects or long term effects are worth the risk... Not enough data yet for me.

2) I have 2 friends who are taking these drugs. One, who lives out of town, I suspected of having bariatric surgery. I asked how she'd lost the weight (dramatic weight loss) when I saw her a year ago. She said she'd just lost her appetite one day. She has since mentioned in passing that she takes semi-glut-whatevers. The other has been upfront. Is diabetic and doc switched her meds, and this was a welcome side effect. Actually, another friend, not overweight, was on metforam (sp?) but the doc switched her. She's actually not thrilled with the weight loss because she was already pretty darn thin.

3) I'm too cheap to take it for weight loss and $12k/year. I have Kaiser insurance so I doubt they'd ever prescribe me something like this even if I had type 2 diabetes.

4) these drugs came up at a dinner party for my son's friends over the holidays. One of the guests, a recent bio-grad, was telling us she'd had a long talk with a doctor about how these drugs were going to negatively impact fast food restaurants like McDonalds long term.

So far my BP/Cholesterol/Blood glucose have been in the normal range, despite my weight... I'm hoping to keep it that way.

 

[Romer]

For those folks who have taken or are taking one of the subject drugs, do they suppress your desire for all foods, or just the less healthy ones?

They suppress hunger and cravings for anything. It doesn't effect taste or impact the enjoyment of foods. If you eat a lot, especially early on you will feel it. I typically eat half of what I used to, although now past side effects I have been known to splurge on dinner and follow up with Dessert, not something I crave, just can't do Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie or go to my grandkids BD with out a piece of cake. I should be clear when I eat a lot now I may feel bloated sooner than I would have. When you over eat when starting, it gets pretty darn uncomfortable. Side effects were unpleasant and I debated on quitting and then they were gone. Everyone is different relative to side effects and progress I have noticed

I have no craving to snack after dinner which I did before

We went to Del Friscos the other night and I had a salad, steak and shared a side dish. The only thing I did different was order the smaller filet and had a couple of bites of my wife's dessert. Still enjoyed 2 glasses of wine with dinner

When we went to a Jewish Deli the other day (Huge sandwiches), I took half the sandwich home. Before I would have eaten the whole thing without slowing down

I look at the fact my knees don't hurt anymore, I feel better, no more High Blood Pressure meds and most of all NO MORE CPAP. That was annoying but required where I was before

 

[Romer]

I should also mention the biggest thing is I don't deprive myself of anything. I did low carb for a while and there is a lot you can't eat. I eat Pizza and actually prefer thin crust Pizza which is less filling. On Low Carb (while working) I would do well, then eat something I shouldn't and not sure if my brain or the carbs got me to eat more carbs until I just gave in and stopped counting.

Carbs don't have that effect on me now

 

[sengsational]

I expect insurance companies will start covering it because of all the side benefits to their bottom line.

Certainly in the span of a decade or so, I would expect a cohort of obese 40 year olds to consume fewer medical resources if they all went on these drugs now. But do insurance companies make decisions in that way? If they did, I suppose there could be a population level effect that might have an effect on some of these other industries. I can't imagine it would be very swift, though. And besides, insurance companies are probably making decisions based on the quarter, not a decade. The solution for them is to figure out ways not to pay for stuff and shuffle off the unhealthy people to some other company There might be hope for Medicare, though. This class of compounds might align big pharma and CMS, so it could spread fast. But on a population basis, would it really save money? The person rescued from the diseases of obesity would then live longer to get the diseases of old age. I wonder if they do that math.

 

[youbet]

I'm pretty sure it's covered for diabetes Type 2, but not for weight loss.

Thanks. I just checked it vs my Part D BCBS plan. It comes up as not covered but "formulary exception." Whatever that means.

 

[Romer]

My personal view is competition and the desire for growth will get the price lower. The Elli Lilly drug Zep? is $300 less a month than Wegovy. There are more variants coming, some in pill form. Once they get production up, the way to get more customers is to lower the price. Right now they are making it as fast as they can sell it and have shortages.

I seriously doubt my insurance company is paying $1200 and then selling it to me for $100. I am sure they have some kind of a deal. Others without insurance talk about coupons from the manufacturer that get the price down. I don't have any details on that.

 

[omni550]

My friend who has been on a semiglutide for 18 months keeps badgering her doc and pharmacist to find her 'deals'. The drug companies seem to offer coupons or some-such. Sometimes she gets a month's worth of drug for $25 sometimes it's $100.

omni

 

[W2R]

I'm pretty sure it's covered for diabetes Type 2, but not for weight loss.

I think Ozempic was covered for my type 2 diabetes because it only cost $24.99 with Medicare and FEHB BCBS Standard early last year.

On the other hand, I was so disgusted with the price for Mounjaro that I lost my temper and threw the price away, but IIRC it was way more than 10x that much. I have my limits and whatever it was, it exceeded those limits.

But my doctor found yet another drug for my type 2 diabetes that is reasonably priced and the results are amazingly good, far better than the results from Ozempic! This drug is called.... Insulin. I'd rather not be dependent on it but you know, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

So anyway I shoot up insulin twice a day, now. Works really well and I haven't had any side effects or problems with it.

 

[dmpi]

Obesity vs. metabolic disorder

Smoking vs. COPD

Drug addiction vs. Substance Use Disorder


The medical community can't make money off of telling people to change their behavior so they re-frame the problem into something they can medically treat. They make it sound like it's not the person's fault so insurance is more likely to cover it. When the cost is shared by everyone they jack up the price to some astronomical amount and rake in the dollars.

 

[aja8888]

I think Ozempic was covered for my type 2 diabetes because it only cost $24.99 with Medicare and FEHB BCBS Standard early last year.

On the other hand, I was so disgusted with the price for Mounjaro that I lost my temper and threw the price away, but IIRC it was way more than 10x that much. I have my limits and whatever it was, it exceeded those limits.

But my doctor found yet another drug for my type 2 diabetes that is reasonably priced and the results are amazingly good, far better than the results from Ozempic! This drug is called.... Insulin. I'd rather not be dependent on it but you know, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

So anyway I shoot up insulin twice a day, now. Works really well and I haven't had any side effects or problems with it.

I thought insulin was for Type I diabetes, not Type II? (speaking from one who has neither)

 

[audreyh1]

Obesity vs. metabolic disorder

Smoking vs. COPD

Drug addiction vs. Substance Use Disorder


The medical community can't make money off of telling people to change their behavior so they re-frame the problem into something they can medically treat. They make it sound like it's not the person's fault so insurance is more likely to cover it. When the cost is shared by everyone they jack up the price to some astronomical amount and rake in the dollars.

Metabolic disorder is not reframing. Obesity is just one aspect of the disease, many other such as elevated blood pressure (probably the first symptom), hyperinsulinemia, blood sugar problems (ultimately type 2 diabetes), fatty liver, elevated triglycerides, low HDL, PCOS. Even gout and other diseases are linked.

 

[audreyh1]

I thought insulin was for Type I diabetes, not Type II? (speaking from one who has neither)

Yes, insulin is also used to treat type 2.

 

[aja8888]

Yes, insulin is also used to treat type 2.

I didn't know that, thanks.