When she prescribes the popular weight-loss drugThey will have to call drugstores over several days to find one with the properly sized first dose. Then they’ll do that again for their second dose, and probably the third. And that’s only if the patient has insurance or the means to afford a drug that can cost more than $1,300 a month.and consults for drugmakers.
The drug’s maker, Novo Nordisk, says that demand has forced it to restrict the supply of those smaller, initial doses in the U.S. The company also is warning those taking another weight-loss drug, Saxenda, to expect difficulty filling prescriptions “for the remainder of 2023 and beyond.” Thiara said some wind up driving 45 minutes or more to get prescriptions filled, a barrier for hourly workers who can’t leave their job and for people without cars.
The federal Medicare program for people age 65 and older doesn’t cover obesity medicines, but some privately run Medicare Advantage or Medigap plans do, according to Novo. Coverage from Medicaid programs for people with low incomes varies. Some require patients to show they’ve lost 5% of their body weight after six months on the drugs in order to continue coverage. Supply problems make that hard, Thiara noted.Dr. Laura Davisson estimates that fewer than 30% of her patients with insurance through an employer or an individual plan have obesity medicine coverage.