October 24, 2023 — We have grown tired of the mindless repetition of a $1,350 monthly list price for Wegovy in endless news reports about the great expense of this very important new drug for obesity. Not because the drug isn’t expensive. But because that list price is not an accurate representation of what the drug really costs. So […]
October 19, 2023 — The week that was OW2023 is history now, leaving us to reflect on what we will remember from this gathering of the top minds in obesity science, clinical care, and health policy. The meeting comes at a pivotal time for obesity care, so we have much to learn from the people who came together here. […]
September 3, 2023 — In the midst of an argument for lifestyle as the “cornerstone” for dealing with obesity, Frank Hu recently made a point with which we agree. He expressed the importance of GLP-1 agonists for obesity and warned that issues with access could bring wider health disparities. Because pricing of these drugs, health insurance, and weight-related biases […]
August 21, 2023 — If you are paying attention to the disparities in wealth, poverty, health, and obesity, you might note that there’s good news and bad news to be found right now. On the good news side of things, the global inequality of wealth shrank in 2022. That happened for two reasons. People in some of the poorest […]
August 19, 2023 — The intersection of high U.S. drug prices with its high obesity rates is creating some unusual economics. Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) and the Peterson Center on Healthcare released an analysis this week that brings this into sharp focus. The analysis tells us that published prices for GLP-1 medicines used for obesity and diabetes are the […]
August 9, 2023 — Yesterday brought us one of the most curious mashups of news we’ve seen in a while. On one hand we have stories about employers and insurance companies conspiring to deny obesity care to their employees and customers; on the other we have the news that the drug they don’t want to cover actually prevents deaths […]
August 6, 2023 — On Friday, the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) released remarkably detailed results from a survey of public awareness and beliefs about new obesity medicines. It offers much for us to think about. But at the very top line it puts some solid numbers on a basic fact about the public response to breakthrough medicines for obesity. […]
August 3, 2023 — Message to University of Texas Employees: Continuing to pay for obesity medicines is unsustainable. Message from Novo Nordisk: No comment. Price shocks for advanced obesity medicines are hitting employers. Things are starting to get messy in the marketplace and you can be pretty sure that they will only get messier as makers of obesity medicines […]
July 28, 2023 — Obesity care is in an awkward phase. Science has advanced to provide a better understanding of this complex disease and better tools to treat it. But health systems and public understanding can’t keep up. As a result, very effective new obesity medicines exist behind walls that keep most people from receiving their benefits. For now, […]
July 26, 2023 — An intense battle is rumbling along in the courts and in the United States Congress and it’s all about drug pricing. The pharmaceutical industry enjoys considerable flexibility in drug prices for the U.S. Because of this, branded, patent-protected drugs are five times more expensive in the U.S. than in other nations with advanced economies. Change […]
