November 24, 2025 — Americans are only barely aware of the role that pharmacy benefit managers play in health insurance. But what they do know is not good. To the extent that most people know anything about these shadowy players in health insurance, they know PBMs control which drugs they can get, how much hassle it is to get […]
November 10, 2025 — At a press event last week, announcing a deal to make obesity medicines more affordable, CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz told us “Americans will lose 135 billion pounds by the midterms” because of this. Comedian Stephen Colbert pointed out a problem with the numbers. They imply that every single American will be losing 393 pounds. It […]
November 3, 2025 — A year ago, we had these wonderful new obesity medicines – semaglutide and tirzepatide – and nobody could get them. Demand had outstripped supply and we had a shortage. Earlier this year, the supply shortage for both drugs resolved, but now we face the same situation because of a different shortage. There is a shortage […]
October 22, 2025 — We are most accustomed to technology bringing economic disruption. Three decades ago, it was the internet. Then smartphones and social media. Now, we obsess about the effects of artificial intelligence. But a strong case is building that obesity medicine is becoming an economic disruptor on a scale that is equal or greater than any of […]
October 21, 2025 — The acute shortage of obesity medicines is over. But in absolute terms we are still operating with a mindset of scarcity when thoughts turn to obesity care. Policy often dictates limited access to care and even more so, to medicines that can so effectively treat this condition. What happens if we start thinking in terms […]
October 18, 2025 — It’s entertaining, but not really funny. At an Oval Office press event Thursday, which was supposed to be all about fertility drugs, President Trump opened his remarks talking about “a certain drug” that costs $130 in London and $1,300 in New York. “So now we’re going to be paying, instead of $1,300, you’ll be paying […]
September 10, 2025 — It’s almost funny. Except it’s not. This is deadly serious for people whose entire lives are shaped by obesity – people who need better access to care. The influential Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) issued a new draft report on the cost effectiveness of semaglutide and tirzepatide. In a nutshell, the report says […]
May 29, 2025 — A new analysis from Milliman has a revelation for health plan managers complaining loudly about the burdensome costs of GLP-1s blowing up their budgets. They’re doing it wrong. Expenses for GLP-1s that can dramatically improve the health of persons with obesity simply do not have to break the bank for a health plan. In fact, […]
April 23, 2025 — ICER, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, yesterday brought a sharp focus to the challenge of dealing with the money flowing for obesity medicines. Sarah Emond, ICER’s CEO, explained the challenge and the opportunity of this unique moment: “This new class of obesity medicines offers weight reduction and associated benefits that, if they’re sustained […]
March 15, 2025 — A new analysis in JAMA Health Forum yesterday shines a harsh light on pricing for new obesity medicines. In a rigorous econometric analysis, researchers found that new and highly effective medicines for obesity – Wegovy (semaglutide) and Zepbound (tirzepatide) – are both overpriced. They also found that the price and value of Wegovy was out […]
