President Trump last week hailed his deal with pharma companies to cut the price of blockbuster weight loss drugs as a major win for his administration and for increasing drug affordability. The question is how big of a difference the agreement will make for patients.
The deal is expected to significantly expand access to GLP-1 drugs Wegovy and Zepbound for people in Medicare, many of whom will now get coverage to use the therapies specifically for weight loss. Novo and Lilly will sell their treatments to Medicare — currently with list prices around $1,000 a month — at reduced prices of around $250 a month, and in exchange, plans will eventually be required to cover the drugs for weight loss for high-risk patients. Beneficiaries would have a monthly copay of $50, which is less than the typical out-of-pocket cost for this class of treatments currently.
In this way, the deal goes beyond the other agreements President Trump has struck with other pharma companies including Pfizer and AstraZeneca, which experts expect will have little impact on drug affordability.
This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers
Unlock this article — plus daily coverage and analysis of the pharma industry — by subscribing to STAT+.
Already have an account? Log in
View All Plans
To read the rest of this story subscribe to STAT+.
Subscribe
