Nearly 60% of Americans who started taking
About 30% of people who were prescribed the drugs stopped in the first month, according to data published in a report from the insurance company.
Read more:
The study looked only at patients who were prescribed either Novo Nordisk's Saxenda, a weight-loss drug introduced in 2014, and Wegovy, which came on the U.S. market in 2021. It didn't look at the use of Novo's Ozempic or Eli Lilly and Company's Mounjaro, diabetes drugs that are commonly used for weight loss, nor did it include Lilly's Zepbound, another anti-obesity drug that was approved last year.
The popularity and high prices of medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy have driven up costs for insurers, employers and government programs. While the drugs, known as GLP-1s, show substantial benefits for people with diabetes and obesity, insurance companies have balked at the cost.
Read more:
While most prescriptions are written by primary care providers, people who saw endocrinologists or obesity specialists were more likely to stay on treatment in the study.
Other research has shown that side effects and the cost of medication can be barriers to continuing use of the drugs. More than half of respondents in a recent poll from health researcher KFF said GLP-1 medications are difficult to afford even with insurance.
The Blue Cross Blue Shield analysis drew on medical and pharmacy claims data from 170,000 of its commercial health plan members.
