Covering Wegovy for heart risk could cost Medicare tens of billions: study

BioPharma Dive August 27, 2024
Emily Olsen

If all newly eligible patients received Novo’s GLP-1 drug, Medicare Part D spending could increase by $34 billion to $145 billion each year, according to new research.

Dive Brief:

• An expensive weight loss drug could become one of Medicare’s costliest medications, even if the majority of patients are ineligible for coverage, according to a study published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
• The analysis found 3.6 million people are likely to be eligible for treatment with semaglutide, a GLP-1 drug that’s approved as Wegovy to treat obesity and reduce heart risk. More liberal definitions of eligibility could increase that number to 15.2 million people.
• If all newly eligible patients received semaglutide, spending in Medicare’s Part D prescription drug...

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