Medically reviewed by Medicine.com.
By Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, July 11, 2024 — Three of 4 sufferers cease taking Ozempic or Wegovy two years after being prescribed the blockbuster medication for weight reduction, a brand new evaluation exhibits.
Carried out by Prime Therapeutics and Magellan Rx Administration (MRx), the assessment sifted by pharmacy and medical claims information for 3,364 individuals with insurance coverage that cowl the GLP-1 medication. Sufferers had acquired new prescriptions between January and December 2021, and all have been identified with weight problems.
Importantly, the evaluation excluded sufferers utilizing the medication for kind 2 diabetes, for which GLP-1 medicines have been initially developed.
Whereas the report didn’t delve into why sufferers give up, it does supply a sobering view of the real-world experiences of individuals taking the medication.
“GLP-1s are unlikely to ship therapeutic worth when so many people cease therapy after two years, however the findings additionally illustrate the necessity for weight problems care administration packages to enhance adherence,” David Lassen, chief medical officer at Prime/MRx, stated in a information launch.
Wegovy and comparable GLP-1 medicines can price greater than $1,000 a month and prolonged use is required for significant well being advantages.
“GLP-1s for all isn’t cost-effective,” Dr. Rekha Kumar, an weight problems specialist at New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Middle, instructed Reuters. “Folks need to present weight problems care to their workers, however they need to do it in a approach that doesn’t bankrupt them.”
For sufferers, it could simply be too robust to remain on the medicines indefinitely, the assessment discovered.
With Wegovy, simply 24.1% of sufferers stayed on the medicine over two years with no hole of 60 days or extra, down from 36% who stayed on the drug for one yr. With Ozempic, which has the identical lively ingredient as Wegovy, 22.2% of sufferers saved filling their prescriptions at two years, down from 47.1% who had used it for one yr.
Older GLP-1 medication fared even worse. At two years, solely 7.4% of sufferers have been nonetheless taking Novo’s Saxenda, a much less efficient weight-loss drug that some well being plans require sufferers to attempt earlier than newer GLPs like Novo Nordick’s Wegovy or Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, Reuters reported.
In a press release, Novo Nordisk famous that Wegovy wasn’t launched till June 2021, the center of the research interval, and it wasn’t instantly coated by insurance coverage. In the meantime, Ozempic isn’t authorized for weight reduction, which may have an effect on each insurance coverage protection and adherence, the Danish drugmaker instructed Reuters.
The corporate added it “doesn’t imagine these information are enough to attract conclusions about total affected person adherence and persistence to numerous GLP-1 medicines, together with our therapies.”
The evaluation didn’t monitor long-term use of Lilly’s Zepbound, which launched after the research began. The corporate had no touch upon the findings, Reuters reported.
Whereas the brand new evaluation didn’t ask sufferers why they stopped the medication, it like owes to a mixture of unwanted side effects comparable to nausea and vomiting, out-of-pocket prices not coated by insurance coverage and provide shortages, evaluation co-author Dr. Patrick Gleason, assistant vp for well being outcomes at Prime/MRx, instructed Reuters.
Some sufferers could determine to cease the medicine as soon as they lose the specified weight, docs stated, despite the fact that analysis has proven many sufferers who give up acquire the load again.
“Nobody actually is aware of how lengthy you ought to be on these medicines,” stated Dr. Walid Gellad, a professor of drugs on the College of Pittsburgh who research medicine adherence.
Sources
- Prime Therapeutics and Magellan Rx Administration, evaluation, July 10, 2024
- Reuters
Disclaimer: Statistical information in medical articles present basic traits and don’t pertain to people. Particular person elements can fluctuate drastically. At all times search personalised medical recommendation for particular person healthcare choices.
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Posted July 2024
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