Economists warn of costs if US Medicare covers new obesity drugs

By Nancy Lapid (Reuters) – The cost of expanding U.S. Medicare prescription drug coverage to pay for expensive, new obesity medications could be catastrophic, health economists warned in a report published on Saturday. Big-selling diabetes drugs have been repurposed as obesity treatments after demonstrating weight loss of more than 20% in clinical trials. While they are far more effective than older drugs, lifetime use might be required to keep lost weight off. Once-weekly injections of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, for example, cost more than $13,000 per year in the U.S. after rebates and discounts….

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