Prescription Fills for Zepbound, Wegovy Weight Loss Drugs Double: GoodRx
A combination image shows an injection pen of Zepbound, Eli Lilly's weight loss drug, and boxes of Wegovy, manufactured by Novo Nordisk.
Reuters
According to data released Thursday by drug savings company GoodRx, the number of prescription blockbuster weight loss drugs in the U.S. more than doubled in 2024, despite limited insurance coverage and high out-of-pocket costs for the treatments.
The numbers are further evidence of insatiable demand for a popular class of drugs called GLP-1 and GIP agonists, which mimic gut hormones to suppress appetite and regulate blood sugar. This includes Novo Nordisk's weight loss medication Wegovy and Eli Lilly's obesity treatment Zepbound, which have hefty list prices of around $1,000 per month without insurance or savings cards.
Prescription drug counts for Wegovy and Zepbound have increased by more than 100% and 300%, respectively, since the start of 2024. Zepbound's increase reflects its first year on the market, as it was approved in the US in November 2023. Wegovy received US approval in 2021.
“It's just a pretty astronomical increase in sales, and for that reason a lot of eyes are on its affordability and accessibility,” said Tori Marsh, director of research at GoodRx, in an interview.
The data comes from GoodRx's new Weight Loss Medications Tracker, which examines filling trends and spending patterns in the U.S. for popular weight loss medications.
According to GoodRx, compliance rates are high, with only 9% of commercially insured people having full Zepbound coverage and 14% having full Wegovy coverage. This refers to insurance coverage that does not require patients to overcome additional hurdles, such as prior approval or higher BMI requirements.
Far higher rates of patients — about 60% to 70% — have insurance plans with more restrictive drug coverage. However, Marsh said that even if a patient has insurance coverage for weight loss treatment, out-of-pocket costs can add up.
The average insured taking Zepbound can expect to pay over $2,500 a year in copays for the drug, she said. GoodRx found that people spent an average of $231 out of pocket on a monthly Zepbound prescription from January 2023 to October of this year.
“Insurance is simply no longer the emergency solution it once was,” Marsh said.
Meanwhile, almost one in five commercially insured people does not have insurance coverage for at least one brand-name GLP-1 and GIP agonist prescribed for weight loss.
GoodRx found that Americans overspent at least $200 million by paying full retail prices for weight-loss drugs instead of using savings options like GoodRx coupons or assistance programs from Eli Lilly or Novo Nordisk. GoodRx said it calculated the overpayment figure based on the average price people could have paid for a drug with a GoodRx discount.
GoodRx says its weight-loss drug coupons can save people without insurance an average of $250 per month or $3,000 per year.
GoodRx's data is consistent with other research indicating that insurance coverage for weight-loss medications is patchy in the United States. For example, a survey released in October found that fewer than a fifth of large employers in the country include the cost of these treatments in their health insurance plans.
The federal Medicare plan also does not cover weight loss treatments unless they are approved and prescribed for another health condition. Research has shown that covering the drugs could significantly increase costs for employers and state and federal governments.
But the Biden administration proposed a rule in November that would allow Medicare and Medicaid to cover weight-loss medications for patients with obesity. If given the green light by the new Trump administration, the rule would significantly expand access to the treatments.
