Famed Weight Loss Drug Wegovy by Novo Nordisk Sees Significant Drop In Long-Term Use, Study Reveals

Around 32% of patients prescribed Novo Nordisk A/S's NVO weight-loss drug, Wegovy, were still using the medication a year after their initial prescription, indicating a significant drop in adherence compared to what was reported in clinical trials.

The average annual cost of care for patients before taking Wegovy or a similar drug was $12,371; the cost increased by 59% to $19,657 after starting the medication.

Costs for a similar group of patients not taking the drugs decreased by 4% in the same period.

Wegovy and similar drugs can cost over $1,000 per month, Reuters reported, and any health improvements and subsequent cost reductions are unlikely to occur quickly.

Khrysta Baig, a health policy researcher at Vanderbilt University, commented that the findings indicate high spending on people unlikely to gain long-term health benefits from such drugs.

Prime Therapeutics, a pharmacy benefits manager, conducted the study, reviewing pharmacy and medical claims data for 4,255 people with commercial health plans prescribed GLP-1 agonists for obesity, prediabetes, or a body mass index of 30 or higher.

The reasons for prescription discontinuation were not asked, but potential factors could include severe side effects or an inability to afford co-pays or deductibles.

Patrick Gleason, a co-author of the analysis, said that in trials with adults, Novo found that 6.8% of patients taking Wegovy discontinued treatment due to gastrointestinal problems and other adverse events.

Despite drugmakers and doctors advocating for better insurance coverage for anti-obesity medications, most of Prime's commercial customers do not currently cover weight-loss drugs.

David Lassen, chief clinical officer at Prime Therapeutics, stated that two to three years of data would be needed to better understand the financial and medical outcomes for patients taking GLP-1 drugs for obesity.

Price Action: NVO shares are up 0.71% at $153.33 during the premarket session on the last check Wednesday.