Back in January, we wrote an editorial entitled, “GLP-1 weight-loss drugs should be made affordable for all Americans.”
We pointed out that the U.S. ranks among the most obese nations in the world — an astounding 72 percent of Americans are deemed to be overweight. We also noted that the new GLP-1 drugs, which originally were designed to help persons with diabetes (by making sugary, salty, and high-fat foods less appealing), had the “side-effect” of bringing about significant weight-loss in the consumers of these drugs.
It also has been found that the GLP-1 drugs not only help to decrease users’ appetite for food, but also to reduce their cravings for harmful substances such as alcohol, drugs, and even cigarettes, and to reduce the “food noise” for those with eating disorders.
Researchers also have established that the GLP-1 drugs improve the health of our cardiovascular system, liver, brain, and kidneys, and even help with sleep apnea.
In short, the GLP-1 drugs offer the potential of a life-changing medicine that could benefit tens of millions of Americans.
However, as we noted in our editorial in January, the GLP-1 drugs were prohibitively expensive — about $1300 per month — for those not eligible for a prescription for their diabetes, which is the only condition covered by most health plans and Medicare for the drugs.
That all changed this past month with an agreement forged by President Donald Trump with the makers of these drugs, Eli Lilly (Mounjaro and Zepbound) and Novo Nordisk (Ozempic and Wegovy), by which they agreed to reduce their prices by more than 50%. For some consumers (who had been eligible for a previous 50% reduction off the $1300 sticker price), this has worked out to a greatly-reduced monthly rate of about $350 per month.
In short, President Trump’s deal makes these drugs much more affordable for millions of our fellow citizens who now can begin to take advantage of this miracle medicine. Trump’s efforts not only will benefit the health of individual Americans, but also promise to reduce our national healthcare costs in the years ahead.