Sydney Lupkin
Appearances
NPR News Now
NPR News: 01-17-2025 7PM EST
The type 2 diabetes blockbuster drug is joined by its obesity drug cousin, Wagovi, as well as drugs for various cancers, asthma, psoriasis, and bipolar disorder. The government can't pick just any drugs in Medicare. There are certain rules laid out in the Inflation Reduction Act that say which drugs are eligible. The negotiations will take place in the coming months. Sydney Lufkin, NPR News.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 01-17-2025 7PM EST
The federal government and the pharmaceuticals industry are about to go head-to-head once again. In its last full weekday in office, the Biden administration has named the next 15 drugs up for price negotiation in Medicare. Ozempic is on the list.
Up First from NPR
Trump On TikTok Ban, N. Korean Soldiers in Ukraine, Obesity Drug Shortage Ends
Yeah, hi, Scott.
Up First from NPR
Trump On TikTok Ban, N. Korean Soldiers in Ukraine, Obesity Drug Shortage Ends
Yeah. And in most circumstances, it would be celebrated all around. But in this case, many people will end up spending more to manage their obesity. Here's what's happening. Terzepatide is the active ingredient in Eli Lilly's Zepbound for Obesity and Manjaro for Diabetes.
Up First from NPR
Trump On TikTok Ban, N. Korean Soldiers in Ukraine, Obesity Drug Shortage Ends
Specialized pharmacies called compounding pharmacies have been legally allowed to make what are essentially copies of terzepatide Because the brand name drugs were in shortage. And the compounded versions of the medicines were a lot cheaper. A few hundred dollars a month for patients compared with $1,000 or more for the brand name drugs.
Up First from NPR
Trump On TikTok Ban, N. Korean Soldiers in Ukraine, Obesity Drug Shortage Ends
Yeah, so the stakes are high. In October, FDA first said the shortage was over, but a trade group for the largest compounding pharmacies sued the FDA, challenging that determination. The compounders said there was no way the shortage could be over because many patients still couldn't fill their name-brand prescriptions
Up First from NPR
Trump On TikTok Ban, N. Korean Soldiers in Ukraine, Obesity Drug Shortage Ends
And they allege that the FDA hadn't determined how many people would need to make the switch from the compounded to the name brand drugs either. So the FDA took another look and for a second time declared the triseptide shortage resolved.
Up First from NPR
Trump On TikTok Ban, N. Korean Soldiers in Ukraine, Obesity Drug Shortage Ends
The agency says it took a look at many factors, including the drug manufacturer's inventory data, projected demand. It says it also spoke to patients, healthcare providers, and compounding pharmacies. Bottom line, the agency said it thinks Eli Lilly can make enough. Lilly said in a statement that the FDA decision reflects the company's hard work to expand its manufacturing capacity.
Up First from NPR
Trump On TikTok Ban, N. Korean Soldiers in Ukraine, Obesity Drug Shortage Ends
and meet patient needs. So compounding pharmacies will need to stop making and selling the compounded versions in February or March, depending on their size.
Up First from NPR
Trump On TikTok Ban, N. Korean Soldiers in Ukraine, Obesity Drug Shortage Ends
Yes, though the exact number is hard to pin down. I've heard from lots of patients who consider them a lifeline, and that's because many health insurers won't cover the drugs for weight loss. Medicare, for instance, is banned from covering drugs for weight loss because of an old law written at a time when having obesity was considered more of a personal failure than a health condition.
Up First from NPR
Trump On TikTok Ban, N. Korean Soldiers in Ukraine, Obesity Drug Shortage Ends
That means people without coverage will have to pay the full sticker price for the name brand drugs, and that's unaffordable for a lot of people who've turned to the cheaper compounded versions of the drugs.
Up First from NPR
Trump On TikTok Ban, N. Korean Soldiers in Ukraine, Obesity Drug Shortage Ends
Some are stockpiling the compounded drugs, you know, while they can. I checked in with Mary Struski, an Arizona woman who told me a few weeks ago about how she lost 50 pounds so far on compounded terzepatide. She says she and her nurse practitioner settled on a plan to buy enough terzepatide to get her through until about April.
Up First from NPR
Trump On TikTok Ban, N. Korean Soldiers in Ukraine, Obesity Drug Shortage Ends
And after that, she isn't sure, but she says she needs to find a way to keep taking the medicine.
Up First from NPR
Trump On TikTok Ban, N. Korean Soldiers in Ukraine, Obesity Drug Shortage Ends
Her health is better, and she says she's free of the anxiety that came with eating. She's thinking about what she wants to accomplish in 2025.
Up First from NPR
Trump On TikTok Ban, N. Korean Soldiers in Ukraine, Obesity Drug Shortage Ends
You know, it could because the FDA just approved ZepBound as the first drug treatment for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in patients who have obesity. Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition in which someone temporarily pauses breathing in their sleep because their upper airway collapses. It is more common among people who have obesity.
Up First from NPR
Trump On TikTok Ban, N. Korean Soldiers in Ukraine, Obesity Drug Shortage Ends
The new approval could open the door for ZEP-bound coverage by Medicare and Medicaid because it's not just a weight loss drug anymore. So while that's not going to solve everyone's insurance problems here, it could help a lot of people.
Up First from NPR
Trump On TikTok Ban, N. Korean Soldiers in Ukraine, Obesity Drug Shortage Ends
You bet.