Wegovy, a weight-loss drug that's captured the attention of the massesMillions of people desperate to lose weight want to take Wegovy or its sister drug Ozempic. Many doctors, relieved to have a new tool in their arsenal, want to prescribe them. And drugmakers, drooling over the prospective profits, want to sell them.These new injectable drugs represent a big leap in treating obesity.
At most, half of US employers help pay for weight-loss drugs for their workers, according to several estimates. While the others are feeling the pressure to expand coverage for the shots, few are likely to budge anytime soon. In fact, as demand for the shots continues to build, some employers are making it even tougher for workers to get their hands on the drugs by adding restrictions.
, for example, was once heralded as the cure for the obesity epidemic but was pulled from the market in 1997 after it was linked to heart damage. Workers are turning up the heat on employers to pay for these drugs, but talks between companies and their advisors always come back to the costs. Brent Eberle, the chief pharmacy officer at Navitus, said very few of the employers that worked with his pharmacy-benefit manager paid for weight-loss drugs. So far, the rest aren't jumping at the chance to start.