The Year Ahead 2024
New Weight-Loss Drugs Like Wegovy Will Supercharge Pharma Revenue
Despite teeming initial demand, questions remain about their lofty prices and uncertain benefits for insurers and Medicare.
This article is for subscribers only.
Big Pharma’s weight-loss bonanza is just beginning. New GLP-1 obesity drugs such as Wegovy are coming to market, and others in development could help patients shed more pounds with fewer side effects. But the market also faces headwinds. Demand will almost certainly endure, but it’s unclear whether drugmakers can keep up production. And weight-loss shots of the new semaglutide-based drugs can cost $1,350 a month. Will insurance, governments or consumers foot the bill?
The rapid adoption of meds used for weight loss helped make them blockbusters faster than other hit drugs.