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The FDA approved Eli Lilly’s injectable weight loss drug today to be marketed as Zepbound. On a chemical level, Zepbound is the same as Mounjaro, Lilly’s GLP-1 agonist already approved to treat diabetes. Zepbound was shown to help people without diabetes lose an average of 18% of their body weight in a late-stage clinical trial. “In light of increasing rates of both obesity and overweight in the United States, today’s approval addresses an unmet medical need,” John Sharretts, who oversees the diabetes and obesity division at the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
Employers have already been bracing for massive hikes to their employee healthcare costs amid the clamor and growing number of indications for the drugs. Forbes senior contributor Bruce Japsen reports that health benefits consultant Aon is estimating U.S. employers will see average healthcare costs per employee rise 8.5% to $15,000 in 2024. One full percentage point of the total, or $150, is attributed to GLP-1 drug spending growth.
Meanwhile, last week Lilly competitor Novo Nordisk, which manufactures Ozempic and Wegovy, reported record quarterly profits and sales thanks to the blockbuster drugs.Amazon Prime’s New $9 Primary Care Subscription Undercuts Amazon’s Other Health Services
Amazon unveiled its latest healthcare play: offering steeply discounted memberships to One Medical, the primary care company it acquired this year for $3.5 billion, to its tens of millions of Amazon Prime U.S. customers. It’s another in a series of experiments by the retail behemoth to carve off a slice of the $4.3 trillion U.S. healthcare market.
