GLP-1s

The world of GLP-1s is quickly evolving with new clinical research, insurance coverage decisions, and emerging products on the market.

President Joe Biden, who has challenged the pharmaceutical industry for decades, joined Sen. Bernie Sanders' clash with Novo Nordisk in a July 2 op-ed published in USA Today. 

Big costs require big decisions, as illustrated by how GLP-1s are causing leaders of hospital employee health plans to rethink their coverage plans. 

GLP-1s, the new blockbuster drug class, has taken off in popularity as a powerful treatment for patients with obesity and Type 2 diabetes, but they've driven a drastic increase in plastic surgery procedures, too, Bloomberg reported June 25.

Healthcare is in its GLP-1 era. Following Novo Nordisk's blockbuster success with Ozempic and Wegovy, many drugmakers are focused on developing new iterations of weight loss drugs that could come with fewer side effects and drive down costs. 

The prevalence of face-lifts increased 8% between 2022 and 2023, a growth that the American Society of Plastic Surgeons links to Ozempic and Wegovy, according to a June 25 report from the organization. 

By January 2025, Type 2 diabetes therapy Ozempic might be FDA approved for kidney disease-related events. 

Teva Pharmaceuticals is launching the first authorized generic of Victoza, the first generic GLP-1 product available in the United States.

GLP-1s, specifically semaglutide, had the largest effect on decreasing body mass index and maintaining weight management in children, according to a study published June 18 in JAMA Network.

Many physicians in obesity medicine have observed a trend among their patients: Those with obesity begin taking a weight loss drug like Wegovy, and their other chronic conditions improve or clear up entirely.