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The Journal.

Trillion Dollar Shot, Episode 2: Bank Breakers

The Journal.

The Wall Street Journal

Daily News, Business News, News

4.25.3K Ratings

🗓️ 19 May 2024

⏱️ 38 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

As demand for the new class of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs skyrockets, one thing has stood in the way of many people trying to access them: cost. With a price tag around $1,000 a month for U.S. patients and many insurance companies refusing to cover these drugs for weight loss, patients are often turning to alternatives. In episode two of “Trillion Dollar Shot,” we look at the roadblocks to making these drugs more affordable, concerns that their high cost will negatively impact U.S. insurance systems, and the sometimes risk-laden options people are turning to in desperation. Listen: Trillion Dollar Shot, Episode 1: Birth of a Blockbuster Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hey, this is episode two of our new series on weight loss drugs like Ozempeck.

0:05.6

If you haven't listened to episode one, it's in your feed and you can find a link to it in the show notes. Hey Brad!

0:20.0

Hey Brad!

0:21.0

Hey Jess!

0:22.0

I'm so excited that you're hosting this episode with me. Me too. I'm so happy to be here.

0:28.4

So, Brad, in our last episode, we talked about this new class of drugs.

0:33.0

Ozemphic and Wagovi by Novo Nordisk and Moundaro and Zep Bound by Eli Lilly.

0:38.6

And we talked about how they've become these huge blockbusters.

0:42.1

Yes, I mean everyone wants them. The demand is wild

0:46.3

even though they're really expensive. You know when I was on Mountjaro I used money

0:52.2

from a health care savings account which made it a little easier for me to afford

0:56.8

But the total I was paying you know what that included was just over a thousand dollars a month and it changed a little month to month but eventually

1:04.3

I had to stop taking it even though it was working so well because I just couldn't

1:08.5

afford to keep paying that amount after the health savings account ran out.

1:12.0

Right, the list price of Ozzemphic is about $970 a month.

1:16.0

And granted, there are some pharmaceutical drugs that are like 10 times this amount.

1:21.0

It's just that they're usually covered by insurance.

1:24.0

But if you're paying out of pocket, like a lot of people are on these drugs for weight loss,

1:29.0

$1,000 a month is a chunk of change.

1:32.0

Yes, and affordability is something that we heard about from almost everyone we talked to for this series.

1:38.0

And one woman I spoke to, her story really stuck out to me.

1:42.0

Her name is Lori Sicketkello, she's 53 and she lives in Colorado.

...

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