How Much Should Weight Loss Drugs Cost?

[adria37]

Does anybody here know what health insurance companies / pharmacy benefits managers actually pay for a month of brand-name semaglutide or tirzepatide, including the insured's co-pay? It could be $5 or it could be nearly list price, for all I know.

As obnoxious as it is with procedures, where you can't possibly be entitled to know the contracted price that's been negotiated between each insurer and each provider until after you've had the procedure and they've overbilled and had the price knocked down ... the behind-the-scenes Rx prices are kept super-duper-double-top-secret.

Pricing: US
Solution (Zepbound Subcutaneous)

2.5 mg/0.5 mL (per 0.5 mL): $104.70

5 mg/0.5 mL (per 0.5 mL): $149.70

7.5 mg/0.5 mL (per 0.5 mL): $179.70

10 mg/0.5 mL (per 0.5 mL): $209.70

Solution Auto-injector (Mounjaro Subcutaneous)

2.5 mg/0.5 mL (per 0.5 mL): $323.93

5 mg/0.5 mL (per 0.5 mL): $323.93

7.5 mg/0.5 mL (per 0.5 mL): $323.93

10 mg/0.5 mL (per 0.5 mL): $323.93

12.5 mg/0.5 mL (per 0.5 mL): $323.93

15 mg/0.5 mL (per 0.5 mL): $323.93

Solution Auto-injector (Zepbound Subcutaneous)

2.5 mg/0.5 mL (per 0.5 mL): $325.91

5 mg/0.5 mL (per 0.5 mL): $325.91

7.5 mg/0.5 mL (per 0.5 mL): $325.91

10 mg/0.5 mL (per 0.5 mL): $325.91

12.5 mg/0.5 mL (per 0.5 mL): $325.91

15 mg/0.5 mL (per 0.5 mL): $325.91

Disclaimer: A representative AWP (Average Wholesale Price) price or price range is provided as reference price only. A range is provided when more than one manufacturer's AWP price is available and uses the low and high price reported by the manufacturers to determine the range. The pricing data should be used for benchmarking purposes only, and as such should not be used alone to set or adjudicate any prices for reimbursement or purchasing functions or considered to be an exact price for a single product and/or manufacturer. Medi-Span expressly disclaims all warranties of any kind or nature, whether express or implied, and assumes no liability with respect to accuracy of price or price range data published in its solutions. In no event shall Medi-Span be liable for special, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from use of price or price range data. Pricing data is updated monthly.

Edited to add if you aren't familiar with AWP to get the monthly dose you have to multiple the total by 4. The people making the $ are the drug companies.

 

[nonyabizznez]

Dupixent has other uses. I have a sibling taking it for a non skin auto immune thing

The point wasn't the indication but the cost of GLP meds versus other meds. Not defending it just googling drugs while watching TV

 

[indolent]

to get the monthly dose you have to multiple the total by 4

Thanks. Interesting. So these prices are per single-use vial/pen (not per box of 4)?

And by "wholesale", what is meant? There doesn't seem to be any room for dispensing pharmacist markup, let alone PBM-negotiated pricing.

 

[Myturbo4032]

I often Google the cost of medications being advertised while watching TV. Hate to say it but $1000/mo for GLPs are at the bottom of the list.

Here are three (frequency of ads, definitely not the top three in cost)

Rinvoq: A medication used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ulcerative colitis.
15 mg tablets: $7,059.14 per month, 30 mg tablets: $13,956.92 per month, and 45 mg tablets: $20,854.70 per month.

Dupixent: A medication used to treat moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (eczema).
$5,520/mo but a SingleCare discount card can reduce that cost by about $1,900, bringing it down to about $3,310 per month

Skyrizi: A medication used to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.
$11,381.65 for 1, 600 mg/10 mL vial. That's more than $33,000 for the first three months of Skyrizi treatment

Holy shit

 

[indolent]

I often Google the cost of medications being advertised while watching TV.

Those are all bargain-bin drugs! Lenmeldy, the #1 winner, is $4,200,000.00 for a single child-size dose.

The most expensive drugs in the US

From Orchard’s Lenmeldy to Vertex and CRISPR Therapeutics’s Casgevy, Pharmaceutical Technology lists the top ten priciest therapies in the US.

www.pharmaceutical-technology.com

 

[adria37]

Thanks. Interesting. So these prices are per single-use vial/pen (not per box of 4)?

And by "wholesale", what is meant? There doesn't seem to be any room for dispensing pharmacist markup, let alone PBM-negotiated pricing.

it is based on the price per dose. Average wholesale price is what the average amount a pharmacy pays for the drug. Some pay a little less some pay a little more the number is the average. There is very little mark-up the money goes to the drug company

 

[nonyabizznez]

Those are all bargain-bin drugs! Lenmeldy, the #1 winner, is $4,200,000.00 for a single child-size dose.

The most expensive drugs in the US

From Orchard’s Lenmeldy to Vertex and CRISPR Therapeutics’s Casgevy, Pharmaceutical Technology lists the top ten priciest therapies in the US.

www.pharmaceutical-technology.com

And Wow!

I went with a few top advertised ruling out GLP-1s, Jardiance and HIV preventatives (also $$). Just stuck with vanilla drugs.

 

[AndyPanda]

I saw a reel the other day of some woman crying because she bought a brand new luxury car, and her THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS PER MONTH of food stamps was cut. I think it would be cheaper to give these people GLP’s. I see a lot of the low income people that are morbidly obese. Seems like we could save on healthcare and EBT if these people took this stuff.

 

[hotdog!]

I saw a reel the other day of some woman crying because she bought a brand new luxury car, and her THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS PER MONTH of food stamps was cut. I think it would be cheaper to give these people GLP’s. I see a lot of the low income people that are morbidly obese. Seems like we could save on healthcare and EBT if these people took this stuff.

I think we could save a lot on proper OVERSIGHT to avoid these blatant abuse and fraud cases that are certainly not the majority of people who are on food stamps. If you're one of the people still believing in the welfare queen trope, get with it.

Affordable GLP-1's for the morbidly obese would pay for itself with the healthcare cost savings from obesity complications. And if they made it affordable for EVERYONE, it wouldn't be profitable to resell their doses to others. But they don't care about public health, so.

 

[m100568]

According to one study, the actual production cost for a month's supply of Ozempic is less than $5.00. Of course, big pharma will scream that it costs billions to research, which is true. So what is a reasonable cost? I think that you have to look at the market. If it is an orphan drug with potential patients numbering in the thousands, then that would justify higher costs. But, GLP-1s have the largest potential number of users in the history of medicine. Worldwide it is in the billions. And, better yet for the drug companies, they expect you to keep taking it for life. So, what is a fair price when you have that many potential patients? My personal opinion is that out-of-pocket payers should be $100 per month. That still builds in a large profit margin that quickly reimburses for all the research, and still gives a huge profit considering the number of potential patients.

 

[ktg123]

A whole lot less than they are! An article said it costs $5.00 to put a pharmacy-ready box of Ozempic on the shelf. They charge about $1,000? If that still holds true, they are netting a profit of 19,900.00%! What else in the world has a 20,000% markup? It’s disgusting to do this to medicine.

The markup is ridiculous, but my complaint, using Wegovy for example, is this: