Rise of GLP-1s Puts Growing Pressure on Medicaid

One in five state Medicaid programs covered at least one anti-obesity medication in 2023, while the amount of reimbursement for these drugs has increased dramatically over the past decade, according to a recent JAMA study.

The researchers studied state Medicaid coverage policies for six anti-obesity drugs approved by the FDA through 2022 — orlistat, lorcaserin, phentermine-topiramate, bupropion-naltrexone, liraglutide, and semaglutide. For the two GLP-1s — liraglutide and semaglutide — the study examined both their branded versions for obesity treatment (Saxenda and Wegovy) and the versions to treat diabetes (Victoza and Ozempic). (It is likely, per news reports, that a substantial amount of diabetes-coded utilization of GLP-1s is actually off-label weight loss utilization.)