Pharmaceutical advocates have hyped the success of high-priced, weight-loss drugs like Ozempic in a campaign to make appetite-suppressing medications a new standard of obesity care, retail analysts say.
Walmart reported this month that it saw a slight reduction in food purchases among customers using prescription anti-diabetes medications such as Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy. That prompted supermarket chain Kroger and snack food company Conagra Brands to say they could consider selling smaller and healthier portions if the trend persists.
⦁ Under its patent monopoly, Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk charges a monthly premium of $300 to $1,300 for Wegovy — a version of Ozempic approved for weight loss. The drug costs about $35 to manufacture. “As much as you might want to lose weight, a lot of people in this economy just aren’t going to afford $1,000 a month,” said Mr. Puzder, a former CEO of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s parent company CKE Restaurants.
Meanwhile, Indianapolis-based competitor Eli Lilly & Co. has seen similar growth in prescription sales for Mounjaro, the brand name of a diabetes drug known as tirzepatide that observers expect to be approved for weight loss this year. Reintroduced this year, the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act had 17 co-sponsors in the Senate last year and 125 in the House. It has yet to reach a floor vote in either chamber.
Both drugs reduce body weight 10% to 20% by slowing digestion, which makes users feel full with smaller portions of food.The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, said public health insurance coverage of “prescription weight loss agents” remains optional under the Social Security Act.
He said even the most “bullish estimates” show the share of Americans using the drugs regularly will grow from 1.5% last year to 7% by 2035, putting any notable impact on food consumption habits in the “distant future.”
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