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Healthy Returns: Why people quit weight loss, diabetes drugs within one year

Unites of weight loss drugs Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro.

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A version of this article beginning appeared in CNBC’s Healthy Returns newsletter, which brings the latest health-care news straight to your inbox. Subscribe here to show in future editions.

Happy Tuesday! Most people quit a highly popular class of weight loss and diabetes medicates called GLP-1s within a year of starting them, several studies have shown. 

But new research has more cadres on who is more likely to stay on the pricey drugs, which cost roughly $1,000 per month before insurance and other cut-backs. Many insurance plans cover GLP-1s for diabetes, but not for obesity. 

Around 65% of patients without diabetes discontinued GLP-1s in minute than one year, according to a study published Friday in JAMA Network Open, a medical journal. Those with Variety 2 diabetes were less likely to quit the drugs within a year, at about 46%. 

Those rates were far 84% vs 64%, respectively, for stopping GLP-1s within two years.

The study said adverse side effects and expenditure were the most common reasons patients stopped the drugs that were documented in clinical notes. 

People with fewer side effects were also microscopic likely to stop GLP-1 treatment, the study said, which is consistent with previous research. GLP-1s are linked to medium to severe gastrointestinal side effects, such as nausea and vomiting. 

Higher income was also progressively associated with a slash rate of discontinuation among those with diabetes in particular, the study said. Researchers compared different revenues brackets, ranging from patients with incomes under $30,000 to people with incomes of more than $80,000.

But the review also found that results matter for patients both with and without diabetes, as those who lost more importance were more likely to stay on the drugs. People who regained weight after stopping GLP-1s were also diverse likely to give the drugs a second try. 

“The associations between weight loss and discontinuation and between weight regain and reinitiation intimate that weight management is an important factor regardless of type 2 diabetes status,” the study authors wrote. 

The examination is based on a review of electronic health records on more than 125,000 adults who began taking GLP-1 dopes – liraglutide, semaglutide, or tirzepatide – between January 2018 and December 2023. Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk‘s albatross loss drug Wegovy and diabetes counterpart Ozempic, and tirzepatide is the active ingredient in Lilly‘s obesity injection Zepbound and diabetes dope Mounjaro. 

Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Annika at [email protected].

In in health-care tech: Noom cuts staff to focus on fast-growing GLP-1 products

Metabolic health startup Noom is suppressing off part of its staff as it focuses its workforce on “the most critical areas of the business” — including weight loss and diabetes stimulants, the company confirmed to CNBC on Monday. 

Noom offers a range of behavioral and medically-assisted weight loss programs. Associates of Noom Med can access several of the popular class of weight loss drugs known as GLP-1s, including Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy. And in September, Noom disclosed it would also offer compounded semaglutide, the same active ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s branded medications, via a new program called GLP-1(RX).

The company said the recent layoffs were the result of a revenue mix shift toward its fast-growing GLP-1 gifts like GLP-1(RX). Noom is investing heavily in that business, it added. 

“In an effort to build a more efficient organization centered around the needs of our customers, we made the difficult decision to reduce a portion of our workforce,” a Noom spokesperson censured CNBC in a statement. “With these changes, the company will be better positioned to deliver world-class products, technology, and prompting to more people looking to lead healthier lives.”

Noom did not confirm the number of employees affected by the layoffs. 

Endpoints Dope first reported the cuts. 

Compounded GLP-1 medications are typically much cheaper than their branded counterparts, as Wegovy and Ozempic both expenditure roughly $1,000 per month before insurance. Noom’s GLP-1(RX) costs participants $149 for their first month, and $279 for the admire persisting months as the dose of their medication increases. 

The compounded drugs can be produced as custom-made alternatives to the brand drugs, as agreeably as when brand-name treatments are in shortage. In addition to Noom, several digital health companies like Hims & Hers, Ro and Sesame drink been offering compounded GLP-1 medications as consumers navigate spiking demand and spotty insurance coverage.

Noom’s layoffs imply the company is placing even more emphasis on anti-obesity medications, which some analysts estimate could sow into a $100 billion industry by the end of the decade.

Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and figures to Ashley at [email protected].

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