Making Sense of Weight-Loss Drugs’ Cost and Coverage

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• 00:02

  Here's your money briefing for Wednesday, June 4th.

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  I'm Callum Borschers for The Wall Street Journal.

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  It's a confusing time to shop for GLP-1 weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy.

• 00:15

  The insurance plan you expected to cover your prescription might not pick up the tab after all.

• 00:21

  At least there's no longer a shortage of these popular medications.

• 00:24

  The law of supply and demand means prices will come down, right?

• 00:28

  So much when it comes to the cost of GLP-1 drugs is it depends.

• 00:32

  And that's very frustrating for consumers,

• 00:34

  especially for people who really want access to these drugs and don't have the means to get the access.

• 00:39

  We'll try to make sense of the GLP-1 market with WSJ contributor Cheryl Winninger-Munk.

• 00:45

  That's coming right up after the break.

• 01:02

  GLP-1 weight loss drugs have helped millions of people treat obesity and related conditions like diabetes.

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  But name brand medications like Ozempic and Wagovi can cost more than $1,000 a month

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  if you're paying out of pocket.

• 01:14

  There are ways to reduce your expenses, if you know the playbook.

• 01:18

  Wall Street Journal contributor Cheryl Winokur-Monk is here to clue us in.

• 01:21

  Cheryl, why are these drugs so expensive in the first place?

• 01:25

  Well, for a couple of reasons.

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  So first, newer drugs tend to cost more because of the upfront research and development.

• 01:31

  There are also patent laws that limit competition and keep prices higher.

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