[1/2] A selection of injector pens for the Saxenda weight loss drug are shown in this photo illustration in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., March 31, 2023. REUTERS/Jim Vondruska/Illustration/File Photo
June 27 (Reuters) – Shawnte struggled with her weight for years before she was prescribed Novo Nordisk’s (NOVOb.CO) diabetes drug Ozempic for weight loss in 2020, helping the former music industry professional from New York lose more than 50 pounds over two years.
But last year, the 46-year-old, who asked to be identified only by her first name to protect her privacy, was told her health insurance would not cover her weight loss treatment. She said she was directed to take cheaper weight-loss medications, which aren’t as effective.
The health insurance plan, which Shawnte’s husband received through his job at media company Warner Bros, said she wasn’t eligible for Ozempic because she didn’t have diabetes. A new and more expensive version of the drug specifically for weight loss, called Wegovy, had been approved in 2021 by U.S. health regulators. But the employer only agreed to foot the bill for Wegovy after Shawnte’s husband complained to his human resources department and a representative pushed to cover it.
Obesity drug Wegovy’s popularity has US employers rethinking insurance coverage
