Dive Brief:
- Elevance Health is launching a digital weight management program as interest picks up around new medications for weight loss called GLP-1s.
- The program announced Monday will be available in the spring for employer clients of Elevance’s pharmacy benefit manager CarelonRx. Users who are prescribed GLP-1 drugs will have access to medication management support and a digital companion module, according to the release.
- Elevance joins a growing list of insurers expanding their weight management offerings after demand for GLP-1 drugs has soared over the past year.
Dive Insight:
Utilization of GLP-1s, short for glucagon-like peptide 1 agonists, has been building as the drugs, originally approved for diabetes, are used more frequently for weight loss.
Heightened demand for GLP-1s, which include Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy, have created a worldwide shortage of the drugs, despite their hefty price tags. List prices for Wegovy and Ozempic can hover around $1,000, although net prices — negotiated by companies in part through PBMs — can be lower.
Insurers have been pulling back on coverage of the drugs to rein in costs as demand surges. However, payers’ own PBMs are seeing benefits from rising demand for GLP-1s. Last year, insurers including Elevance said they generated notable revenue from GLP-1s in their pharmacy arms.
Elevance’s new program will provide coaching and tools to help customers monitor weight loss, along with screenings for behavioral health and social needs, according to the insurer.
Cigna and UnitedHealth have also announced similar programs in a bid to capitalize on GLP-1 furor.
Cigna’s health services arm Evernorth — which includes its PBM Express Scripts — released its chronic condition management program dubbed EncircleRx last year after Evernorth saw an increase in GLP-1 utilization.
UnitedHealth released its weight management program Optum Rx Weight Engage in January.
