Share this @internewscast.com

Powerful weight loss medications aren’t reaching the people who need them most, according to researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. 

The barriers to the drugs are many: Getting a prescription; finding a pharmacy with the drug in stock and being able to pay for it. 

“Obesity has been a long-standing clinical and public health change and it’s growing in scope,” said Dr. Chiadi Ndumele, director of obesity and cardiometabolic research in the division of cardiology at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, who presented the findings Tuesday at an American Heart Association meeting in Chicago. The findings have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

“In recent years, we’ve developed increasingly powerful pharmacotherapies, particularly these GLP-1 receptor agonists, that have a fairly profound impact on obesity,” he said, referring to the class of drugs that includes Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound.

“That being said,” Ndumele said, “we still recognize that the uptake of these agents is still fairly limited.”

The new findings come shortly after NBC News reported on the deep racial and geographical disparities seen in the United States among those who are prescribed a weight loss drug. 

Insurance, in particular, can be a major obstacle, given the drugs’ expensive list price, averaging around $1,000 a month. But the Hopkins researchers found that even among patients whose insurance did cover the drugs, getting a doctor to write a prescription was still unlikely — even rare. 

“Coverage is very important, but coverage is only part of the story,” Ndumele said. 

The study looked at health records from 18,000 patients who had gone to a Johns Hopkins outpatient clinic from January to September 2023. 

All had obesity, meaning a body mass index of at least 30, and all had insurance coverage for the medications.

Only 2.3%, however, the researchers found, were prescribed a weight loss drug.  

That figure did not come as a surprise to Ndumele, who said that factors such as the cost of copays and the hassle of obtaining prior authorization may be among the reasons that people didn’t get prescriptions. 

There is also “an additional question of how comfortable we currently are in engaging in the obesity conversation with patients,” Ndumele said. “I’m a physician who focuses a lot on obesity and I can tell you, in terms of research and clinically, I can tell you that there’s often some who are not always the most adept at raising the conversation of obesity. As a result, it often goes underaddressed in clinical environments.”

That, coupled with weight bias and weight stigma, he said, can impact how the topic of weight loss drugs may come up.

Among the small sliver of patients who did get a prescription for a weight loss drug, disparities were apparent: Over all, white adults were more likely to get a prescription than Asian or Black adults. 

Adults with a BMI of 35 or more, hypertension, or Type 2 diabetes also had a higher likelihood of getting a prescription. However, the discrepancy between white and Black adults still held, with white adults more likely to get a prescription, despite higher rates of severe obesity and hypertension among Black adults. 

Adults in their 40s were more likely to get a prescription compared to other age groups, the researchers found. Women were more likely to get a prescription than men. 

Ndumele noted that the 18,000 study participants visited a wide range of outpatient clinics at Johns Hopkins and were not limited to primary care or weight-related care. Some may have gone to a dermatologist or a gynecologist, for example. A patient’s weight and weight loss medications may not have been the subject of the visit. 

Dr. Christopher Chapman, a gastroenterologist who is certified in obesity medicine at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, said that additional factors such as in-office conversations and medication shortages may also play a role in the limited number of prescriptions written.

“If you fix the insurance issue, you’re getting a head start but not necessarily solving all the barriers that are going to prevent you from getting these medications,” Chapman said.

“Overall, this is a bigger and more complex problem and it is unlikely that providing universal insurance coverage in isolation will lead to future equitable access,” he said.

Dr. Sahar Takkouche, chief medical officer for Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital and an obesity medicine specialist, said that more physicians need to be trained in obesity medicine so that they’ll feel comfortable discussing these drugs with their patients. 

“There’s a ton of misinformation out there and there’s a limited amount of people who have knowledge to be able to prescribe” weight loss drugs, she said. 

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
The East Wing demolition was 'jarring.' But a White House history buff sees a silver lining

White House East Wing Demolition: A History Buff’s Unexpected Silver Lining

Stewart McLaurin had been anticipating the changes. An entire section of the…
Tool helps determine how much money you can save by driving an electric vehicle

Unlock Significant Savings: Discover Your Potential with Our Electric Vehicle Savings Calculator

PHILADELPHIA — A new tool is available to help drivers estimate potential…
Alleged stalker detained then released after girls’ hit-and-run deaths, arrested days later: officials

Teen Charged with Double Murder After Allegedly Running Down Two Girls on E-Bike: 911 Calls Expose Scene of Chaos

EXCLUSIVE: New Jersey authorities have unveiled 911 call recordings linked to a…
Elaine Hendrix misses 'DWTS' Halloween Night after injury lands her in hospital

Elaine Hendrix’s Hospital Scare: How Injury Kept Her from ‘DWTS’ Halloween Night

Elaine Hendrix has been admitted to the hospital following an injury sustained…
Jacksonville University leadership appoints Dr. Lisa Sutherland as future interim president

Breaking News: Dr. Lisa Sutherland Named Interim President at Jacksonville University – A Vision for the Future

The Jacksonville University Board of Trustees has taken decisive steps to ensure…
'Dancing with the Stars' week 7: Halloween night scares up shocking injury and another emotional elimination

Spine-Chilling Twists on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Halloween Night: Unexpected Injury and Heartfelt Farewell

The atmosphere in the “Dancing with the Stars” ballroom was chilling on…
Kristina Chambers found guilty of running over Joseph McMullins with Porsche near Houston Voodoo Donuts in 2023 sentenced

Kristina Chambers Sentenced: Shocking 2023 Porsche Incident Near Houston’s Voodoo Donuts

In Houston, a tragic incident unfolded during a first date, ending in…
Former Waukegan Police Department Officer Dante Salinas convicted of misconduct, battery will now face charges in deadly shooting

Ex-Waukegan Officer Dante Salinas Receives Jail Time and Probation for Misconduct

A former police officer from Waukegan, Illinois, has received his sentence in…
'Juni never gets a break': Football star with 4.0 GPA plays offense, defense, special teams — and tuba

Meet Juni: The All-Star Student-Athlete Balancing Football Triumphs and Tuba Mastery with a 4.0 GPA

From delivering tackles on the football field to performing the “Star Wars”…
Illegal immigrant deported 30 years after brutal murder of Philadelphia teen Eddie Polec on church steps

Justice Served: Illegal Immigrant Deported Decades After Gruesome Murder of Philly Teen on Sacred Grounds

In a significant development, immigration authorities have deported an illegal immigrant connected…
'Aggressive' research monkey on the loose after truck crash in Mississippi

Aggressive Research Monkey Escapes Following Truck Accident in Mississippi

JASPER COUNTY, Mississippi — A search is underway for a research monkey…
Anti-Israel agitator accused of violently attacking Jewish protesters learns his fate

Controversial Anti-Israel Activist Sentenced for Assault on Jewish Demonstrators: A Deep Dive into the Verdict

Tarek Bazrouk, known for his anti-Israel activism, has been sentenced to 17…