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Weight Loss Drugs - Thoughts?

jbb2388

jbb2388

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Curious to hear your thoughts on the new weight loss drugs that have been approved by the FDA and are now on the market. Are you considering it? Are you taking any? What has your experience been so far if so? Is the expense significant? I have not and have no plans to do so. I am more looking at the investment side of things. I have stuck a significant piece of my investment portfolio towards this. Many people think these will eventually be the largest selling drugs of all-time and I tend to agree. Especially once they are covered by insurance and become affordable. Now they are mostly cost-prohibitive to all but wealthier individuals but that will soon change. The experimental data and results have shown significant weight loss success for most and the possible treatment for many obesity-related diseases like diabetes, heart disease, etc seem significant.
 
My wife has started second round of these, with her going into peri-menopause early, weight gain and the subsequent difficulty for weight loss meant trying.

As for the investing side, you raise a good point, I wonder what my current 401(k) position on these look like
 
I was prescribed wegovy but with the shortage and price never did it. I am just going to grind weight loss like I did previously
 
tahoebum said:
Most employer plans don’t cover the costs of weight loss drugs unless you have diabetes. They are expensive at $1,000 per month or more so it will be interesting how the popularity of these drugs will drive up healthcare costs for all of us.

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If taken correctly with appropriate lifestyle changes. They have a chance to dramatically decrease healthcare cost and medication load across the board.

But for every one person making good decisions. There are a dozen looking for a quick fix and someone else to blame.
 
baylrballa said:
If taken correctly with appropriate lifestyle changes. They have a chance to dramatically decrease healthcare cost and medication load across the board.

But for every one person making good decisions. There are a dozen looking for a quick fix and someone else to blame.
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Yes, 34% of Americans are obese so these drugs have the potential to dramatically reduce long term cost burdens on the healthcare system. Often lifestyle and food choices cause people to be overweight, obese, or get type 2 diabetes later in life; so it’s not an easy answer on who should bear the burden of these drug costs. I know Medicare does not cover these new drugs for weight loss unless the patient has diabetes. The bottom line is more than 70% of employer sponsored plans don’t cover these drugs for weight loss so someone will have to decide if it’s worth $12,000 plus each year for those drugs.
 
tahoebum said:
it will be interesting how the popularity of these drugs will drive up healthcare costs for all of us.
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Not sure I understand your point on this statement. My argument would be it could reduce them by decreasing the percentage of overweight people in society
 
jbb2388 said:
Not sure I understand your point on this statement. My argument would be it could reduce them by decreasing the percentage of overweight people in society
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It could but if it drives up healthcare costs many companies will opt not pay for these drug coverages under their provided plans. I know these drugs are not covered for my wife and I under her company plan but most of those costs would be covered if we had diabetes. Medicare doesn’t cover these drugs(except for diabetes) and with the soaring costs of healthcare, I doubt the will anytime soon.

FWIW, the US annual spend is about $13.5k per person for healthcare and the cost of these drugs is about $13-$15k annually per person.
 
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I imagine they will be very profitible but I always wonder about long term side effects. From what I have read seems like you have to take them in perpetuity so for me that is an issue.

I have been way overweight (I have lost 40 lbs the last 15 months and feel like I need to lose another 20 to get to a healthy weight) but hope to avoid having to take medication of any kind.
 
My doctor didn't push it but we definitely had a conversation about getting on one of these, and my current company does cover it. I'd like to think I can figure it out myself, but have a few friends and acquaintances that have used them, and it's definitely changed their lives a good bit. I'm working on losing weight the normal way for now. I also kind of want to wait and see what other side effects start arising. I think the pros outweigh the cons for a good number of people based on what I've read about them so far, but I'm not super eager to jump on board.
 
tahoebum said:
FWIW, the US annual spend is about $13.5k per person for healthcare and the cost of these drugs is about $13-$15k annually per person.
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Does that include healthy non insured?




I do laugh every once in awhile when I look in a sample closet and think of the 10s of thousands of dollars that is in there.
 
mancest said:
I imagine they will be very profitible but I always wonder about long term side effects. From what I have read seems like you have to take them in perpetuity so for me that is an issue.

I have been way overweight (I have lost 40 lbs the last 15 months and feel like I need to lose another 20 to get to a healthy weight) but hope to avoid having to take medication of any kind.
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The perpetual thing and just more medication in general deters me as well. I have no doubt these companies will rake in the dough until there's a generic option. At which point they'll find the next miracle to maximize their profits.
 
mancest said:
I imagine they will be very profitible but I always wonder about long term side effects. From what I have read seems like you have to take them in perpetuity so for me that is an issue.

I have been way overweight (I have lost 40 lbs the last 15 months and feel like I need to lose another 20 to get to a healthy weight) but hope to avoid having to take medication of any kind.
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I’ve heard more about using it to kind of kickstart weight loss. I know I’ve changed some things in the past year and in a lot better shape, but it was really frustrating to work hard, get stronger for 6 months and not see any physical change. Kinda put me in a lull for a bit. PCP basically offered it but I was too lazy to ever make an appointment.


For another patient who is overweight on a statin, multiple blood pressure meds, back pain treatments, etc. if you could get on ozymbic and get off the other 3+ meds that seems like a good trade.
 
My wife is diabetic and takes Mounjaro, but sometimes has trouble getting it from the pharmacy because doctors are prescribing it for weight loss under the guise of the patient being "pre-diabetic".
 
GolferGal said:
Only 5% of people who get weight loss surgery actually keep the weight off. I don't see these drugs doing anything more than that as well. Unless you can change a person's behavior and habits, nothing will change long term.
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With meds you can at least maintain care as they need to be seen for scripts. If you dont maintain weight, you don’t get the med.

Is that how it’s going to work in customer service based health care? Of course not, but it’s nice in theory.
 
GolferGal said:
Only 5% of people who get weight loss surgery actually keep the weight off. I don't see these drugs doing anything more than that as well. Unless you can change a person's behavior and habits, nothing will change long term.
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came here to say the same. The reason people end up taking them for life is they dont change habits. If you lose weight and change habits it sticks.. Not not, it is a revolving door..
 
baylrballa said:
With meds you can at least maintain care as they need to be seen for scripts. If you dont maintain weight, you don’t get the med.

Is that how it’s going to work in customer service based health care? Of course not, but it’s nice in theory.
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I love the idea of a medicine being able to help people who have medical problems due to weight issues, but I just don't see it working without changing the person.

Take my dad for example, he's overweight, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetic, and had a heart attack, but even now if he sees a donut he is eating it. Or thinks if the cookies are sugar free he can eat the entire box. I have sent him to a nutritionist, I have cooked for him, made menus for my mom to cook for him, it doesn't matter, he will never change. I know it's just one example, but again it goes back to my stat about weight loss sugary. I just think it's a bandaid. I hope I am wrong.

I don't say all of this to be rude or offensive to anyone, I have just witnessed it first hand, until a person wants to change forever, nothing will work. With that said, if the drugs can help jumpstart and then get off the drugs and keep it up, I think that's wonderful. But based on history, bad habits are really hard to break. A person loses 50lbs on the drugs, thinks all is good and a cookie here a cookie there won't hurt them, and it won't, but one cookie often becomes a sleeve, and then the box. It's like smoking, breaking the nicotine habit is probably easier than breaking the actual habit of smoking, what I mean by that is a smoke after coffee, a smoke after spicy food, a smoke for whatever, the physical act of smoking can be just as addicting as the nicotine, and food is the same, except we need food to survive so you can't just stop eating.
 
GolferGal said:
I love the idea of a medicine being able to help people who have medical problems due to weight issues, but I just don't see it working without changing the person.

Take my dad for example, he's overweight, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetic, and had a heart attack, but even now if he sees a donut he is eating it. Or thinks if the cookies are sugar free he can eat the entire box. I have sent him to a nutritionist, I have cooked for him, made menus for my mom to cook for him, it doesn't matter, he will never change. I know it's just one example, but again it goes back to my stat about weight loss sugary. I just think it's a bandaid. I hope I am wrong.
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No doubt. It is another tool that can be helpful in my view. but it doesn’t solve the base problem. Same as a vast majority of meds out there.

Blood pressure meds are a bandaid.
Antidepressants are a bandaid.
Etc.
 
baylrballa said:
No doubt. It is another tool that can be helpful in my view. but it doesn’t solve the base problem. Same as a vast majority of meds out there.
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I would rather see the drugs be paired with therapy to get to the root of the issue. These are of course just my opinions, and maybe I have just watched too many episodes of my 600lb life haha.
 
GolferGal said:
I would rather see the drugs be paired with therapy to get to the root of the issue. These are of course just my opinions, and maybe I have just watched too many episodes of my 600lb life haha.
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That’s 100% what should happen. But it’s more time and money, and people don’t prioritize their health over other things.
 
baylrballa said:
That’s 100% what should happen. But it’s more time and money, and people don’t prioritize their health over other things.
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Which kind of proves my point too. Take a pill and lose weight, but never change the reason you got there because it takes too much time and effort.

Like I said, I'm probably a bit jaded here because I see this with my parents and it hurts me to my core to watch them basically killing themselves and they just don't care. Even when they tried while I was there and felt so much better, the second I left it was back to pizza, Chinese food and donuts.

I really hope I am wrong, sincerely I do, because no one should have to deal with the awful side affects that come with obesity. And it really is one of the absolute hardest things to come out of because eating is a fundamental necessity for living.
 
GolferGal said:
Only 5% of people who get weight loss surgery actually keep the weight off. I don't see these drugs doing anything more than that as well. Unless you can change a person's behavior and habits, nothing will change long term.
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That's my take as well.

They are a band-aid for most and when they stop taking them, their weight will be back to where they started or higher. My twin brother is taking one right now, lost weight and will give me a rash of **** about my weight when I finally see him next month, but, I am trying to do it by modifying my behaviour and making a lifestyle choice, not a quick fix like he is.
 
I'm on the cynical side of these. They are glorified peptides that ironically are not approved by the FDA in their natural state, but once a pharmaceutical company finds a way to patent the "delivery" it's approved and given to the masses.

I agree there is a segment of people who need help bc they have years of neglect with diet and exercise where these drugs can help, but the vast majority are using them instead of working out or eating a balanced diet. It's a slippery slope and wish more would look long term instead of the quick fix.
 
Just based on a past job from decades ago here is some info. When I worked at a pharmaceutical company as an engineer it was explained to me that the blockbuster drugs would get a patent filed on them and the company that makes them had the ability to keep the product to themselves for 7 yrs. Obviously you lose some of that time as you get approvals and such to sell but there is a fixed amount of time that you are the sole provider and make the most amount of money on them. Once the patent ends the generics come through with the exact same formula and manufacturing and start to make cheaper alternatives. A lot of times the original company makes the generics as well. So for the investing part of this there is an expiration date on banking on profits for a specific drug but not necessarily for a drug company. The goal obviously is to have multiple blockbuster drugs at a time and to have some in the wings when generics take out a drug in your arsenal. This is all info I got in 2000 when I graduated college and got my first job so some of that could change.

As far as the drugs themselves there is the amazement of using chemistry/biology to force a reaction in the body. Of course it will still come down to discipline after goals are reached and there is not an aid to keep you in check. As others have pointed out there are a lot of people that just get in a cycle of weight loss and gain.
 
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