STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about Medicare obesity drug coverage, a first-of-its-kind 340B analysis, and more

Good morning, everyone, and how are you today? We are doing just fine, thank you, despite a spot of rain and accompanying gloomy clouds hovering over head. After all, our spirits remain sunny, thanks to that age-old reminder from the Morning Mayor: Every new day should be unwrapped like a precious gift. So while you ponder the notion and tug on the ribbon, here are a few tidbits to help you along the journey today. Meanwhile, we will be taking an extended break thanks to an upcoming holiday on this side of the pond that involves turkey. So see you next week. In the interim, we hope all goes well and look forward to reconnecting. …

The Biden administration is proposing a major expansion of how Medicare and Medicaid cover the blockbuster weight loss drugs Wegovy and Zepbound, STAT reports. Medicare currently covers the medications made by Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly to treat diabetes and heart disease, but not for obesity alone because it is prohibited by law from doing so. Given the price tag, a bill in Congress to extend coverage has stalled for years. The Congressional Budget Office estimated last month that a coverage expansion to Medicare could cost the federal government $35 billion over a decade, though that number includes coverage for some people who are overweight, as well. The White House estimates the new proposal would provide coverage to an estimated 3.4 million older adults in the Medicare program, and 4 million people in Medicaid. The White House further maintained that its proposal, which would go into effect in 2026, would reduce out-of-pocket costs for these prescription drugs by as much as 95% for some enrollees.

New data from a mid-stage study of an Amgen obesity drug showed it helped participants lose a substantial amount of weight, but are also generating questions about how competitive the medicine may be as Amgen shares fell on the announcement, STAT says. The company disclosed that its drug, MariTide, led to an average of roughly 20% weight loss over a year in the Phase 2 study in people who had obesity or were overweight without type 2 diabetes. The company added that weight loss had not plateaued at that point, suggesting there was potential for more weight loss. Among participants who did have type 2 diabetes, who typically lose less weight on this class of drugs, MariTide led to an average of roughly 17% weight loss after a year. Expectations for this readout were extremely high, ever since Amgen executives in May said they were “very encouraged” by an interim analysis and indicated they were already planning a Phase 3 study. Analysts expected MariTide to lead to 20% to 25% weight loss in the study. The results, which need to be backed up in the Phase 3 trial, indicate that MariTide led to greater weight loss than Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy in its trials, and roughly the same weight loss that Eli Lilly’s Zepbound generated in studies. But a next-generation treatment developed by Lilly led to even greater loss in a Phase 2 trial. 

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