Some popular medications are among those getting pricier at the start of 2024, including weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Mounjaro.

Pharmaceutical companies are hiking prices for more than 700 medications, including popular weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Mounjaro, industry research shows.

The average price increase at year start was about about 4.5%, the analysis from 46 Brooklyn found. That represents a slightly slower pace compared with the five prior years, when drug prices rose about 5% each year on average, the data shows.

Among the noteworthy increases are Ozempic and Mounjaro, two drugs that belong to a class of medications called GLP-1 agonists. While these drugs are designed to help diabetics regulate their blood sugar, they’ve also been found to be effective weight-loss drugs, prompting non-diabetics to seek out the drugs in order to slim down. As a result, these drugs have been in greater demand, leading to shortages.

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Not all medications saw price hikes, with the analysis finding that about two dozen medications dropped sharply in price at year start, including some popular insulin products. The high cost of insulin has drawn attention from the Biden administration and health policy experts, with the Human Rights Watch terming its pricing in the U.S. as a human rights violation.

  • roguetrick@kbin.social
    21·
    5 months ago

    Ridiculous. We’re prescribing GLP-1 agonists more and more because they’re looking like a wonder drug for metabolic syndrome. Instead of ramping up production and leveraging economies of scale to save a whole lot of lives, they’re just going to make bank off of them.

    • rockSlayer@lemmy.world
      English
      23·
      5 months ago

      Correct. They’re not in the business of saving lives, they’re in the business of threatening lives for profit.

  • Metacortechs@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    5 months ago

    Assuming my migraine meds will go up, December price was 2200 for the month. Thankfully I had hit my deductible. Can’t wait to see what news end of January brings.

      • Metacortechs@lemmy.worldEnglish
        4·
        5 months ago

        Me too, but don’t worry! The drug company will get theirs from me for the next few months!

        Fuck this broken healthcare system.

      • Metacortechs@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        5 months ago

        Priced like one, but it’s a cgrp antagonist. Nurtec, so still under patent but the only thing that has ever worked as prophylaxis for me.

        It’s robbery for the price, but sucking it up to pay a few months until I hit my deductible is worth not having crippling migraines.

        I will admit I’ve been taking every three days instead of every two recently because I’m not looking forward to having to pay for it this year… If I start getting any aura or ocular symptoms at all though, I’m going right back to it.

        • naeap@sopuli.xyzEnglish
          3·
          5 months ago

          Sounds probably a bit fringe, but I’ve heard that a single dose of LSD helps people with migraine to get rid of it for months.

          LSD 2-4 times a year as prophylaxis sounds at least much more fun and would be immensely cheaper.

          Can’t really say how good it really works, because I never had a migraine, but maybe it’s worth a shot - or at least to look into it.

          Would be interesting to know if microdosing could already be sufficient.

          Of course everyone is different, but as LSD was researched as a migraine medication, there is probably something to it - AFAIK many migraine meds are (were?) Ergot based

          • Metacortechs@lemmy.worldEnglish
            2·
            5 months ago

            It’s a good idea, I’m going to look into it. I’ve been taking ketamine a while for depression, along with the occasional psilocybin dose and those together have changed my life.

            I have no qualms about trying something a little out there.

            Thank you!