Medicare GLP-1 Coverage Draws 700,000 Seniors, With 70% Starting Lilly Drugs
核心洞察
Eli Lilly CEO Dave Ricks said 700,000 newly enrolled seniors have started GLP-1 therapy since Medicare began covering obesity (搜索) drugs in July.
Roughly 70% of those new Medicare patients are taking Lilly medicines, with injectable Zepbound the main driver of that share.
Coverage runs through a temporary program called Bridge, which offers eligible beneficiaries weight loss drugs for a $50 monthly co-pay.
Medicare's July expansion of obesity (搜索) drug coverage has brought 700,000 newly enrolled seniors into GLP-1 treatment, and Eli Lilly is capturing about seven of every 10 of those patients, CEO Dave Ricks said in an exclusive interview with CNBC on Monday.
Ricks described the rollout as "very encouraging" and said the effect on the broader GLP-1 market "is what we had hoped." The figures offer the first detailed look at how quickly the coverage shift is expanding access and how new patient volume is splitting between Lilly and Novo Nordisk.
How the Bridge program works
Coverage operates through a temporary program called Bridge, which allows eligible beneficiaries to obtain weight loss drugs for a $50 monthly co-pay. Medicare, the federal program for people age 65 and older or with disabilities, covers about 66 million people.
Under Bridge, seniors can access Lilly's obesity (搜索) injection Zepbound and its newly launched obesity pill Foundayo (搜索), along with Novo Nordisk's competing Wegovy pill and the Wegovy injection.
Zepbound leads, Foundayo gains on the oral side
Ricks attributed Lilly's share mainly to Zepbound, the injectable that physicians direct toward patients with the greatest body weight and the most complications. "We're capturing about seven out of 10 of those new patients, and a lot are still on Zepbound," he said. "I think we still see physicians focusing on those with the most body weight and the most complications. That's where Zepbound plays a big role."
Foundayo (搜索), Lilly's oral obesity (搜索) pill, serves a different profile. Ricks said the pill suits patients seeking a convenient treatment option who "maybe just need to lose 25 to 30 pounds." Foundayo reached the U.S. market in April, a few months behind Novo Nordisk's oral product, and now accounts for one-third of new patients starting oral GLP-1s, according to Ricks.
Implementation and competitive position
Ricks said he has not heard of many logistical problems with the rollout. He credited the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (搜索) with doing "a nice job rolling this out," citing physician education and coordination with both drugmakers and the insurance system.
Lilly's position in the weight loss market has widened against Novo Nordisk in recent months. Lilly held roughly 61% of the combined obesity (搜索) and diabetes drug market in the second quarter, compared with about 39% for Novo Nordisk, according to the CNBC interview.