Top 5 Obesity Articles of 2024
Here are the top performing articles about obesity published this year on Managed Healthcare Executive.
1. GLP-1 Tiering Agreement Reached, Says Optum Rx President
Health plans that use Optum Rx as their pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) will be allowed to tier their coverage of GLP-1s and still receive rebates under an agreement the PBM has reached with the manufacturers, says the PBM president. Optum officials said later that the negotiations were still ongoing.
2. Diabetes Weight Loss Drugs Could be Linked to Reduced Risk of MS, Study Finds
Drug repurposing has recently emerged as an attractive pathway for developing new treatments due to its relatively fast and cost-efficient trajectory. Because obesity and MS share inflammatory properties, researchers used data from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System to investigate the association between weight loss-inducing drugs and MS.
3. GLP-1 Drugs for Obesity May Not Have to be All or Nothing
A simulation model projects there could savings if patients are switched to lower cost drugs or programs after initial weight loss using GLP-1 drugs.
4. Obesity, Heavy Smoking and Short Sleep Linked to Increased Risk of Multiple Myeloma
Those who suffer from obesity, heavy smoking and short sleep have a higher chance of developing mass spectrometry (MS) and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), which can often lead to multiple myeloma.
5. Lilly Introduces Zepbound Single-Dose Vial for Cash-Paying Patients
The monthly price of the 2.5 mg Zepbound single-dose vial is $399 and the 5 mg dose is $549, which Lilly officials said is in line with the savings program for without insurance.
Conversations With Perry and Friends: Paul Fronstin, Ph.D.
May 9th 2025Perry Cohen, Pharm.D., a longtime member of the Managed Healthcare Executive editorial advisory board, is host of the Conversations with Perry and Friends podcast. In this episode, his guest is Paul Fronstin, Ph.D., director of health benefits research at the Employee Benefit Research Institute.
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Conversations With Perry and Friends
April 14th 2025Perry Cohen, Pharm.D., a longtime member of the Managed Healthcare Executive editorial advisory board, is host of the Conversations with Perry and Friends podcast. His guest this episode is John Baackes, the former CEO of L.A. Care Health Plan.
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Blue Shield Teams Up With Zocdoc to Make Scheduling Doctor Visits Easier
June 11th 2025The booking feature is now live for all Blue Shield employer-sponsored plans, Individual and Family Plans and Medicare members. The tool provides access to more than 1 million bookable appointment hours across a 90-day window.
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