Access to weight loss drugs remains costly for many Americans. Ozempic and Wegovy can exceed $1,000 monthly.<\/p>\n
Whether your insurance company will cover a GLP-1 medication depends on a number of (sometimes complicated) factors.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cInsurance coverage is tricky and often difficult to navigate,\u201d said Beverly Tchang, MD<\/a>, endocrinologist and assistant professor of clinical medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, and obesity medicine advisor at Ro. \u201cEven some providers choose to not prescribe GLP-1s to patients without diabetes<\/a> because they assume it won\u2019t be covered.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Turning to compounded versions of Ozempic, Mounjaro, or other GLP-1s is a common workaround.\n<\/p>\n When a popular drug is in short supply, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows some pharmacies to create compounded versions of the medication. These medications are similar to the licensed versions, but they are not FDA-approved and, as such, come with risks.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m wary of compounding because of the quality control around the compounding pharmacies not being at the same level as the quality control of approved drugs,\u201d Harith Rajagopalan, MD, PhD<\/a>, a cardiologist, obesity researcher, and CEO of therapeutics company Fractyl Health, told Health. \u201cHow does one know what level of purity and quality you\u2019re getting?\u201d\n<\/p>\n Compounded medications can vary from batch to batch, Rajagopalan explained. And the FDA itself has issued a statement warning the public about the dangers of taking compounded GLP-1s.\n<\/p>\n Still, semaglutide<\/a>, tirzepatide, and other GLP-1 ingredients are so efficacious that many people have decided taking a compounded version is worth the risk. But when going this route, it\u2019s important to involve your doctor.\n<\/p>\n \u201cHave a risk [and] benefit discussion with your provider, and if you decide to pursue it, be sure to choose a trusted pharmacy,\u201d Tchang told Health.\n<\/p>\n Specifically, you should make sure the compounding pharmacy you choose is accredited by the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board (PCAB), she explained.\n<\/p>\n It\u2019s also crucial to maintain an open conversation with your provider after you start taking a compounded medication, Sharon Giese, MD<\/a>, a board-certified plastic surgeon based in New York, told Health.\n<\/p>\n \u201cAn ongoing relationship with a healthcare provider is really going to help you out,\u201d Giese said. Your provider can help you assess whether any side effects<\/a> you\u2019re experiencing are normal and whether the dose you\u2019re taking is working for you.\n<\/p>\n Though they\u2019re popular, compounded GLP-1s aren\u2019t the only option.\n<\/p>\n \u201cEven if [a person\u2019s] insurance plan does not cover GLP-1 receptor agonist medications for treatment of obesity<\/a>, individuals who qualify for these medications can still obtain FDA-approved versions,\u201d Rhodes explained.\n<\/p>\n Those who are interested in taking Wegovy can buy a one-month supply of the drug for $650 via a savings coupon<\/a> from Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical company that sells the medication, she added. This, however, is a short-term solution since the savings coupon only applies toward one month of the drug.\n<\/p>\n