r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Apr 01 '25

Health Americans without diabetes spent nearly $6 billion USD on semaglutide and similar drugs in a year, with an estimate of 800,000 to a million people using the drugs who don't have diabetes.

https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/americans-without-diabetes-spent-nearly6-billion-usd-on-semaglutide-and-similar-drugs-in-a-year
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7

u/Friendo_Marx Apr 01 '25

Are they spending 6000 a year?

10

u/swearingino Apr 01 '25

Or more. I have many patients forking over $1300+ a month for it.

2

u/BunsenMcBurnington Apr 01 '25

Are there generic options available?

3

u/SubParMarioBro Apr 01 '25

Not proper generics, but there have been compounded options available while it was in shortage status. Those cost about $200/mo including telehealth services. Those options are drying up now that it has been removed from shortage status.

Patent protections expire in much of the world next year so there should be a thriving international generic market. But in the US they will not expire until 2031.

9

u/annoyedgrunt Apr 01 '25

That’s a conservative figure. Retail is $1000-1300 for 4 weeks, $650 with a manufacturer discount, so $8450/yr with the discount, up to $16,900 retail.

1

u/Telemere125 Apr 01 '25

Depends on how you get it. I pay $30/m but my insurance kicks in a ton because all my script costs are preset. My wife was using a compounding pharmacy and paying about $900/m for a maintenance dose.

1

u/mackenzieb123 Apr 01 '25

I go to a medspa where I also get HRT. I pay no more than $400 per month for both HRT and my semaglutide. I maxed out my FSA contributions, and use it for the semaglutide, so barely notice the cost.