Weight loss syringes of the brand names “Wegovy”, “Ozempic” and “Mounjaro” are cost In der Achat Apotheke in Mitte, Germany.
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A variation of this write-up initially showed up in’s Healthy Returns e-newsletter, which brings the most recent health-care information right to your inbox. Subscribe right here to obtain future versions.
Good mid-day! A huge swath of guaranteed Americans might be qualified for a very preferred course of weight reduction and diabetes mellitus drugs called GLP-1s, such as Novo Nordisk‘s Wegovy andOzempic
At the very least 2 in 5 united state grownups– or greater than 57 million individuals– under the age of 65 with exclusive insurance coverage might be qualified for GLP-1s according to professional requirements, a brand-new analysis from health and wellness plan research study company KFF discovered. That consists of over 36 million individuals with a weight problems medical diagnosis alone.
GLP-1s are authorized to deal with grownups with Type 2 diabetes mellitus or excessive weight, or that are obese with a minimum of one weight-related health and wellness problem, such as heart disease, high blood pressure or high cholesterol. Novo Nordisk’s weight reduction shot Wegovy is additionally the only GLP-1 authorized for lowering the danger of cardiovascular disease, stroke and fatality in overweight or obese grownups with heart disease.
But right here’s the catch: The variety of grownups qualified for those medications might differ relying on added demands that their employer-sponsored health insurance established. KFF claimed companies consider the high price of covering GLP-1s, which have sale price of approximately $1,000 monthly, versus their professional advantages and need from their employees.
Employers might enforce added qualification problems for protection, such as greater BMI demands, KFF claimed. For instance, if companies took on a BMI limit of 35 or higher, just 14.6 million grownups under 65 covered by those health insurance would certainly be qualified. The present BMI cutoff for GLP-1s is 30 or higher (for clients with excessive weight) and 27 or even more (for those that are obese,) according to authorization labels for GLP-1 medications for excessive weight.
Some strategies might additionally just cover GLP-1s for diabetes mellitus administration, not excessive weight.
KFF additionally kept in mind that there are just a “relatively modest number of people” enlisted in employer-sponsored health insurance with an insurance claim for a GLP-1 since 2 years back. Only 3% of grownups with company protection had a prescription for among the medications in 2022, KFF claimed. Semaglutide, the energetic component in Wegovy and Ozempic, is one of the most typical GLP-1 medicine given that it signed up with the united state market in 2018.
Still, KFF kept in mind that “some evidence indicates that” GLP-1 usage “has only continued to rise over the last two years,” past one of the most current insurance coverage declares information readily available. Around 6% of all grownups, despite their insurance policy protection, record that they are presently taking a GLP-1 medicine, according to a KFF poll launched inMay Roughly 12% record that they have actually taken among those therapies at some time.
More individuals might additionally be qualified for GLP-1s as they obtain authorized for brand-new usages. Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are both examining their particular medications as prospective therapies for fatty liver illness and persistent kidney illness, to name a few. The firms might see authorizations for several of those problems within the following year or two.
Feel complimentary to send out any kind of suggestions, ideas, tale concepts and information to Annika at annikakim.constantino@nbcuni.com
Latest in health-care technology: Apple introduces brand-new health and wellness attributes for rest apnea, listening to help
Good mid-day!
Apple on Monday held an event at its headquarters in Cupertino, California where it announced a host of new products and updates. The company unveiled its iPhone 16 lineup, the Apple Watch Series 10 and new AirPods, but I thought its new health-care features stole the show.
“We’re incredibly proud to introduce a first-of-its-kind Hearing Aid feature, coming this fall with AirPods Pro 2, plus an innovative way to detect signs of sleep apnea with Apple Watch,” Apple CEO Tim Cook wrote in a post on X on Monday. “These life-changing tools will help people connect more deeply & live healthier.”
Here’s everything you need to know:
Apple Watch Series 10
Apple said its latest watch can help alert users to sleep apnea, a sleep disorder that can cause a person’s breathing to repeatedly start and stop throughout the night.
Sleep apnea affects more than 1 billion people worldwide, but Apple said 80% of people with the condition are undiagnosed. If people with sleep apnea do not get treated, they could face a higher risk of heart problems, hypertension and Type 2 diabetes.
To detect this condition, the Series 10 uses an accelerometer to measure breathing disturbances that occur overnight. Users can view their nightly metrics in the Health app. Apple will analyze this breathing disturbance data once a month and notify people if they show “consistent signs” of severe or moderate sleep apnea.
The company will also generate a “detailed report” that users can bring to their doctors.
Apple said the detection algorithm for this feature was developed with “an extensive dataset of clinical-grade sleep apnea tests,” and was validated in a clinical study. The company expects the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other regulators will clear the technology “very soon.”
The Series 10 launches Sept. 20, but it’s already available for preorder. It starts at $399. Sleep apnea notifications will also be available on the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2.
AirPods Pro 2
Apple also introduced new AirPods Pro 2 features that can help users assess and protect their hearing.
The company said hearing loss can be hard to detect since it often happens gradually, so it created a five-minute-long hearing test that users can perform at home. To take the test, users will simply need to put on the AirPods Pro 2 and tap their screen when they hear sounds at various frequencies and volumes.
Apple said the test is clinically validated and designed based on real-world data. The results will be stored in the Health app, where users will see their personalized hearing profile. People can take the test regularly and access educational materials about hearing loss, the company added.
Once users take the hearing test, individuals with mild to moderate hearing loss can use their AirPods Pro 2 as a clinical-grade, over-the-counter hearing aid. Apple uses the results of the test to determine the sounds that a person needs to have amplified in real time, whether it’s elements within their environment or different parts of speech.
“This will allow you to hear your surroundings better, to help keep you safe and connect you with people nearby so it’s even easier to hear and engage in conversations,” Dr. Sumbul Desai, vice president of health at Apple, said during the event.
Additionally, Desai said users’ hearing profiles are automatically applied to phone calls, music and movies across their Apple devices.
Apple said it also expects the FDA and other regulators to approve the hearing tools soon. The hearing test and hearing aid features will be made available in a free software update this fall. AirPods Pro 2 are available for $249.
Apple said it is also adding a “Hearing Protection” feature to AirPods Pro 2 that can minimize users’ exposure to potentially damaging environmental noise.
The ear tips on the headphones help passively reduce noise, and Apple said machine learning on the H2 chip that powers the headphones “reduces louder, more intermittent noise at 48,000 times per second.” The hearing protection feature is on by default.
It’s worth reiterating that Apple is still waiting on regulatory approval, but I think these features firm up the company’s position as an innovative player in the health-care space. We have more health data at our fingertips than ever before, and Apple appears keenly aware of that.
The lingering question is whether these health features will be enticing enough to encourage consumers to purchase new watches and headphones.
You can read more about Apple’s latest announcements here.
Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Ashley at ashley.capoot@nbcuni.com.
