EFFECTIVENESS OF THOSE NEW WEIGHT LOSS DRUGS, BUT IT TURNS OUT SOME
WHO NEED THEM MOST ARE
FINDING THEM MOST HARD
TO GET.
HERE’S STEPHANIE GOSK.
>> 170.6.
>> Reporter: THERE ARE
PLENTY OF TESTIMONIALS
TOUTING THE NEW CLASS
OF WEIGHT LOSS
MEDICATION.
>> IT WORKS.
>> Reporter: WHAT IS
LESS COMMON, THE
STORIES OF PEOPLE WHO
CAN’T GET IT.
>> ARE THERE PEOPLE
OUT THERE WHO
DESPERATELY NEED THIS
MEDICATION AND DON’T
HAVE ACCESS TO IT?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
OUR MEDICARE AND
MEDICAID POPULATION
ARE SOME OF THE MOST
AT RISK, AND THEY DO
NOT HAVE ACCESS.
>> Reporter: DR. LAURE
DeMATTIA WORKS AT A
WEIGHT LOSS CLINIC
OUTSIDE OF OKLAHOMA
CITY.
>> SO, WE’VE TALKED
ABOUT HEALTHY LIVING.
ARE YOU BACK THERE?
>> I HAVE BEEN.
>> Reporter: ONE OF
HER PATIENTS IS
67-YEAR-OLD
GRANDMOTHER SUSAN
BEAM.
>> I HAVE
HYPERTENSION, WHICH IS
I THINK DIRECTLY
RELATED TO THE EXTRA
WEIGHT.
I’VE HAD TO HAVE HIP
REPLACEMENTS AND
RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
AND SLEEP APNEA.
>> IF YOU COULD, IF
YOU COULD SNAP YOUR
FINGERS RIGHT NOW AND
LOSE THE WEIGHT, HOW
MANY POUNDS WOULD YOU
LIKE TO LOSE?
WOULD YOU HOPE TO
LOSE?
>> I WOULD HOPE TO
LOSE ABOUT 120 TO 130
POUNDS, WHICH IS
BASICALLY LIKE ANOTHER
PERSON.
>> Reporter: BEAM’S
MEDICARE COVERAGE WILL
NOT COVER THE NEW
CLASS OF DRUGS THAT
THE FDA HAS APPROVED
FOR WEIGHT LOSS.
SHE HOPES CONGRESS
WILL PASS LEGISLATION
TO CHANGE THAT.
>> WELL, I THINK IT’S
EXTREMELY URGENT.
I DON’T KNOW AT WHAT
POINT IT WILL IMPACT
MY HEALTH EVEN TO THE
POINT OF DEATH.
>> Reporter: OKLAHOMA
HAS THE THIRD HIGHEST
OBESITY RATE IN THE
COUNTRY, BUT ACCORDING
TO HEALTH CARE
ANALYTICS COMPANY
PURPLE LAB, THE STATE
RANKS 27 IN RATES OF
PRESCRIPTIONS WRITTEN
FOR OZEMPIC AND
WEGOVY, AND THE PRICE
OF THOSE DRUGS IS
HIGH, ROUGHLY $1,000 A
MONTH.
MANY HEALTH PLANS
DON’T COVER THE COST.
GETTING INSURANCE
COVERAGE IS A CONSTANT
HEADACHE FOR DR.
DeMATTIA.
>> SO DIFFICULT THAT
WE HIRED SOMEONE WHO
SPECIFICALLY DEALS
WITH JUST PRIOR
AUTHORIZATIONS FOR THE
MEDICATION.
>> THAT’S THEIR ONLY
JOB?
>> THAT’S THEIR ONLY
JOB.
>> Reporter: PURPLE
LAB DATA SHOWS
WHILE BLACK PEOPLE IN
THE U.S. ACCOUNT FOR
32% OF OBESITY CASES,
THEY ARE ONLY GETTING
12.5% OF OZEMPIC AND
WEGOVY PRESCRIPTIONS.
>> I HOPE THAT PEOPLE
HAVE ENOUGH GRACE TO,
YOU KNOW, UNDERSTAND
THAT THIS IS BIGGER
THAN JUST WILLPOWER.
>> Reporter: LIZ IS
ANOTHER OF DR.
DeMATTIA’S PATIENTS.
>> I DON’T THINK THE
GOAL FOR ME IS
PERFECTION BUT IT’S TO
BE IN GOOD HEALTH.
>> Reporter: SHE’S
HOPING TO GET THE
NEWLY FDA APPROVED
ZEPBOUND AT A
DISCOUNT.
EVEN DISCOUNTED IT’S
$550 A MONTH AND STILL
A STRETCH OUT OF
POCKET.
>> OBESITY IS A
DISEASE.
THESE PATIENTS THAT
HAVE THIS DISEASE ARE
HUMANS, AND THEY NEED
TREATMENT.
>> AND THERE’S A
TREATMENT THAT WORKS.
>> THERE’S A VERY
EFFECTIVE TREATMENT
THAT WORKS, AND WE’RE
REALLY STRUGGLING TO
GET IT TO THE PEOPLE
WHO NEED IT THE MOST.
>> Reporter: BEING
PART OF WHAT DOCTORS
CALL A WEIGHT LOSS
REVOLUTION OFTEN COMES
AT TOO HIGH A PRICE.