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How Much Should Weight Loss Drugs Like Wegovy and Zepbound Cost?

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How Much Should Weight Loss Drugs Like Wegovy and Zepbound Cost?

It’s easy to make a medical case for blockbuster weight loss drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound, which have been shown to prevent heart attacks and strokes and save lives.

But for the employers and government programs being asked to pay for the medications, the financial case for them is less clear. Are the drugs’ benefits worth their enormous cost?

The answer right now is no, according to a new study published on Friday in the journal JAMA Health Forum, by researchers at the University of Chicago.

To be considered cost effective by a common measure used by health economists, the price of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy would need to be cut by over 80 percent, to $127 per month, the researchers concluded. And Eli Lilly’s Zepbound would be cost effective only if its price fell by nearly a third, to $361 per month. (Zepbound warranted a higher price, the researchers said, because it produced greater benefits in clinical trials.)

“There’s no doubt that the drugs are demonstrating tremendous health benefits,” said David Kim, a health economist at the University of Chicago and the senior author of the study, which was funded by government grants. “The problem is the price is too high.”

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There’s widespread hope that the drugs will effectively pay for themselves in the long run, by making patients healthier and preventing expensive medical bills. It’s not clear yet whether that will turn out to be true.

Eli Lilly rejected the new study’s findings, arguing that it ignored the results of several clinical trials in which the company’s drug had shown benefit. It instead used “a limited data set to draw sweeping conclusions,” said Courtney Kasinger, a spokeswoman for the company. And Liz Skrbkova, a spokeswoman for Novo Nordisk, said there are “no universally accepted thresholds for what determines a drug to be cost-effective.”

Employers and government programs pay different prices for the drugs, and those numbers are almost always kept a secret. The University of Chicago researchers estimated the price for Wegovy to be $700 per month, on average, compared with $520 for Zepbound.

Huge demand for the drugs has caused employers’ drug costs to balloon, prompting some companies to impose restrictions on who can get them, or stop covering the medications altogether. Con Edison, the energy utility that serves New York City and Westchester County, recently said it needed to raise rates to offset increased expenses that included a surge in spending on weight loss drugs.

Medicare covers the drugs for patients with diabetes, and a much smaller subset of people who contend with both obesity and another health condition, like a heart problem, or sleep apnea. Congress has resisted expanding coverage for millions more older people who are overweight or obese, because it would be so expensive.

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Patients who pay for the drugs using their own money instead of going through insurance face varying prices; some pay more than $1,300 per month. But for a low dose of Zepbound, patients can pay $350 out of pocket, a price the University of Chicago researchers considered cost-effective.

To come up with their estimates, researchers ran computer simulations of what might happen if people who were overweight or obese took one of the weight loss drugs for the remainder of their lives. Based on the results from clinical trials, the model projected benefits that might accrue over the long run. Many overweight patients would never become obese, for example. Other patients would avert diabetes or heart disease. They would stay productive, and out of the hospital.

These benefits added up to many years of good health — so-called quality-adjusted life years. Many health economists think it’s reasonable for society to pay $100,000 for each such healthy year. But in the model, the years of good health provided by Wegovy and Zepbound cost much more.

Drug companies often push back fiercely against such cost-effectiveness analyses, saying they fail to capture the true value medications can bring to patients and societies. Still, they sometimes fund such studies. An analysis financed by Novo Nordisk, similar to that by the University of Chicago researchers, found the company’s weight loss drug to be cost-effective.

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Man’s extreme energy drink habit leads to concerning medical discovery, doctors say

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Man’s extreme energy drink habit leads to concerning medical discovery, doctors say

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Eight energy drinks per day may lead to serious health consequences, recent research suggests.

A relatively healthy man in his 50s suffered a stroke from the overconsumption of unnamed energy beverages, according to a scientific paper published in the journal BMJ Case Reports by doctors at Nottingham University Hospitals in the U.K.

The unnamed man was described as “normally fit and well,” but was experiencing left-side weakness, numbness and ataxia, also known as poor coordination or unsteady walking. 

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When the man sought medical attention, it was confirmed via MRI that he had suffered an ischemic thalamic stroke, the report stated.

The patient’s blood pressure was high upon admission to the hospital, was lowered during treatment and then rose again after discharge, even though he was taking five medications.

The 50-year-old man (not pictured) admitted to drinking eight energy drinks per day. (iStock)

The man revealed that he consumed eight cans of energy drink per day, each containing 160 mg of caffeine. His caffeine consumption had not been recorded upon admission to the hospital.

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Once the man stopped drinking caffeine, his blood pressure normalized, and he was taken off antihypertensive medications.

High caffeine content can raise blood pressure “substantially,” a doctor confirmed. (iStock)

Based on this case, the authors raised the potential risks associated with energy drinks, especially regarding stroke and cardiovascular disease.

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They also highlighted the importance of “targeted questioning in clinical practice and greater public awareness.”

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The authors say this case draws attention to the potential dangers of over-consuming energy drinks. (iStock)

Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel reacted to the case study in an interview with Fox News Digital.

“This case report illustrates the high risk associated with a large volume of energy drink consumption, especially because of the high caffeine content, which can raise your blood pressure substantially,” said Siegel, who was not involved in the study.

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“In this case, the large amount of caffeine appears to have led directly to very high blood pressure and a thalamic stroke, which is likely a result of that soaring blood pressure.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to the case study authors and various energy drink brands for comment.

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5 Surprising Ozempic Side Effects Doctors Are Finally Revealing (Like Back Pain and Hair Loss)

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5 Surprising Ozempic Side Effects Doctors Are Finally Revealing (Like Back Pain and Hair Loss)


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Relationship coach blames Oprah for pushing family estrangement ‘for decades’

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Relationship coach blames Oprah for pushing family estrangement ‘for decades’

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Oprah Winfrey is shining a light on family estrangement, which she calls “one of the fastest-growing cultural shifts of our time” — but one expert says the media mogul helped fuel that very culture.

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“A Cornell University study now shows that almost one-third of Americans are actively estranged from a family member,” Winfrey said on a recent episode of “The Oprah Podcast,” referring to adult children going “no-contact” with parents, siblings or entire family systems.

Winfrey said the trend is a “silent epidemic” that can be especially relevant during the holidays.

ONE TOXIC BEHAVIOR KILLS RELATIONSHIPS, LEADING HAPPINESS EXPERT WARNS

But family and relationship coach Tania Khazaal, who focuses on fighting “cutoff culture,” took to social media to criticize Winfrey for acting as if the estrangement crisis appeared “out of thin air.”

“Now Oprah is shocked by the aftermath of estrangement, after being one of the biggest voices pushing it for decades,” Canada-based Khazaal said in an Instagram video, which drew more than 27,000 likes and 3,000 comments.

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Oprah Winfrey recently discussed what she called a “silent epidemic” of family estrangement on her podcast. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

Khazaal claimed that Winfrey’s messaging started in the 1990s and has contributed to a cultural shift where walking away became the first resort, not the last.

According to the relationship coach, millennials, some of whom grew up watching Oprah, are the leading demographic cutting off family members — and even if it wasn’t intentional, “the effect has absolutely been harmful,” Khazaal told Fox News Digital.

FAMILY BREAKUPS OVER POLITICS MAY HURT MORE THAN YOU THINK, EXPERT SAYS

The coach, who has her own history with estrangement, questioned why Winfrey is now treating the issue as a surprising crisis.

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“Now she hosts a discussion with estranged parents and estranged kids, speaking on estrangement like it’s some hidden, sudden, heartbreaking epidemic that she had no hand in,” she said in her video.

Nearly one-third of Americans are estranged from a family member, research shows. (iStock)

Khazaal said she believes discussions about estrangement are necessary, but insists that people shouldn’t “rewrite history.”

“Estrangement isn’t entertainment or a trending conversation piece,” she added. “It’s real families, real grief, parents dying without hearing their child’s voice.”

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Winfrey reportedly responded in the comments, writing, “Happy to have a conversation about it — but not on a reel. Will have my producer contact you if you’re interested.” But the comment was later deleted due to the backlash it received, Khazaal told Fox News Digital.

“I would still be open to that discussion,” Khazaal said. “The first thing I’d want her to understand is simple: Setting aside cases of abuse or danger, the family unit is the most sacred structure we have.” 

Experts emphasize that estrangement should be a last resort. (iStock)

“When children lose their sense of belonging at home, they search for it in the outside world,” she added. “That’s contributing to the emotional fragility we’re seeing today.”

Her critique ignited a debate online, with some social media users saying Khazaal is voicing a long-overdue concern.

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“The first time I heard, ‘You can love them from a distance’ was from Oprah … in the ’90s,” one woman said.

My son estranged himself from us for five years,” one mother commented. “The pain, hurt and damage never goes away.”

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Others, however, argued that Winfrey’s podcast episode was empathetic and that estrangement shouldn’t be oversimplified.

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Mental health experts say the conversation around estrangement is more complex than any single celebrity influence, and reflects broader cultural shifts.

Experts say today’s focus on boundaries and emotional well-being has reshaped family expectations. (iStock)

In the episode with Winfrey, Joshua Coleman, a California-based psychologist, said, “The old days of ‘honor thy mother and thy father,’ ‘respect thy elders’ and ‘family is forever’ has given way to much more of an emphasis on personal happiness, personal growth, my identity, my political beliefs, my mental health.” 

Coleman noted that therapists sometimes become “detachment brokers” by unintentionally green-lighting estrangement.

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Jillian Amodio, a licensed master’s social worker at the Maryland-based Waypoint Wellness Center, told Fox News Digital that while public figures like Winfrey help normalize these conversations, estrangement might just be a more openly discussed topic now.

“Estrangement used to be handled privately and quietly,” she said.

Winfrey’s take on family estrangement is prompting a broader discussion amid the holiday season. (iStock)

But even strained relationships can be fixed with the right support, experts say.

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Susan Foosness, a North Carolina-based clinical director of patient programs at Rula Health, said families can strengthen their relationships by working with a mental health professional to improve communication, learn healthier conflict-resolution skills, and build trust and empathy through quality time together.

“No family is perfect,” Foosness told Fox News Digital.

Khazaal agreed, saying, “Parents need to learn how to listen without slipping into justification, and children need help speaking about their pain without defaulting to blame or avoidance.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Winfrey for comment.

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