| By Maya Goldman |
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| Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios |
Some supplement companies are vying to get into the booming GLP-1 space, adding a new layer of complexity to accessing anti-obesity treatments.Why it matters: GLP-1s are expensive and in short supply. Supplements promoted with similar claims may be easier to come by, but experts warn they don’t have to meet the same regulatory standards and likely will never be as effective.What they’re saying: “Consumers should be extremely skeptical” of the claims made on GLP-1 supplement bottles, said Angela Fitch, an obesity medicine doctor and chief medical officer at primary and metabolic care provider Knownwell.”There are certain herbal things that can stimulate GLP-1 production from within the gut,” she told Axios.”That hasn’t been shown to ever be very effective from a long-term weight-loss perspective.”Context: GLP-1 is a hormone that occurs naturally in the small intestine. Drugs like Ozempic, which is called a semaglutide, and Zepbound, a tirzepatide, mimic the hormone, allowing people to lose an average of 10% to 15% of their body weight.Where it stands: High-fiber grains and certain other foods and plant compounds can boost GLP-1 production, research shows.While weight-loss supplements have existed since at least the late 19th century, nutritional supplement companies are moving to capitalize on the GLP-1 craze.Sales for Supergut, a food company that sells a GLP-1 supplement, increased by three to four times their 2023 figures this year, WIRED reported in August.A one-month supply of GLP-1 supplement capsules can be ordered for $90 from Lemme, an online purveyor launched by reality TV star Kourtney Kardashian.The price tag is significantly lower than the $199 per month charged by telehealth company Hims for compounded semaglutide, not to mention the more than $900 for a month’s supply of Ozempic without insurance coverage.Yes, but: Supplements aren’t subject to the same level of oversight as pharmaceuticals and don’t go through FDA testing or reviews before they come to market.Read moreAmerica’s vanishing pharmaciesBy Tina Reed  Chart: Courtesy of Health Affairs Nearly 1 in 3 retail pharmacies closed over a decade in a series of cutbacks that weighed heaviest on communities of color already grappling with health disparities and barriers to care.Why it matters: The closures illustrate how prescription drug market forces and a changing retail landscape are constricting the delivery of care and worsening inequities.And in some disadvantaged areas, a pharmacy can be the difference between having care or not.”People who don’t have access to a lot of digital resources and/or income are going to have a harder time getting access to stuff they need, because the drugstore that used to be two blocks away isn’t there anymore,” said Rob Andrews, CEO of the Health Transformation Alliance.The big picture: Independent pharmacies were likelier to close from 2010 to 2021, possibly because pharmacy benefit managers steered patients to their own in-network pharmacies, a study in Health Affairsfound.Inadequate reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid were also factors.The shutdowns picked up in the second half of the decade, hastened by industry consolidation that led to the closure of a growing number of chain pharmacies between 2018 and 2021.More than 35% of retail pharmacies inNew York, West Virginia, Vermont, Rhode Island and Mississippi closed.But even bigger forces could be hastening some pharmacies’ decline.Regulators are focusing more attention on PBMs’ role in the drug supply chain, including driving up prices and squeezing out independent pharmacies.The FTC has charged the nation’s biggest PBMs with forcing pharmacies to swallow unfair contracts — an accusation they’ve disputed.The study calls for policymakers to increase Medicare reimbursement rates for pharmacies at highest risk of closure and for mandates on PBMs to expand preferred pharmacy networks.The study comes as pharmacy chains, including Walgreens and CVS, continue to go through painful shakeouts.Go deeperfrom STAT:AbbVie drug succeeds in another Parkinson’s trialFrom STAT’s Andrew Joseph: AbbVie said this morning that its drug tavapadon succeeded in another Phase 3 study in Parkinson’s disease, helping improve patients’ symptoms and quality of life. The TEMPO-2 trial tested flexible doses of tavapadon, ranging from 5 to 15 milligrams a day, in patients with early Parkinson’s. The study met its primary endpoint, with patients on the drug showing a greater improvement after 26 weeks on a scale that measures symptoms and quality of life versus those on placebo. Specifically, patients on the study drug had an improvement of 10.3 points on the scale, known as MDS-UPDRS, while those on placebo saw a 1.2-point worsening, a statistically significant difference.Tavapadon, a daily pill, works by partially activating the D1 and D5 dopamine receptors. In addition to the new flexible-dosing trial, the drug has also had positive Phase 3 trials when tested only at a high dose and when tested in combination with common dopamine therapy. AbbVie plans to submit tavapadon to the FDA next year. It acquired the drug through its purchase of Cerevel Therapeutics, a deal whose centerpiece was an experimental schizophrenia drug called emraclidine. Last month, however, AbbVie reported that emraclidine failed in two studies. |
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