Cigna to offer $200 Wegovy, Zepbound weight-loss benefit

NEW YORK, May 21 (Reuters) - Cigna (CI.N), opens new tab will cap out-of-pocket costs at $200 per month for patients using the weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Zepbound through an add-on to its pharmacy benefit management plans, the company announced on Wednesday. Cigna's pricing compares to the cash-pay market for weight-loss drugs, said Harold Carter, a senior vice president at Evernorth.

The drugs, from Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO), opens new tab and Eli Lilly (LLY.N), opens new tab, have list prices that reach $1,000 but are available for about half that or less on the manufacturers' websites.

I'm concerned about the scattering of reports I've sometimes come across which says these medications can cause a problem, gastroparesis, which may or may not be permanent. I guess the lawsuits will determine that, but for the moment, if you check these articles, they only list the mildest side-effects (vomiting, nausea etc.) and they don't have to list more than that. They sometimes say, 'well we don't have long term data yet' and I kind of cringe because many are taking this right now.

My first few search attempts for this kind of gastroparesis didn't turn up much, but wouldn't you know it, a website for bariatric surgery has details? I think this information should be front and center.

Do Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound Cause Stomach Paralysis?
What Is Gastroparesis?
Gastroparesis is a term that simply means paralysis of the stomach. Patients who suffer from this condition often experience abdominal pain or discomfort, nausea, vomiting, bloating, and acid reflux after eating. This is because the paralyzed stomach does not contract to move food out of the stomach normally. As a result, food will sit in the stomach for extended periods of time. This in turn causes the stomach to become very thin-walled, expanded, and even more non-functional.
To complicate matters gastroparesis can also arise in the setting of diabetes, as elevated blood sugar levels cause gastric paralysis. Gastroparesis is very uncomfortable and in severe cases can lead to food intolerance.
Can Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound Cause Gastroparesis?
Given that they work by slowing down gastric emptying, researchers have begun to ask if these medications can cause gastroparesis. A recent study which drew from a database of 16 million patients found that using GLP-1 agonists such as semaglutide (Ozempic and Wegovy) did significantly increase the risk of gastroparesis. However, this database did not have long-term data; so it’s not clear whether gastroparesis was temporary or permanent. It’s also not clear whether symptoms resolved or continued after these medications were stopped.

ransomnote: Post Covid vax, I would expect more 'medication hesitancy' on the part of patients than what I am seeing.

In the General/Chat forum, on a thread titled Cigna to offer $200 Wegovy, Zepbound weight-loss benefit, GaryCrow wrote:
Gastroparesis is very rare on this medication and is more common with diabetics. Any medication involves risks and trade offs. The question should rather be is avoiding this medicine because of an extremely small risk of side effects worth it against the known dangers of obesity. Obesity will shorten your life, it’s not a matter of if but rather how much. A minute risk of side effects is certainly a risk I’d be willing to take to lengthen my life.
We don't know what 'rare' is for this product. The Covid19 Vax pushers still say side effects are 'rare' but they are not.
Also, we don't know how common or rare this side effect, and others, will be long-term. If you take medication to slow down the functioning of the stomach for years, it's conceivable that paralysis or other problems may become more common over time. But my point is, after Covid19 vax propaganda, I don't trust the drug companies when they say 'rare' or don't provide long term data. "We don't know" isn't a good response to the question, "What are the potential long-term side effects, and how often do they occur?"
My co-worker was distressed when, years ago, her doctor scolded her for being too afraid to try FenPhen, and asked her why she would not act to protect her own health? And then it was discovered that it causes heart damage. I don't want to see this play out with the popular drugs for weightloss.
2024 Update: Fen Phen Lawsuits Still Being Filed & PaidFen-Phen is the common name of a weight loss protocol heavily marketed in the 1990's that included fenfluramine (Pondimin) or dexfenfluramine (Redux). Pondimin and Redux were shown to cause damage to the mitral and aortic heart valves; and a serious lung condition called primary pulmonary

In the General/Chat forum, on a thread titled Cigna to offer $200 Wegovy, Zepbound weight-loss benefit, GaryCrow wrote:
Gastroparesis is very rare on this medication and is more common with diabetics. Any medication involves risks and trade offs. The question should rather be is avoiding this medicine because of an extremely small risk of side effects worth it against the known dangers of obesity. Obesity will shorten your life, it’s not a matter of if but rather how much. A minute risk of side effects is certainly a risk I’d be willing to take to lengthen my life.
We don't know what 'rare' is for this product. The Covid19 Vax pushers still say side effects are 'rare' but they are not.
We could refuse to market the product until the companies perform due diligence publishing their studies so that there are no hidden pockets of information to be forced from these companies later, one lawsuit at a time. I'm not against helpful treatments, but I'm against blind trust.
Apparently in the 7 or so years you say it's been on the market, they just aren't performing long term analysis or sharing it with the public. It's up to them to change that. I hate to see people treating the pharma industry as if we can take their word for...anything. Show the public the studies and results - don't just say 'trust us.'
Also, we don't know how common or rare this side effect, and others, will be long-term. If you take medication to slow down the functioning of the stomach for years, it's conceivable that paralysis or other problems may become more common over time. But my point is, after Covid19 vax propaganda, I don't trust the drug companies when they say 'rare' or don't provide long term data. "We don't know" isn't a good response to the question, "What are the potential long-term side effects, and how often do they occur?"
My co-worker was distressed when, years ago, her doctor scolded her for being too afraid to try FenPhen, and asked her why she would not act to protect her own health? And then it was discovered that it causes heart damage. I don't want to see this play out with the popular drugs for weightloss.
2024 Update: Fen Phen Lawsuits Still Being Filed & PaidFen-Phen is the common name of a weight loss protocol heavily marketed in the 1990's that included fenfluramine (Pondimin) or dexfenfluramine (Redux). Pondimin and Redux were shown to cause damage to the mitral and aortic heart valves; and a serious lung condition called primary pulmonary
ransomnote: I had a look at one of the studies for the semiglutide and see this:
"Rates of new or worsening nephropathy were lower in the semaglutide group, but rates of retinopathy complications (vitreous hemorrhage, blindness, or conditions requiring treatment with an intravitreal agent or photocoagulation) were significantly higher (hazard ratio, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.11 to 2.78; P=0.02). Fewer serious adverse events occurred in the semaglutide group, although more patients discontinued treatment because of adverse events, mainly gastrointestinal. "
ransomnote: I just think it's been on the market 'too long' for there to be no long term understanding of the health impacts. Yes, obesity is bad, but the unknowns regarding long term use could be worse. It's just odd to see this blind trust taking place so soon after pharma betrayal of the world.

To get approved, a drug must perform better than a placebo. It's possible the drug companies can report placebo information that is not correct.

Why You Can’t Trust Drug Side Effect Information! | Doctors and patients rely on drug side effect information found in online databases. What if that evidence is flawed?
peoplespharmacy.com ^ | May 19, 2025 | Joe Graedon

Posted on 5/23/2025, 1:13:53 AM by ransomnote

[H/T ExTexasRedhead]

Excerpt Below:
Comparing Drug Side Effect Information for 2 Identical Drugs (Ozempic and Wegovy):
"You have, no doubt, heard about the GLP-1 agonist drugs Ozempic and Wegovy. They are both semaglutide. Ozempic was approved for diabetes and Wegovy was approved for weight loss. From our perspective, the clinical trials should have produced somewhat similar side effect profiles.
The official prescribing information reports that 20.3% of the patients on Ozempic complained of nausea while only 6.1% of those on placebo reported nausea. Contrast that with the identical medicine Wegovy: 42% to 44% of subjects on Wegovy reported nausea. Those getting placebo shots of Wegovy reported nausea 16-18% of the time.
Stop. Reflect! We are comparing nausea from placebo to nausea from placebo. Those getting placebo injections in the Wegovy trial had about 3 times the incidence of nausea than those getting placebo injections in the Ozempic trials. Smells kind of fishy, don’t you think?
Diarrhea was even more bizarre. Those getting placebo shots in the Ozempic clinical trials reported diarrhea 1.9% of the time. The subjects getting placebo shots in the Wegovy clinical trial reported diarrhea 16-19% of the time. That’s about a 10 fold difference. We’re talking placebo compared to placebo. It should not be different! Or, if there were a psychological factor at work, it should not have been that different! We think there is a BIG problem with how such side effect information is collected."

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