North Carolina Drops Coverage of Costly Weight-Loss Drugs (1)

North Carolina is cutting off coverage of anti-obesity medications for state employees, citing soaring costs and a lack of agreement on pricing from drugmakers.

The decision affects a class of drugs known as GLP-1s, which are used to treat diabetes along with helping with weight loss. The medications, like Novo Nordisk A/S’s Wegovy and Ozempic and Eli Lilly & Co.’s Zepbound, have soared in popularity, but are expensive and require long-term use.

North Carolina’s State Health Plan, which covers about 480,000 people, spent $100 million on the drugs last year, and its consultant projected a $1.5 billion loss ...