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☆ Ozempic is driving up the cost of your health care, whether you can get your hands on it or not
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-11 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

About 165 million Americans rely on employer-sponsored health insurance and yet, workers may still not get the coverage they want — particularly when it comes to drugs like Wegovy and Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug Ozempic. One in three employees are looking for more resources to combat obesity, according to a recent report by consulting firm Gallagher. Glucagon-like peptide-1 treatments such as Wegovy and Ozempic, which mimic hormones produced in the gut to suppress a person's appetite, are considered game changers on this front. Already, prescription drug costs jumped 8.6% last year, due in part to a surge in the use of GLP-1 drugs, according to a recent report by Mercer. "It becomes a lifelong drug," said Gary Kushner, chair and president of Kushner & Company, a benefits design and management company.

Persons: Gallagher, Trilliant, Mercer, Sunit Patel, actuary, Gary Kushner Organizations: Finance, Security, Kushner & Company Locations: U.S, Mercer's

☆ Novo and Eli contender Zealand Pharma heralds its obesity drug alternative: It's our 'crown jewel'
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-11 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Jaap Arriens | NurPhotoDanish biotech Zealand Pharma is targeting the "next generation" of weight loss drugs as competitors pile into a market dominated by heavyweights Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly . Last month, Zealand Pharma announced positive top-line results from a phase 1b trial of its weight-loss drug, a GLP-1/GLP-2 receptor dual agonist called Dapiglutide. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Zealand Pharma. Novo Nordisk is also experimenting with its own version of the treatment, combining the GLP-1 component Semaglutide with amylin analog Cagrilintide in a candidate called CagriSema. Syringes from weight loss drugs "Wegovy," "Ozempic" and "Mounjaro."

Persons: Jaap Arriens, Eli Lilly, Adam Steensberg, Steensberg Organizations: Zealand Pharma, Novo Nordisk, CNBC, pharma, Nordisk, Union, Getty Locations: U.S

Less than a fifth of large companies in the United States include coverage for the popular but pricey weight loss drugs Wegovy and Zepbound in their health insurance plans, according to a survey published Wednesday in Health Affairs. “They’re trying to figure out what is the right balance between the advantages to employees, potential health benefits and the cost of these drugs. The survey found that about half of employers that cover the weight loss drugs have certain requirements associated with their coverage, which Rae said would limit access for some employees but save money. Among large firms that don’t currently cover GLP-1 drugs for weight loss, only about 3% said they’re “very likely” to do so in the next year. Despite the exorbitant cost, employers do have a positive view of the drugs.

Persons: Wegovy, ”, Matthew Rae, “ They’re, —, Rae, Susan Spratt, Christopher McGowan, Eli Lilly, ” McGowan, “, ” Rae, you’ve, that’s, don’t, they’re Organizations: Health Affairs, “ Employers, Population Health Management, Duke Health, Centers for Disease Control, Novo Nordisk, Research, North Carolina, ” Novo Nordisk Locations: United States, KFF, North Carolina, U.S, Novo

☆ CNBC Investigates: Ozempic underworld
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailCNBC Investigates: Ozempic underworldCNBC’s Melissa Lee joins 'Squawk Box' with a preview of the new CNBC digital documentary 'Ozempic underworld: Inside the black market of obesity drugs'.

Persons: Melissa Lee Organizations: CNBC

☆ Your employer may start covering weight-loss drugs soon
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-09 | by ( Tami Luhby | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

A growing number of employers are considering covering the blockbuster weight-loss drugs, several surveys show. Roughly the same share say they are somewhat or very likely to begin covering these medications for weight loss within the next 12 months, according to KFF’s annual Employer Health Benefits Survey. But only 18% of firms in KFF’s survey, which includes those with 200 or more employees, cover GLP-1 drugs primarily for weight loss. Even employers that provide coverage for anti-obesity drugs often put up guardrails, such as requiring employees to receive prior authorization or to try other weight-loss methods first. Outpatient drug costs are expected to climb 11.4% next year, surpassing the 8% increase projected for medical plan costs, according to Segal’s most recent survey.

Persons: ”, Matthew Rae, Mercer, Beth Umland, Eileen Pabon, KFF, It’s, Eric Miller, Segal, Vicky Cathcart, ” Cathcart Organizations: CNN, Workers, Health, Survey, Business, DSV Air & Sea, Employees, Employers, Outpatient, Marroquin Industries Corp Locations: Mercer, New Jersey, Hawthorne , California

☆ Life spans are growing but 'health spans' are shrinking. What that means for your money
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-09 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Since 1960, the average U.S. life span has increased to 77.5 from roughly 70 years old, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But "health spans" are simultaneously shrinking. As a result, there's a "widening gap" between one's life and health spans, she said. How health impacts wealthFatcamera | E+ | Getty ImagesOf course, this isn't to say healthy people avoid significant medical expenses. Prioritize the spending on your health and, if it feels like too much money, try to cut back on spending that "doesn't increase your health span," she said.

Persons: Momo, Susan Roberts, Roberts, McClanahan, Francis Organizations: Getty, Centers for Disease Control, Dartmouth College, Planning Partners, Invest Locations: U.S

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailCNBC investigates the black market of obesity drugsA CNBC investigation into illegal weight loss drugs reveals a marketplace where criminals brazenly counterfeit the drugs or ship the real product from overseas.

Organizations: CNBC

All four drugs are in a class of wildly popular weight loss drugs known as GLP-1s. In the United Kingdom, authorities last year seized hundreds of counterfeit Ozempic pens — insulin pens that had been relabeled as Ozempic. Counterfeit weight loss drugs have serious health risks, according to the pharmaceutical companies and federal officials. Counterfeiters are already trying to cash in on a weight loss drug that the company hasn't even put on the market yet: retatrutide. But it's also one of the epicenters of the lucrative counterfeit drug trade, according to U.S. authorities who track counterfeit drugs.

Persons: It's, —, Eli Lilly's Mounjaro, they've, Laver, Andy Morling, CNBC Morling, Eli Lilly, Daniel Skovronsky, Eli Lilly's, we'll, Skovronksy, John F, Sal Ingrassia, Ingrassia, Customs isn't, we've, Yoav Keren, GLP, TikTok, Keren, BrandShield, it's, Nicole Johnson, CNBC Johnson, Johnson, Mike Doustdar, Doustdar, Direnc Bada Organizations: CNBC, U.S, Laver Beauty, DHL, Novo Nordisk, Laver, Medicines, Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, Lilly Research Labs, Kennedy International, JFK International Mail Facility, U.S . Customs, Border Protection, JFK, CBP, Protection, CNBC CNBC, FDA, Customs, Meta, Facebook, World Health Organization, U.S ., Intellectual, Coordination Center, National, Turkish National Police, Novo Nordisk's, CNBC Counterfeiters, CNBC FDA Locations: BOULDER, COLO, Boulder, Ozempic, Shijiazhuang, China, Beijing, Englewood Cliffs , New Jersey, United Kingdom, London, New York City, U.S, Turkey, Europe, South America, United States, India, Mexico, Istanbul, Zurich

☆ Why health care could be a winner heading into year-end
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-09 | by ( Fred Imbert | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Health care may be the answer, if history is any indication. The Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) has posted a November gain in eight of the last 10 years. Health care trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 22.2, while the S & P 500 has a multiple of 24. The optimism around health care comes as the sector lags the broader market. Some health care names poised to do well, according to Krinsky, are Masimo and Viking Therapeutics .

Persons: What's, Jonathan Krinsky, Krinsky Organizations: iShares Biotechnology, Viking Therapeutics, Viking, Politan, Citi, UPS, Amazon Logistics, Walmart Locations: China

☆ A top nutrition scientist had a stroke at 53. Here did two things to lower his blood pressure — and cutting out salt wasn't one of them.
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-09 | by ( Serafina Kenny | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Nutrition scientist Tim Spector had a stroke in 2012 and learned he had high blood pressure. He made dietary changes to lower his blood pressure, which he shared with Business Insider. After the stroke, Spector, who is also the cofounder of the science and nutrition company ZOE, was diagnosed with high blood pressure. AdvertisementSpector shared with Business Insider the two things he did to lower his blood pressure after his stroke. Spector switched to a salt alternativePatients with high blood pressure are commonly told to reduce the amount of salt they eat.

Persons: Tim Spector, —, he'd, Spector, ZOE Organizations: Business, Service, Centers for Disease Control, American Heart Association, World Health Organization, AHA, European, of Nutrition, British Heart Foundation

☆ Baby Boomers are living longer than previous generations but have worse health, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-08 | by ( Rosa Rahimi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Baby Boomers may be expected to live longer than their predecessors, but a recent study has found that they are more likely to suffer from worse health than previous generations. It covered several generations, including the Greatest Generation (born before 1925) and Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1959), according to the study. Younger post-war cohorts, like Generation X, are also at risk of worse health than the generation preceding them, Gimeno said. “Generation X were more likely to be obese, have diabetes, and be in poor mental health than Baby Boomers in their 40s,” said Gimeno. The analysis of 135,000 people living in England suggested that although they’re living longer, their lives weren’t necessarily healthier.

Persons: ”, Laura Gimeno, Boomers, Gimeno, X Organizations: London CNN, University of Oxford and University College London, UCL, Boomers, CNN, Gerontology, Baby Boomers Locations: United States, England, Europe

☆ Most of today’s children are unlikely to live to 100, analysis says
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-07 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

They said, ‘No, no, NO!’ Advances in medical and life-extending technologies will accelerate and will drag life expectancy along with it,” he said. We have shown the era of rapid increases in human life expectancy has ended, just as we predicted,” Olshansky said. “We’re still gaining life expectancy, but it’s at an increasingly slower pace than in previous decades.”Olshansky spoke to CNN about his analysis of longevity data. Just 5% of baby girls and about 2% of baby boys born today will live to 100, according to a new analysis. (That woman, Jeanne Calment, was born in 1875 in Arles, France, at a time when life expectancy was nearly 45 years.

Persons: CNN — Gerontologist Jay Olshansky, Olshansky, ”, ‘, ” Olshansky, “, “ We’re, Jeanne Calment, it’s, that’s Organizations: CNN, “, School of Public Health, University of Illinois, ER Productions, Getty Locations: Chicago, Australia, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United States, Arles

☆ Bernstein upgrades Campbell as people taking GLP-1 drugs eating more soup
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-07 | by ( Sean Conlon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Campbell Soup could be poised to benefit from an uptick in GLP-1 drug usage, according to Bernstein. Among the 20 analysts covering Campbell, only five have a strong buy or buy rating, while 12 have a hold rating. In addition, the analyst anticipates that reduced chocolate consumption from GLP-1 intake may hinder U.S. chocolate volumes by 2% to 3%. "Unfortunately, chocolate category volumes remain stubbornly negative and Hershey's chocolate volumes also remain weak despite lapping easier and easier comparables in recent months," Howard continued. Meanwhile, only four have a strong buy or buy rating, and its average target of $202.14 implies a gain of about 5% ahead.

Persons: Campbell, Bernstein, Eli Lilly's Mounjaro, Alexia Howard, Milano, Howard, they've Organizations: Nordisk's Ozempic, Hershey Locations: GLP

☆ 5 Nobel-worthy discoveries that haven’t won the prize
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-05 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The first human genomeThe mapping of the human genome has had a huge impact on biology and other fields. The output from a DNA sequencer is shown in this undated image from the National Human Genome Research Institute. But one reason the project may not have earned a Nobel Prize is the sheer number of people involved in the feat. The Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine will be announced on Monday, followed by the physics prize on Tuesday and the Nobel Prize in chemistry on Wednesday. The Nobel Prize for literature will be announced on Thursday and the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.

Persons: Alfred Nobel, Nobel, Carsten Snejbjerg, Svetlana Mojsov, Joel Habener, Lotte Bjerre Knudsen —, Lasker, Knudsen, Hassabis, John Jumper, Lester Cohen, David Pendlebury, Pendlebury, “ Nobel, David Baker, ”, Boris Roessler, We’re, Jeffrey Gordon, Robert J, Glaser, Louis, Gordon, Claire King, Barack Obama, Drew Angerer, Mary, King Organizations: CNN, Stockholm —, Human Genome Research, Nordisk, Bloomberg, Getty, Rockefeller University, Harvard Medical School, Novo Nordisk, Clarivate’s Institute for Scientific Information, Google, Institute for Protein, University of Washington School of Medicine, Washington University, of Locations: Swedish, United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, China, Hillerød, Denmark, Los Angeles, St

☆ Beyond Novo: Fund manager likes this under-the-radar pharma stock with a weight loss drug in the works
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-04 | by ( Amala Balakrishner | In Amala-Balakrishner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"Maybe that weight loss product (by United Laboratories) works, maybe it doesn't. United Laboratories' price-to-earnings of 5.8 times is a fraction of the 34.3 times that Novo Nordisk is trading at, Peche added. [United Laboratories] is making smooth progress in R & D and targets to launch Liraglutide in 2024. Their comments follow United Laboratories' "faster than expected earnings" growth in the first half of the year. Analysts' average price target on United Laboratories is 12.95 Hong Kong dollars, giving it 28.2% potential upside.

Persons: Sean Peche, it's, Peche, there's, that's, Eli Lilly, Amgen, Carol Dou, Sunny Chen, UOB Kay Hian, bode Organizations: Novo Nordisk, Ranmore Fund Management, United Laboratories, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Global Equity Fund, Hong, Hong Kong bourse, HK Locations: Hong Kong, Novo, Europe, U.S

☆ Have we passed peak obesity?
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHave we passed peak obesity? Jared Holz, Mizuho, joins 'Fast Money' with the traders to discuss the whether the trendsin obesity drugs is losing steam.

Persons: Jared Holz Locations: Mizuho

☆ I shop at Aldi every 2 weeks and avoid ultra-processed foods. Here are my favorite items to get for lighter, nutritious meals.
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-04 | by ( Nina Mccollum | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

I shop at Aldi every other week and avoid ultra-processed foods. Go to newsletter preferences Thanks for signing up! I'm in my 50s and try to avoid foods with long ingredient lists and additives I can't identify, so I don't buy ultra-processed foods like candy bars and soda. Some research even suggests that consuming ultra-processed foods can increase the risk of heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Though it's hard to avoid ultra-processed foods completely, I do my best to buy minimally processed items.

Persons: — Organizations: Aldi, Service

☆ Eli Lilly CEO: We have 11 pipeline projects in obesity
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailEli Lilly CEO: We have 11 pipeline projects in obesityCNBC's Angelica Peebles joins 'Squawk on the Street' to report on Eli Lilly's new investment in a new $4.5 billion research and development center.

Persons: Eli Lilly, CNBC's Angelica Peebles, Eli Lilly's

☆ Eli Lilly to build $4.5 billion research and manufacturing center to propel drug pipeline
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-02 | by ( Angelica Peebles | In Angelicapeebles | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Eli Lilly will spend $4.5 billion to build a center aimed at finding better ways to manufacture its medicines. The facility, called the Lilly Medicine Foundry, will house development of new manufacturing methods with an eye toward efficiency. It's a strategy that's already paying off with Lilly's obesity and weight loss drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound, and Lilly wants it to propel the rest of its pipeline. Lilly says the facility will be the first of its kind to combine research and production in a single location. It will be near a $9 billion manufacturing complex Lilly is building in Lebanon, Indiana, to produce pharmaceutical ingredients like tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Mounjaro and Zepbound.

Persons: Eli Lilly, Mounjaro, Lilly, David Ricks, –, Dan Skovronsky Organizations: Lilly, Foundry, Indianapolis, Novo Nordisk's Ozempic Locations: Indianapolis, Lebanon , Indiana, tirzepatide

☆ Here are JPMorgan's top stock picks heading into October
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-02 | by ( Sean Conlon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

For October, the additions include Best Buy and Carmax , while Wayfair , CarGurus and First Citizens BancShares are among those removed. The bank cited positive existing home sales, and an expansion in AI adoption, believing Best Buy will see continued growth in average selling prices . Analyst Christopher Horvers says Best Buy will increase its profitability over time, noting an uptick in operating margins to 5% from last year's 4.1%. He has an overweight rating on the stock, and his price target of $111 implies more than 9% upside from Tuesday's close. The bank's price target for Schwab implied about 22% upside and for Ulta Beauty about 18% potential appreciation, based on Tuesday's close.

Persons: JPMorgan's, Christopher Horvers, BBY, Eli Lilly, Lilly, Charles Schwab, Schwab Organizations: JPMorgan, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Wall, AT, TPG Locations: Israel, Richland , Minnesota, Dallas, DirectTV, Lilly, Ireland

☆ Breast cancer rising among younger women and Asian Americans, report finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-01 | by ( Kaitlin Sullivan | Kaitlin Sullivan Is A Contributor For Nbcnews.Com Who Has Worked With Nbc News Investigations. She Reports On Health | Science | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

In younger women, rates have increased at a faster clip — by about 1.4% every year since 2021. Among Asian American and Pacific Islander women under 50, breast cancer diagnoses have increased by 50% since 2000. Today, Black women are 5% less likely to get breast cancer than white women, but are nearly 40% more likely to die from the disease. The American Cancer Society researchers noted that this disparity is seen in even the most treatable types of breast cancer. Each person’s family and personal history and genetics will also determine when they should start screening for breast cancer.

Persons: ”, Sonya Reid, “ It’s, Reid, it’s, Wendy Wilcox, ” Wilcox, Dr, William Dahut, ” Reid, Wilcox, “ Organizations: American Cancer Society, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, American, Pacific, New York, New York City Health, Pacific Islanders, Alaska Natives Locations: Black, Alaska, New York City, American, Indian

☆ Kind Snacks founder Daniel Lubetzky used to stay up until 4 a.m. checking his work email: ‘I was enslaved by my inbox’
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-30 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Daniel Lubetzky says his days of choosing work over sleep are long gone, and he's more productive because of it. Lubetzky, the billionaire Kind Snacks founder and newest permanent investor judge on ABC's "Shark Tank," was once a major night owl — perhaps involuntarily, he says. "I have a little bit of an obsessive personality," Lubetzky, 56, tells CNBC Make It. "That's helped me get better quality sleep," Lubetzky says. "And the brain pain level is bad if I get less than six hours [of sleep per night]."

Persons: Daniel Lubetzky, Lubetzky, That's, It's, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, I've, Musk, Gates, nighters, Get Organizations: CNBC, Centers for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health Locations: United States

☆ James Corden says he tried taking Ozempic to lose weight, but 'it didn't really work.' Here's why it isn't for everyone.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-29 | by ( Eve Crosbie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

James Corden said Ozempic didn't help him lose weight because he doesn't eat only when he's hungry. But Ozempic doesn't address the root cause of eating behaviors nor change them, experts say. "I tried Ozempic, and it won't be surprising to you when you look at me now, that it didn't really work," he said, per People. AdvertisementOzempic doesn't address the root cause of eating behaviors nor change themFor those who have a more complex relationship with food and maybe struggle with emotional eating, Ozempic might not be the answer. "Emotional eating is a complex behavior that often has little to do with physical hunger cues.

Persons: James Corden, Ozempic didn't, —, who's, Brianna Paruolo, Paruolo, semaglutide, Sarah Boss, Boss, Stephen Powis, I'm Organizations: Service, National Health Service Locations: British, New York, England

☆ Why the public cares so much about Oprah Winfrey’s body
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-29 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Such scrutiny is the product of diet culture, the influences and messages that affect how we eat, based on cultural pressure to attain an ideal body type, experts say. And with increasing changes in access to food, exercise and health care, people’s weight is becoming more out of their individual control, she added. A 2019 meta-analysis showed that more than 80% of weight loss is regained after five years. One idea is that diet culture keeps a check on power. Comments and criticisms you make about other people’s bodies also influence the way you feel about your own body, Conason said.

Persons: Oprah Winfrey, Whitney Trotter, Trotter —, —, Winfrey, Alexis Conason, ” Conason, Charles Bennet, Kimmie Singh, “, ” Singh, Trotter, Conason, ”, Chika, Anekwe, ” Anekwe, ’ ” Trotter, Bri Campos, Lizzo, Kelly Clarkson, Winfrey –, Singh, it’s, Campos, Oprah, ” Campos Organizations: CNN, Weight Center, Harvard Medical School Locations: New York City, New York, Austin , Texas, Massachusetts, Boston, Paramus , New Jersey

☆ The one sector of the stock market that is cheap with upside today
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-29 | by ( Karen Firestone | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The table and chart below illustrate some characteristics of the biopharma stocks. The average price/earnings multiple for the group, using 2025 estimates, is 12.7 times versus 20.6 times for the S & P 500. A major knock on the biopharma group is the limited productivity from their extremely expensive research efforts, other than obesity drugs, over the past twenty-five years. The technology using AI might not be ready yet, particularly related to the complex biology of the human body. Complex programs exist already, such as AlphaFold, which predicts the structure of three-dimensional compounds using data on protein sequences.

Persons: Bristol Myers, Amgen, Eli Lilly, Lilly, Johnson Organizations: CNBC, Merck, Pfizer, Novo Nordisk, JPMorgan Locations: Bristol

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