Concern about the cost of GLP-1s remains high, and a new study suggests it's not uncommon for patients to overpay for these drugs.
E-prescribing company DoseSpot released a study Monday that analyzed more than 100,000 prescriptions for GLP-1s and found they likely overpaid by a collective $10.2 million. Most (92%) of prescriptions included at the study could have been obtained at a lower price.
The data were provided exclusively to Fierce Healthcare. The report said that the $10.2 million in savings extrapolated across the approximately 32 million individuals who currently take GLP-1 ones mean there's an opportunity here for potentially billions in savings.
The bulk of the savings identified in the study, or about $7 million, would have been generated by being in one of the manufacturers' savings programs. Josh Weiner, CEO of DoseSpot, told Fierce Healthcare in an interview that stakeholders can do more to keep providers in the loop about what patients may be eligible for.
DoseSpot, for example, is able to surface those data at the point of care, or even before a visit, to ensure a provider can make the patient aware of savings opportunities when prescribing a GLP-1.
Once a patient has a prescription and is in DoseSpot's system, the platform can elevate similar information to them, Weiner said.
"Once we're in the flow of the prescription, we can take that exact same information and deliver it to the patient via text message, and hopefully trigger those same questions," he said.
Almost all (94%) of the prescriptions included in the study were under commercial coverage, while 6% were for people who were uninsured.
The study also found that adherence challenges persist for these drugs. Less than half (46.3%) were adherent to their medications at 180 days, which can make it hard to track long-term side effects or efficacy of the medication. Manufacturers' savings programs can provide a key tool for people to more affordably access their drugs, according to the report.
"We need to see better compliance rates, certainly from a payer perspective, and again, not to beat the same drum, but we do see cost is the biggest barrier to access," Weiner said.