PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Brigham-led study estimates 1 in 7 Medicare beneficiaries with high body mass index may qualify for anti-obesity drug

If Medicare Part D narrowly defines cardiovascular disease, majority of patients would remain ineligible while new federal spending could still exceed $10 billion

2024-08-26
(Press-News.org) If Medicare Part D narrowly defines cardiovascular disease, majority of patients would remain ineligible while new federal spending could still exceed $10 billion

Current federal regulation restricts Medicare from covering drugs prescribed solely for weight loss. However, in March 2024, Medicare announced it would extend coverage to semaglutide (Wegovy), a popular glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA), for patients with elevated body mass index (BMI) who also had established cardiovascular disease (CVD). This means that the definition of “established CVD,” which has not been formally codified, will have outsized impacts on both public health and Medicare costs. A new study led by investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, estimates that 3.6 million Medicare beneficiaries are most likely to become eligible for semaglutide. The study also estimates eligibility and associated maximum costs if different definitions of cardiovascular risk were to be considered. Findings are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

The research team analyzed data from respondents over 65 or who were on Medicare and who took part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2011 and 2020. They found that if all patients with elevated BMI and history of heart attack, stroke, coronary artery disease, or angina were treated with semaglutide, maximum annual costs to Medicare could be as high as $34.3 billion after rebates.

“When established cardiovascular disease is narrowly defined, only 1 in 7 Medicare beneficiaries with elevated BMI are likely to be eligible to receive semaglutide, but costs to Medicare could still exceed $10 billion per year,” said lead author Alexander Chaitoff, MD, MPH, of the Center for Healthcare Delivery Sciences in the Division of Pharmacoepidemiology at BWH. “In this conservative coverage scenario, that means most beneficiaries with elevated BMI and cardiovascular risk would remain ineligible for semaglutide, yet the medication could still potentially become one of the costliest drugs to Medicare.”

Authorship: In addition to Chaitoff, BWH authors include Liam Bendicksen, William Feldman and Hussain Lalani. Additional authors include Alexander Zheutlin.

Disclosures: Unrelated to the current work, Alexander Chaitoff and William Feldman disclose consulting for Alosa Health, an academic detailing non-profit organization that works on topics related to the health of older adults. Dr. Lalani is a medical officer at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. The views presented herein do not represent those of the Federal government.

Funding: None

Paper cited: Chaitoff, A et al. “Estimating New Eligibility and Maximum Costs of Expanded Medicare Coverage of Semaglutide for Cardiovascular Risk Prevention” Annals of Internal Medicine DOI: 10.7326/ANNALS-24-00308    

###

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

$66 million in 10 years: Groundbreaking strategic investment fund to drive biomedical innovation in Australia

$66 million in 10 years: Groundbreaking strategic investment fund to drive biomedical innovation in Australia
2024-08-26
With a grand vision of investing $66 million over 10 years in groundbreaking medical innovations, WEHI’s first strategic investment fund, 66ten, is the largest internal pre-seed and seed fund created by an Australian medical research institute. Managed by WEHI Ventures, 66ten serves the sole purpose of bridging the gap between scientific discoveries and commercial viability, ultimately creating both positive outcomes for patients and healthcare systems globally as well as financial returns to investors.  Since its foundation a year ago, 66ten has ...

New way to potentially slow cancer growth

New way to potentially slow cancer growth
2024-08-26
LA JOLLA, CA—Fighting cancer effectively often involves stopping cancer cells from multiplying, which requires understanding proteins that the cells rely on to survive. Protein profiling plays a critical role in this process by helping researchers identify proteins—and their specific parts—that future drugs should target. But when used on their own, past approaches haven’t been detailed enough to spotlight all potential protein targets, leading to some being missed. Now, by combining two methods of protein analysis, a team of chemists at Scripps Research has mapped more than 300 small molecule-reactive ...

Using machine learning to speed up simulations of irregularly shaped particles

Using machine learning to speed up simulations of irregularly shaped particles
2024-08-26
Simulating particles is a relatively simple task when those particles are spherical. In the real world, however, most particles are not perfect spheres but take on irregular and varying shapes and sizes. Simulating these particles becomes a much more challenging and time-consuming task. The ability to simulate particles is critical to understanding how they behave. For example, microplastics are a new form of pollution as plastic waste has increased drastically and uncontrollably decays in the environment ...

Ochsner Digital Medicine teams up with AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana to improve treatment of hypertension, Type 2 diabetes

Ochsner Digital Medicine teams up with AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana to improve treatment of hypertension, Type 2 diabetes
2024-08-26
New Orleans, LA. – Ochsner Digital Medicine has teamed up with AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana to offer digital medicine services to the health plan’s members. Utilizing remote patient management (RPM), Ochsner Digital Medicine and AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana will work together to help members with certain chronic conditions better manage their health and improve their quality of life. AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana, part of the AmeriHealth Caritas Family of Companies, is a Healthy Louisiana managed Medicaid health plan covering ...

Closing the RNA loop holds promise for more stable, effective RNA therapies

2024-08-26
New methods to shape RNA molecules into circles could lead to more effective and long-lasting therapies, shows a study by researchers at the University of California San Diego. The advance holds promise for a range of diseases, offering a more enduring alternative to existing RNA therapies, which often suffer from short-lived effectiveness in the body.    The work was published Aug. 26 in Nature Biomedical Engineering. RNA molecules have emerged as powerful tools in modern medicine. They can silence ...

Controlling molecular electronics with rigid, ladder-like molecules

Controlling molecular electronics with rigid, ladder-like molecules
2024-08-26
As electronic devices continue to get smaller and smaller, physical size limitations are beginning to disrupt the trend of doubling transistor density on silicon-based microchips approximately every two years according to Moore’s law. Molecular electronics—the use of single molecules as the building blocks for electronic components—offers a potential pathway for the continued miniaturization of small-scale electronic devices. Devices that utilize molecular electronics require precise control over the flow of electrical current. However, the dynamic nature of these single molecule components affects device performance and impacts ...

Marine science oxygen produced in the deep sea raises questions about extraterrestrial life

Marine science oxygen produced in the deep sea raises questions about extraterrestrial life
2024-08-26
Over 12,000 feet below the surface of the sea, in a region of the Pacific Ocean known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), million-year-old rocks cover the seafloor. These rocks may seem lifeless, but nestled between the nooks and crannies on their surfaces, tiny sea creatures and microbes make their home, many uniquely adapted to life in the dark.  These deep-sea rocks, called polymetallic nodules, don’t only host a surprising number of sea critters. A team of scientists that includes Boston University experts has discovered they ...

What microscopic fossilized shells tell us about ancient climate change

What microscopic fossilized shells tell us about ancient climate change
2024-08-26
At the end of the Paleocene and beginning of the Eocene epochs, between 59 to 51 million years ago, Earth experienced dramatic warming periods, both gradual periods stretching millions of years and sudden warming events known as hyperthermals. Driving this planetary heat up were massive emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases, but other factors like tectonic activity may have also been at play. New research led by University of Utah geoscientists pairs sea surface temperatures with levels ...

Li-ion batteries show promise as cheap and sustainable alternative to Ni/Co materials

Li-ion batteries show promise as cheap and sustainable alternative to Ni/Co materials
2024-08-26
Lithium-ion (or Li-ion) batteries are heavy hitters when it comes to the world of rechargeable batteries. As electric vehicles become more common in the world, a high-energy, low-cost battery utilizing the abundance of manganese (Mn) can be a sustainable option to become commercially available and utilized in the automobile industry. Currently, batteries used for powering electric vehicles (EVs) are nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co)-based, which can be expensive and unsustainable for a society with a growing desire for EVs. By switching the positive electrode ...

The Lundquist Institute announces updates to its Board of Directors

The Lundquist Institute announces updates to its Board of Directors
2024-08-26
The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (TLI) announced updates to its Board of Directors today. TLI welcomes one new distinguished member and thanks the two outgoing members for their invaluable contributions. “On behalf of the Board, I am delighted that Dr. Bill Dorfman, a global leader in cosmetic dentistry, has joined the TLI Board. Dr. Dorfman's extensive expertise and commitment to philanthropy make him an invaluable addition to our leadership,” said Mitchel Sayare, PhD, TLI Board ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Time alone heightens ‘threat alert’ in teenagers – even when connecting on social media

Study challenges long-held theories on how migratory birds navigate 

Unlocking the secrets of ketosis

AI analysis of PET/CT images can predict side effects of immunotherapy in lung cancer

Making an impact. Research studies a new side of helmet safety: faceguard failures

Specific long term condition combinations have major role in NHS ‘winter pressures’

Men often struggle with transition to fatherhood amid lack of targeted information and support

More green space linked to fewer preventable deaths in most deprived areas of UK

Immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab improves outcomes for patients with soft tissue sarcoma

A formula for life? New model calculates chances of intelligent beings in our Universe and beyond

Could a genetic flaw be the key to stopping people craving sugary treats?

Experts urge complex systems approach to assess A.I. risks

Fossil fuel CO2 emissions increase again in 2024

Winners of Applied Microbiology International Horizon Awards 2024 announced

A toolkit for unraveling the links between intimate partner violence, trauma and substance misuse

Can everyday physical activity improve cognitive health in middle age?

Updated guidance reaffirms CPR with breaths essential for cardiac arrest following drowning

Study reveals medical boards rarely discipline physician misinformation

New treatment helps children with rare spinal condition regain ability to walk

'Grow Your Own' teacher prep pipeline at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette funded by US Department of Education

Lab-grown human immune system uncovers weakened response in cancer patients

More than 5 million Americans would be eligible for psychedelic therapy, study finds

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia researchers find community health workers play critical role in coordinating asthma care across home, school and community

Comprehensive Genomic Profiling leads to better patient outcomes, new joint study says  

Animated movie characters with strabismus are more likely to be villains, study finds

How retailers change ordering strategy when a supplier starts its own direct channel

Young coral use metabolic tricks to resist bleaching

Protecting tax whistleblowers pays off

Bioluminescent proteins made from scratch enable non-invasive, multi-functional biological imaging

New study links air pollution with higher rates of head and neck cancer

[Press-News.org] Brigham-led study estimates 1 in 7 Medicare beneficiaries with high body mass index may qualify for anti-obesity drug
If Medicare Part D narrowly defines cardiovascular disease, majority of patients would remain ineligible while new federal spending could still exceed $10 billion