Your Money Minute: Weight Loss Drugs Pitched Direct To Consumers

Podcast by CNBC | Host: Peter Schacknow | Guest: Anika Kim Constantino | Date: December 19, 2025
Duration: ~1 minute

Episode Overview

This episode explores recent changes in the accessibility and pricing of popular weight loss drugs known as GLP-1s. It highlights how pharmaceutical companies like Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are adopting direct-to-consumer sales strategies, making these medications more available to individuals who lack insurance coverage, and discusses implications for consumers as well as the evolving insurance landscape.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Price Reductions and Consumer Access

• Eli Lilly Cuts Prices:

  • Eli Lilly has reduced the price of its Zepp bound obesity drug to a range of $299 to $449 per dose, with a $50 reduction at the lower end.
  • Significance: The price drop could make these medications more affordable for consumers paying out of pocket.
    • (Peter Schacknow, 00:04)

• Insurance Barriers Remain:

  • Many employers remain reluctant to cover obesity drugs due to high costs.
  • Medicare will start covering some obesity drugs for the first time next year (2026).
    • (Anika Kim Constantino, 00:26)
  • Despite price cuts, insurance coverage lags, and most patients still pay out of pocket.

2. Rise of Direct-to-Consumer Sales

• Alternative Access:

  • Consumers increasingly turn to direct-to-consumer pathways provided by drug manufacturers, bypassing insurance but still requiring a prescription.
    • Quote:

      "A lot of patients have been opting for these sort of direct to consumer pathways that are coming from directly from these companies."
      — Anika Kim Constantino, 00:40

• Prescription Still Required:

  • Caveat: A prescription is still mandatory even if the purchase is direct from the manufacturer.
    • (Peter Schacknow, 00:49)

• Novo Nordisk Joins In:

  • Novo Nordisk, the maker of Wegovy, launched its own direct-to-consumer operation earlier this year (2025), showing broader industry adoption of this model.
    • (Peter Schacknow, 00:51)

3. Industry Context & Market Trends

• Response to Market Demand:
  • Drug companies are expanding direct sales, not just in weight loss but other categories, motivated by strong consumer demand and calls for more transparent pricing.
    • (Peter Schacknow, 01:01)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "They're still not cheap, exactly, but more consumers may now have access to weight loss drugs known as GLP1s."
  — Peter Schacknow, 00:02

• "No, it's not unusual at all, honestly. I mean, especially given that obesity drugs don't have insur—I mean, a lot of employers are very reluctant to cover it because of their high cost."
  — Anika Kim Constantino, 00:26

• "You still need a valid prescription, but you can get those drugs even if insurance won't cover it and you're willing to fork over the cash."
  — Peter Schacknow, 00:49

• "Drug makers have been adopting this sales method outside the weight loss category in response to growing demand for the drugs themselves and for transparent pricing."
  — Peter Schacknow, 01:01

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–00:20 — Introduction: Price drop by Eli Lilly, expert introduction
• 00:26–00:48 — Insurance landscape and direct-to-consumer pathways (Anika Kim Constantino)
• 00:48–01:06 — Direct-to-consumer model expansion, Novo Nordisk example
• 01:06–01:13 — Big picture: Industry adapting sales in response to demand

This concise but timely episode unpacks the shifting market for weight loss drugs, emphasizing both new accessibility options through direct sales and the ongoing challenges related to insurance coverage and cost.