Costco's $179 Weight-Loss Program May Help You Get an Ozempic Prescription

The retail giant launched a $179 weight-loss program with healthcare partner Sesame that may include medication like Ozempic

Retail giant Costco — known for selling groceries and household items in bulk — is going to start offering prescriptions for Ozempic and other similar medications to some members.

The warehouse retailer has announced that the prescriptions will be accessed via its new weight-loss program, operated by healthcare partner Sesame, according to a USA Today report.

Costco members who sign up for Sesame’s $179 three-month long weight-loss program will have video consultations and the option to message a clinician of their choice — and along with nutritional guidance, may be offered a treatment program that includes weight-loss medication like Ozempic, the company said in a statement.

Ozempic — prescription medication for type 2 diabetes — and Wegovy — prescription medication for clinical obesity — are brand names for semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist which works in the brain to impact satiety. Taken once a week by injection in the thigh, stomach or arm, the medications have gained popularity in and out of Hollywood for weight loss.

However, there’s no guarantee that signing up for the Sesame weight-loss program will provide access to semaglutide, as the company advises in its statement that “individual patient eligibility for drug therapies available through Sesame are determined by the assessment of appropriateness of each therapy by the Sesame-listed provider, and are subject to availability.”

Related: Do Not Take Knockoff Ozempic, FDA Says

The cost of the medication is not included in the Sesame plan, either, and the provider notes on its website that “if you are uninsured, please be aware that GLP-1 medications like Wegovy, Ozempic and Saxenda can be expensive, typically ranging between $950 to $1,600 per month. If you are insured, your provider can assist with insurance pre-authorization paperwork to cover the cost of your medication.”

“We are witnessing important innovations in medically-supervised weight loss,” said David Goldhill, Sesame‘s co-founder and CEO, said in their statement.

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“Sesame’s unique model allows us not only to make high-quality specialty care like weight loss much more accessible and affordable, but also to empower clinicians to create care plans that are specific to — and appropriate for — each individual patient.”

A recent report found that more 9 million prescriptions for Ozempic and similar medications had been issued — and demand continues to soar, at times leading to a shortage of the drug.

Related: Anthony Anderson on the Weight Loss Drug Trend That's 'Creating a Shortage' for Diabetes Patients

“Obesity is prevalent across every socioeconomic status in America,” Sesame co-founder and president Michael Botta told CNN. “There are a lot of people who have this interest and who have this need and we saw that in the data.”

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