Ozempic accounts for the majority of this spending, with Medicaid paying $912.3 million for the drug for 978,400 Medicaid recipients. The drug, manufactured by Novo Nordisk, is used to treat Type 2 diabetes but has been prescribed off-label for weight loss.
Spending on GLP-1 drugs in Medicaid nearly doubled between 2021 and 2022, rising from $547 million in 2021.
According to KFF’s analysis, it is difficult to determine how much of the spending on GLP-1 drugs is tied to weight loss or diabetes treatment. Medicaid programs in 10 states provide broad coverage of weight-loss medications, according to Bloomberg.
Read the full analysis here.
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