Boston-Pembroke’s Kimberly Delrosso has spent much of her adult life in a constant battle with her sweet tooth and scales. “I tried every diet,” she said. None were successful.
But Kimberly says she has lost at least 40 pounds since February and is a different person now, thanks to a drug called Wegobee.
Like the EpiPen, it is an injection once a week. “It’s like a switch in your brain that tells you when you’re not hungry,” she explains.
Kimberly says she has a lot of energy and was able to go hiking in Yellowstone National Park this fall. “I feel really good.”
Kimberly’s personal physician is Caroline Apobian, co-director of the Weight Management and Wellness Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She calls her Wegovy, identical to a diabetes drug called Ozempic, a game changer for obese patients. “This is unbelievable because it starts to approach the kind of weight loss you see with bariatric surgery,” she said.
The problem is that the drug is not available to everyone. Supply is part of it. Celebrities like Elon Musk have been outspoken about using drugs to keep their bodies in shape, which has increased the demand for drugs.
According to Kimberly, there are months when prescriptions are hard to come by. “I’m running from pharmacy to pharmacy trying to get it,” she said. says.
But Dr. Apovian’s big concern is that it’s expensive, about $1,500 a month, and many insurance companies, including Medicare and Medicaid, don’t cover it. She believes it is a matter of life and death for some patients who are not candidates for organ transplants because of their obesity. You can’t even be on a transplant list if your BMI is less than 35,” she said.
WBZ reached out to MassHealth, the Massachusetts version of Medicaid, and a spokesperson said, “MassHealth is currently reviewing this regulation to determine if changes are necessary to allow coverage for these drugs. We are evaluating the
Kimberly’s insurance covers the drug so far, but there’s no guarantee it will last. She doesn’t understand why they don’t think the drug will save them money in the long run. “I’m off my high blood pressure meds. I no longer have sleep apnea. I’m not borderline diabetic,” she said.
This drug has another drawback. Some patients report losing the pleasure of eating.
