New York — Costco is now offering $179 Ozempic prescriptions for some of its members.
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Under a program launched Tuesday, the warehouse retailer is prescribing GLP-1 weight loss drugs through its low-cost health care partner Sesame.
Costco first partnered with Sesame, a direct-to-consumer health care marketplace that connects medical providers nationwide with consumers, last fall when it began offering its members online health checkups for as low as $29.
Because of customers’ interest in weight loss, Costco and Sesame developed the renewable three-month program, said Sesame co-founder and CEO David Goldhill in an interview with USA Today.
It includes a video consultation with a weight loss doctor or specialist; a GLP-1 or weight loss prescription, if appropriate; and support through unlimited messaging with a health care provider.
The cost of medication is not included in the $179 three-month plan, and Sesame warned on its website that without insurance, GLP-1s can cost between $950 and $1,600 per month.
Sesame says it has an available supply of injectable semaglutide, including Ozempic and Wegovy, as well as oral weight-loss medications. The company advertises that patients could lose 5% of their body weight in just three months, 10% in six months and 15% in a year.
Sesame, available to most Costco members, advertises services with low out-of-pocket payments. It says some insurance plans will reimburse users for some Sesame services.
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Ozempic, Wegovy and other GLP-1 prescription drugs have already swept through wealthier demographics of the country.
US health care providers wrote more than 9 million prescriptions for Wegovy and other injectable drugs used for weight loss during the last three months of 2022 alone. JPMorgan researchers estimate that 30 million people may be taking GLP-1 drugs by 2030, or around 9% of the US population.
WeightWatchers launched a new membership plan that gives members access to doctors who can prescribe these medications. It also made a $100 million-plus deal to buy Sequence, a telehealth business that can offer virtual prescriptions, where appropriate, to patients for these weight loss drugs.
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