Drugstores Report Increased Prescriptions for Medicare Obesity Drug Program

Why it matters locally: West Virginia has one of the highest rates of obesity among adults in the nation, making increased access to Medicare obesity drug programs potentially impactful for a significant portion of its Medicare-eligible population.

Drugstore chains CVS and Walgreens have each dispensed 100,000 prescriptions under a new Medicare initiative. The program, known as Bridge, launched on July 1. It provides certain Medicare beneficiaries access to obesity medications for a monthly cost of $50. The Bridge program aims to increase access to specific obesity drugs for eligible Medicare participants. CVS and Walgreens began processing these prescriptions shortly after the program's implementation.