Medicare will start covering the treatments for people who have severe obesity and others who are overweight or obese and have serious health problems. Those who qualify will pay $50 copays for the medicine.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump unveiled a deal Thursday with drugmakers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to expand coverage and reduce prices for their popular obesity treatments Zepbound and Wegovy.

The drugs are part of a new generation of obesity medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists that have soared in popularity in recent years.

But access to the drugs has been a consistent problem for patients because of their cost — around $500 a month for higher doses — and insurance coverage has been spotty.

Coverage of the drugs for obesity will expand to Medicare patients

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