Racial and Ethnic Inequities in Access to Diabetes and Weight Loss Drugs for U.S. Veterans

By Nancy Lapid

(Reuters) – U.S. military veterans face racial and ethnic inequities in access to Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO)'s highly in-demand drugs for diabetes and weight loss, according to a review of patient data published on Monday (NASDAQ:MNDY), coinciding with the U.S. Veterans Day holiday.

In the U.S. Veterans Affairs Medical (TASE:PMCN) System, Black patients and those of Asian or Native American ancestry were less likely to receive semaglutide than white patients for diabetes or weight loss, according to study leader Dr. Rebecca Tisdale of the VA Palo Alto Health Care System in Menlo Park, California.

Semaglutide is marketed by Novo Nordisk as Ozempic for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and as Wegovy for weight management. It belongs to a class of drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists.

Researchers analyzed data from 1.9 million patients who are overweight or considered obese, including nearly 809,000 with diabetes, at U.S. VA facilities, where access to insurance is not a barrier to care.

The study found that the odds of receiving a semaglutide prescription were 26% lower for Black patients with diabetes and 9% lower for Black patients without diabetes compared to white patients in those groups.

There were no significant differences between Hispanic and white veterans. However, veterans identified as American Indian/Alaskan Native and Asian/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander with diabetes had 17% lower odds of receiving a semaglutide prescription compared to white patients.

“Across all minority race groups, the most significant undertreatment was among those with diabetes,” the researchers noted in the report published in Circulation Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. They indicated that this concerning pattern may reflect disparities within disparities, stating that some racial and ethnic groups are less likely to receive these novel therapies in general. Furthermore, the most severe undertreatment appears among patients with multiple indications who stand to gain the most.

“The VA’s policies regarding the allocation of GLP-1 receptor agonists like semaglutide are rapidly evolving as the supply from the manufacturer and demand from patients and doctors continue to fluctuate,” Tisdale stated. She will present the findings at the upcoming American Heart Association scientific meeting in Chicago.

“Our hope is that studies like ours ensure that equity is explicitly considered as these regulations are formed,” she concluded.