In 2018, an Ohio audit found that PBMs charged the state Medicaid program $224.8 million more than they paid pharmacies a spread of $1.15 per prescription on generics, which sounds small until you multiply it by 115 million Ohio Medicaid prescriptions
This positioned the drug not just as a cosmetic or lifestyle aid, but as a therapy with long-term cardiometabolic benefits
They may recommend prescription options like lubiprostone (Amitiza), linaclotide (Linzess), or prucalopride (Motegrity), which work through mechanisms different from over-the-counter options and can be combined with the lifestyle strategies outlined here
Community pharmacies, however, already support more than 1 million patients each month with weight management
If you want to try a month before committing, the small print matters more than the headline price