North Carolina stopped covering weight loss drugs such as Ozempic for state employees without diabetes. But it extended coverage for Medicaid recipients.

The pharmaceutical manufacturer Amgen announced on Tuesday that an experimental obesity drug helped patients lose up to 20 percent of their weight in a year. The drug, MariTide, is given by injection once a month, compared with once a week for other obesity drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound that are already on the market.

The proposal would expand coverage of anti-obesity drugs to 7.5 million people covered by Medicare and Medicaid, the Biden administration said.

About 42% of U.S. adults are obese, the CDC says. GLP-1 medications have changed the picture for people hoping to reduce risks with obesity.

The Biden administration proposed a rule for Medicare and Medicaid to cover the costs of weight-loss drugs for millions of Americans with obesity.

This may be the first Thanksgiving for millions of Americans who are on GLP-1 agonists like Ozempic, Zepbound or Wegovy.

There is some debate as to whether GLP-1 agonist drugs like Wegovy can lead to unhealthy muscle mass loss in addition to general weight loss. Is this a real concern, and if so, how can a person maintain their muscle mass on GLP-1 drugs?

The stocks of companies that make the new class of drugs to treat obesity and manage diabetes were higher across the board early Tuesday, after the Biden administration proposed a rule that would allow Medicare or Medicaid to cover the expensive medications.

Millions of Americans would be eligible to have costly weight-loss drugs like Wegovy or Ozempic covered by Medicare or Medicaid under the rule.

Millions of Americans could soon have access to weight-loss medications that some have called "miracle drugs."