STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about employer coverage of obesity drugs, another Sanofi setback, and more

Top of the morning to you, and a fine one it is. Sunny skies and mild breezes are enveloping the Pharmalot campus once again, making it possible for the official mascots to eat breakfast on the deck and take long naps. As for us, we are firing up the trusty kettle to make another cuppa stimulation. Our choice today is English breakfast, an old standby. Please feel free to join us. Meanwhile, here are a few items of interest. Hope you have a meaningful and productive day and, of course, do stay in touch. … Some employers are planning to drop coverage of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss next year as more people take the medications, counteracting some savings from lower prices for Novo Nordisk’s and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound ​and Foundayo, Reuters reports. About 10% of employers who now cover GLP-1 drugs for weight loss said they planned to drop the ‌drugs in 2027, according to the Business Group on Health, a policy research group for large employers. A second survey by benefits consultancy Mercer said 5% of large employers — which it defines as employing over 500 people — plan to drop coverage in 2027. Mercer said 44% of ​companies with more than 500 employees cover the drugs for obesity. Data from the Business Group on Health show ​67% of large employers cover GLP-1s in 2026. Rapidly expanding use of weight loss medicines in the U.K. has wiped about $1 billion off annual grocery spending, Bloomberg News writes. Households with at least one user of GLP-1 weight loss drugs bought 299 million fewer food items in the year after adoption of the medication, with users reporting a dwindling number of cravings and cutting back on treats like chocolate and potato chips, according to a study from Worldpanel by Numerator. Use of the drugs has nearly tripled in two years, the group said, with 6.3% of households in the U.K. including at least one current user of GLP-1s such as Ozempic and Mounjaro. That’s