Costco members can join Sesame weight-loss program with Ozempic and Wegovy access

Costco will offer its members access to a weight-loss program from telehealth provider Sesame that can include prescriptions for the GLP-1 drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, the companies said as they expanded a partnership that began last year ^[1]. Ozempic and Wegovy are both brand names for semaglutide.

Members can subscribe to Sesame's weight-loss program for $179 for three months, compared with $195 for non-members, Sesame said in a blog post ^[1]. Under the program, a clinician works with patients on diet, exercise and lifestyle changes and may prescribe medication, subject to availability ^[1].

The subscription does not cover the cost of medication or lab work ^[1]. Sesame told Reuters that clinicians will work with eligible patients on a prior authorization for medication, which the company said could reduce the cost further ^[1].

Demand for GLP-1 agonists, a class of diabetes and obesity drugs, has surged in recent years, with thousands of prescriptions filled every week in the United States ^[1]. Costco had 130 million members as of Feb. 18, according to the company's website ^[1].

Sesame first partnered with Costco in September 2023 to offer outpatient medical care to members ^[1]. Other large retailers have moved into health care as well. Amazon offers a virtual primary care service for Prime members through One Medical, which it bought in 2022, and Walmart runs primary care centers in its stores. Sam's Club, Walmart's membership warehouse chain, sells GLP-1 drugs through its pharmacies ^[1].

Costco did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for additional comment ^[1]. In March, the retailer missed expectations for second-quarter revenue, hurt by lower gasoline prices and soft discretionary spending by consumers ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

This puts GLP-1 access into a warehouse-club membership, a channel where millions of Americans already shop ^[1]. But the $179 buys a program, not the drug. Medication and lab work are billed separately, and the total cost depends on insurance coverage, which the companies have not detailed ^[1].

A prescription is also not guaranteed. The program states that a clinician "may" prescribe medication, subject to availability ^[1], and the fee does not change based on whether a prescription is written. Costco and Sesame have not said which drugs beyond Ozempic and Wegovy are included, whether tirzepatide brands such as Mounjaro and Zepbound are part of the offering, or how members would fill prescriptions. Those points have not been disclosed.

Costco is not the first retailer to sell or connect members with these drugs, and the arrangement does not change the underlying cost of the medication for people whose insurance does not cover it. The prior-authorization step Sesame described is a process patients already face with many insurers, and it does not guarantee coverage ^[1].

What happens next

No start date for enrollment, list of covered medications, or billing details for the drugs themselves have been announced. Sesame's blog post about the program was published on April 2, a day before Reuters reported the expanded partnership ^[1].