Shares of WW International Inc (NASDAQ:WW) spiked as much as 15% on Friday after Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network announced changes to the prior authorization coverage criteria for certain brand-name weight loss medications.
What Happened: Starting Oct. 1, Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) of Michigan and Blue Care Network will implement changes to the prior authorization approval criteria for several weight loss drugs under commercial PPO and HMO plans. The adjustments are designed to promote healthy lifestyle modifications in tandem with pharmaceutical interventions.
Notably, while the implementation will impact several weight loss medications, one of the drugs on the list is Wegovy, a widely-utilized weight loss drug by Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO).
Others include Contrave, Qsymia, Saxenda, and Xenical.