The drug, MariTide, helped patients lose up to 14.5% of their body weight in 12 weeks, and some people kept the weight off for up to 150 days after stopping the drug.

The pharmaceutical giant has launched a telehealth-connected website to allow patients to directly order the weight loss drug, as well as insulin products and a migraine drug, direct from the company.

The Food and Drug Administration approved 55 new treatments in 2023, representing a nearly 50% increase from the year before, with Pfizer gaining the highest number of high-profile approvals covering a wide range of illnesses.

For some employers, certain benefits of increasing coverage for obesity medication outweigh the cons of a high price tag.