Costco is expanding its partnership with Sesame — an online telemedicine platform that connects medical providers nationwide with consumers — to offer eligible members exclusive pricing on prescriptions for GLP-1 weight loss drugs. Costco’s weight loss program is available “at the exclusive discount price of $179” for members who sign up through the Sesame marketplace, Sesame said in a press release.
The subscription includes three months of clinical consultation in which patients can select their own clinician, take part in an initial live video consultation and message their clinician outside of scheduled appointments. Patients will also receive a nutritional guide and recommendations. Based on their medical history and weight-loss needs, they’ll be guided to a clinically-appropriate treatment program that includes prescriptions for weight loss medicine like Ozempic or Wegovy.
“Individual patient eligibility for drug therapies available through Sesame are determined by the assessment of appropriateness of each therapy by the Sesame-listed provider, and are subject to availability,” Sesame explained.
The cost of medication is not included in the program’s base price. Without insurance, GLP-1s can cost between $950 and $1,600 per month, Sesame warned on its website.
Costco’s latest initiative follows in the footsteps of rivals Amazon and Weight Watchers, which both offer similar weight loss services to members.
“We are witnessing important innovations in medically-supervised weight loss,” Sesame co-founder and CEO David Goldhill said in the press release. “Sesame’s unique model allows us not only to make high-quality specialty care like weight loss much more accessible and affordable, but also to empower clinicians to create care plans that are specific to — and appropriate for — each individual patient.”
