Home / Health / Ro & Amgen Tackle Obesity Drug Access Woes
Ro & Amgen Tackle Obesity Drug Access Woes
13 Jan
Summary
- Ro and Amgen collaborate to study obesity treatment access challenges.
- The research focuses on GLP-1 therapies like Ozempic and Zepbound.
- The partnership aims to improve patient access to life-changing treatments.

U.S. telehealth pioneer Ro announced a significant research collaboration with biotechnology company Amgen on January 13, 2026. This partnership is dedicated to exploring the complex challenges patients and healthcare providers face when trying to access vital obesity treatments, with a specific focus on GLP-1 therapies.
The study will leverage data from Ro's direct-to-consumer platform to meticulously track insurance coverage details and prior authorization requirements for widely prescribed GLP-1 drugs. Despite the growing effectiveness of weight-loss medications, significant coverage gaps persist, hindering patient access to these crucial therapies.
This initiative seeks to illuminate unmet needs and inform future innovations in care delivery and therapy development. Ro CEO Zach Reitano emphasized that improving access is crucial for the widespread impact of GLP-1s, stating, "real impact requires scale - which means dramatically improving access."



