Tirzepatide, Semaglutide Not Cost-Effective at Current Prices

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Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on March 19, 2025.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, March 19, 2025 -- Tirzepatide and semaglutide offer long-term health benefits but are not cost-effective, according to a study published online March 14 in JAMA Health Forum.

Jennifer H. Hwang, D.O., from the University of Chicago, and colleagues compared the cost-effectiveness of four antiobesity medications with lifestyle modification versus lifestyle modification alone in a lifetime cost-effectiveness analysis. Data were included from 4,823 individuals, aged 20 to 79 years, from the 2017 to 2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey who would meet clinical trial inclusion criteria for antiobesity medications.

The researchers found that tirzepatide and semaglutide would avert 45,609 and 32,087 obesity cases per 100,000 individuals, respectively, and would reduce 20,854 and 19,211 incident cases of diabetes per 100,000 individuals and 10,655 and 8,263 cardiovascular disease cases per 100,000 individuals. Among all antiobesity medications, the largest incremental quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gains were 0.35 and 0.25 for tirzepatide and semaglutide, respectively, and the corresponding incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were $197,023 and $467,676/QALY. Prices would require additional discounts of 30.5 and 81.9 percent for tirzepatide and semaglutide, respectively, from the current net prices in order to reach the $100,000/QALY threshold. Due to its lower cost, naltrexone-bupropion was cost-saving and had an 89.1 percent probability of being cost-effective at $100,000/QALY compared with a 23.5 percent probability for phentermine-topiramate. Across all QALY threshold ranges examined, tirzepatide and semaglutide had 0 percent probability of being cost-effective.

"Efforts to reduce the net prices of new antiobesity medications are essential to ensure equitable access to highly effective antiobesity medications," the authors write.

One author disclosed ties to Arnold Ventures.

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

Source: HealthDay

Posted : 2025-03-20 06:00

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