GLP-1s: Patients Shed Pounds, Payers Gain Problems | Asembia 2024
The way the drugs have taken off, combined with the number of people in the U.S. who are obese, have made the GLP-1s "an acute problem for every U.S. payer,” says George Van Antwerp, MBA, a manager director at Deloitte.
In an interview prior to his presentation at the Asembia 2024 meeting, George Van Antwerp, MBA, a managing director at Deloitte, discussed the GLP-1s, especially those that have been approved for weight los, a group that includes Wegovy (semaglutide) and Zepbound (tirzepatide).
Antwerp discussed making the GLP-1s part of more comprehensive obesity programs that include help with eating better, more effective sleep and exercise.
Many companies are working on fitting them into an "overall metabolic syndrome solution" so that they are a tool, not the only tool. Still, Antwerp said the way the drugs have taken off, combined with the number of people in the U.S. who are obese, has made the GLP-1s "an acute problem for every U.S. payer."
"This probably one of the first times we have seen the drug spend in the traditional category, which is where most people would put the GLP-1s, exceed the specialty growth curve," said Van Antwerp, citing IQVIA data.
Healthcare hasn't been a priority of the second Trump administration so far, panelists at the Asembia agreed. Medicaid may loom large, though, as the administration and congressional Republicans look for ways to slash government spending as a way of offsetting major tax cuts.
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