Navitus launches GLP-1 drug management programs

Navitus has launched GLP-1 Pathways, a flexible approach to managing access, costs and outcomes for these therapies. The GLP-1 Pathways programs offer several different options to help sponsors manage therapy and measure outcomes over time.

“We have been listening to the market, listening to our clients, and taking into account the results of our national pulse survey. There seems to be a need for a better approach to managing GLP-1 medications across indications,” Laura Jester, vice president of Clinical Services at Navitus Health Solutions, said in an interview. “These pathway programs allow clients to select the pathway that best meets their needs and their goals, whether it’s diabetes management, diabetes plus weight management, or diabetes plus lifestyle management.”

GLP-1 medications that are used to treat diabetes remained among the most influential cost drivers in 2025, according to the Navitus 2025 Drug Trend Report. Overall drug trend was 8.4%, but just 7.9% without GLP-1s, a narrower gap than in 2024.

A Navitus Pulse Survey from earlier this year found that 68% of GLP-1 users said cost influenced their decision to start or continue treatment, and 60% said they knew someone who wanted to take a GLP-1 but could not afford it.

Additionally, 44% said their GLP-1 cost was higher than expected, and 24% said they pay more than $250 per prescription fill, including nearly 8% who pay $500 or more. Among respondents who stopped taking a GLP-1, cost was the reason cited most frequently.

The survey also found strong support for strategies that promote appropriate use and long-term affordability.

The Pathway Programs

Navitus’ new offerings are add-on programs with separate costs that aim to provide a modular approach to GLP-1 treatment.

• Path 1: Provides access to GLP-1 therapies that treat diabetes; manages utilization and cost.
• Path 2: Provides access to GLP-1 therapies that treat diabetes; manages utilization and cost; adds coverage of weight management GLP-1. Eligibility is based on a patient’s BMI. Prior authorization is needed for GLP-1 therapies for weight loss
• Path 3: Provides access to GLP-1 therapies that treat diabetes; manages utilization and cost. Offers patients lifestyle and nutrition support through Virta Health, which provides individual nutrition guidance to help patients manage weight loss.

“We have a great relationship with Virta,” Jester said. “We recognize the value that they bring in both diabetes and weight loss management. In this third pathway, we're specifically focusing on weight management programs for people with diabetes with a lifestyle program.”

Diabetes management is the foundational component of each of these paths, and each includes access to any of the GLP-1 therapies that are currently available, Jester said. Patient copay and product tiering are based on the plan design. “We do work closely with our clients to help them understand what the impacts are of various benefit determinations,” she said.

Each GLP-1 Pathway is offered with a separate cost, but Navitus is guaranteeing a 1:1 return on investment, meaning that clients will not pay more for the program than the value that they receive in savings.

Navitus also offers a separate program, DirectAccess, for employers that want to provide support for members who are taking GLP-1 medications for weight loss outside the traditional pharmacy benefit. The DirectAccess program offers eligible members an option to access direct-to-consumer pricing for GLP-1 medications for weight management while enabling predictable, fixed spending for plan sponsors.

“We have years of experience in managing GLP-1 medications on behalf of our clients, and we are leaning in on the experience that we've gathered, as well as our clinical expertise across our clinical programs, to specifically curate these pathways in a way that we believe will deliver that greatest value,” Jester said.