Balancing Innovation and Affordability in Anti-Obesity Medications: The Role of Alternative Weight Maintenance Program

Abstract

Abstract Despite remarkable clinical advances in highly effective anti-obesity medications, their high price and potential budget impact pose a major challenge in balancing equitable access and affordability. While most attention has been focused on the amount of weight loss achieved, less consideration has been paid to interventions to sustain weight loss after an individual stops losing weight. Using a policy simulation model, we quantified the impact of a weight maintenance program following the weight loss plateau from the initial full-dose GLP-1s or incretin mimetic use on long-term health care savings and the loss of some health benefits (e.g., maintenance of weight loss, improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors, and reductions in diabetes and cardiovascular events). Our model suggested that compared to continuous long-term full-dose GLP-1s or incretin mimetic drugs, the alternative weight maintenance program would generate slightly fewer clinical benefits while generating substantial savings in lifetime health care spending. Using less expensive and potentially less effective alternative weight maintenance programs may provide additional headroom to expand access to anti-obesity medications during the active weight-loss phase without increasing total health care spending.