Price-effectiveness acceptability curve exhibiting the chance of a method being cost-effective over a variety of willingness-to-pay thresholds. Credit score: Canadian Journal of Cardiology (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.cjca.2024.09.025
For obese or overweight people with out diabetes, however with pre-existing heart problems, semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) isn’t cost-effective at present pricing, new analysis exhibits. Nonetheless, with value reductions or rebates as much as 50%, it may meet the benchmark for worth in well being care.
An article printed within the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, particulars a statistical mannequin analyzing the cost-effectiveness of semaglutide. It offers proof for policymakers contemplating the advantages of funding semaglutide for people with out diabetes and the budgetary affect for long-term well being good points.
Weight problems is a world epidemic. By 2035, greater than half of the world is anticipated to be obese or overweight. Being obese or overweight is related to elevated danger of hostile cardiovascular occasions even after contemplating metabolic danger components, and greater than two thirds of deaths associated to elevated physique mass index (BMI) are brought on by cardiovascular ailments.
The demand for semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) generally identified underneath the model names Ozempic and Wegovy, has surged in recent times, particularly for weight reduction. It not solely regulates blood sugar, but in addition reduces urge for food and slows digestion. In Canada, it’s at the moment solely funded for people with diabetes.
Researchers from the College of Calgary undertook a statistical evaluation to estimate the lifetime profit and prices of semaglutide use in comparison with no semaglutide use in obese or overweight people with out diabetes, however with pre-existing heart problems.
Lead investigator Derek Chew, MD, MSc, Cumming Faculty of Medication, College of Calgary, explains, “Our financial mannequin in contrast the distinction in lifetime prices (together with drug prices, hospitalizations, and different vital well being occasions) and distinction in life expectancy adjusted for affected person high quality of life between these handled with semaglutide and those that didn’t obtain semaglutide.
“The main finding is that at current pricing, semaglutide is not cost-effective. However, with price reductions or rebates of up to 50%, semaglutide could meet the benchmark for value in health care.”
The research’s resolution evaluation entailed using an analytical framework, monitoring chances of various illness states, and knowledge from the SELECT trial (Semaglutide Results on Cardiovascular Outcomes in Folks with Obese or Weight problems, which confirmed the cardiac advantages for non-diabetic people within the studied cohort utilizing weekly semaglutide injections) to establish the incremental cost-effectiveness ratios and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained from semaglutide remedy for the remedy of weight problems versus ordinary care.
Utilizing the standard benchmark of CAN$50,000/QALY gained (i.e., CAN$50,000 or much less to extend an individual’s high quality of life and/or life expectancy by one yr is taken into account acceptable well being care worth for cash), the bottom case evaluation demonstrated that the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for semaglutide in comparison with commonplace care was CAN$72,962/QALY gained with a 14% chance of assembly the CAN$50,000/QALY benchmark.
Components with the best affect on estimated cost-effectiveness have been treatment affect on mortality and medicine value. When the value of semaglutide was decreased by 50%, it was economically engaging at CAN$37,190/QALY gained with an 80% chance of cost-effectiveness at a CAN$50,000/QALY threshold.
Co-lead investigator Elissa Rennert-Could, MD, Cumming Faculty of Medication, College of Calgary, notes, “Our study’s results are important because public drug plans are considering whether to fund GLP1 RAs for use in individuals without diabetes.”
In an accompanying editorial “Spending Money, Saving Money We Don’t Got: The Cost of Obesity,” James A. Stone, MD, Ph.D., FRCPC, Medical Professor of Medication, Cumming Faculty of Medication, College of Calgary, says, “Cardiovascular specialists, and virtually talking, most clinicians and well being care resolution makers, have a restricted data of well being economics.
“The nuances and the finer particulars of well being economics with respect to cost-effectiveness, incremental cost-effectiveness ratios, cost-utility, quality-adjusted life years, cost-benefit evaluation, productiveness, effectivity, and effectiveness are principally a black gap to be safely skirted round.
“Spending money on disease prevention is an investment in the long-term value of a population’s health, in contradistinction to the rather short-term value of an individual’s disease care.”
Ana P. Johnson, Ph.D., Professor, Division of Well being Sciences, Queen’s College, and co-author of the editorial, provides, “It can be exceedingly difficult to change the health care payer’s perspective with regard to investing in disease prevention, rather than disease treatment, when the return on the dollars invested, through adverse event reductions, may not accrue for decades.”
Dr. Chew concludes, “Now that there is emerging high-quality evidence for semaglutide and its positive impact on weight loss and associated cardiovascular outcomes in individuals without diabetes, its cost-effectiveness and potential funding by health care insurance should be reconsidered. Our model is generalizable across Canada, and while health care-associated costs vary in different countries, our model and assumptions could be broadly applied to many jurisdictions.”
Extra info:
Elissa Rennert-Could et al, Price-Effectiveness of Semaglutide in Sufferers With Weight problems and Cardiovascular Illness, Canadian Journal of Cardiology (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.cjca.2024.09.025
James A. Stone et al, Spending Cash, Saving Cash We Do not Acquired: The Price of Weight problems, Canadian Journal of Cardiology (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.cjca.2024.11.016
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Semaglutide at the moment not cost-effective for coronary heart sufferers with out diabetes, research finds (2025, January 9)
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