WeightControl.com Interview with:
Ainhoa Gomez-Lumbreras, MD, PhD
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Department of Pharmacotherapy
College of Pharmacy, University of Utah
Dan Malone, PhD
Professor
Department of Pharmacotherapy
College of Pharmacy, University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
WeightControl.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Obesity, defined as having a body mass index of 30 or more, is a multifactorial disease that has been associated with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, diabetes, and others. By 2030 it is expected that half of the U.S. adult population will be obese. More pharmacologic products are being investigated for weight loss, including the new anti-diabetes medications liraglutide, semaglutide and tirzepatide.
WeightControl.com: What are the main findings?
Response: Among five antiobesity pharmacologic treatments the most cost-effective option was phentermine plus topiramate compare to naltrexone plus bupropion and to glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1), these are: tirzepatide, semaglutide, liraglutide. This driven primarily by the lower cost of phentermine plus topiramate.
All pharmacologic treatments had similar effectiveness in terms of quality-adjusted life-years (QALY). The differences were not greater than 0.5 QALYs.
WeightControl.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: Treatment options for obesity are varied, and despite the press being given the newer agents, older therapies are more cost-effective, especially the GLP-1 antagonists.
WeightControl.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work?
Response: A primary consideration that this analysis could not investigate is the issue of long-term weight loss. The data for this study was limited by the duration of treatment reported in clinical studies. Long-term data are needed to evaluate the benefit of these medications beyond current study duration.
Disclosures: The authors have nothing to disclose. This study was not supported by any manufacturer or organization.
Citation:
Ainhoa Gómez Lumbreras, Malinda S. Tan, Lorenzo Villa-Zapata, Sabrina Ilham, Jacob C. Earl, Daniel C. Malone,
Cost-effectiveness analysis of five anti-obesity medications from a US payer’s perspective
Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases,2023,,ISSN 0939-4753,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.numecd.2023.03.012.
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Last Updated on May 4, 2023 by weightcontrol