Plans Take Wait-and-See Approach to Vendors Promising Help With Weight Loss Medication Costs

As the use of and interest in GLP-1 medications for weight loss increases, numerous vendors are pitching self-insured health plans on solutions to manage the demand and high costs of the medications. However, benefits experts say employers are approaching these outside companies with caution and are still trying to figure out how to manage the significant expenses associated with GLP-1 drugs.

Chantell Sell Reagan, Pharm.D., WTW’s national pharmacy clinical leader, estimates that about 25 to 30 vendors are marketing solutions to employers to help with FDA-approved weight loss medications such as Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy (semaglutide) and Eli Lilly & Co.’s Zepbound (tirzepatide). Wegovy and Zepbound are also approved to treat type 2 diabetes under the brand names Ozempic and Mounjaro, respectively.