Weight-loss surgery is more cost-effective than taking blockbuster GLP-1 drugs, delivering two more healthy years of life and saving patients about $9,000 a year, according to a new analysis.
Why it matters: Such side-by-side comparisons could be critical to insurers' coverage decisions as demand for drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy surges.
What they found: Northwestern University researchers found GLP-1s are only cost-effective when used in tandem with weight-loss surgery, to control whatever weight is regained.
Combining surgery and GLP-1s yielded average savings of about $7,200 a year and five more quality-adjusted life years, compared with surgery alone.
But the one-time surgery has more up-front expense, costing between $17,400 and $22,850. That's compared with the average annual costs of between $9,360 and $16,200 for the drugs, which can be taken over a lifetime.
The findings were presented at an American College of Surgeons meeting in San Francisco.
What they're saying: "As evidence of health benefitsof [GLP-1s] continues to come out, insurance companies will have to decide whether they will cover these medications and in which case scenarios," said Anne Stey, the study's senior investigator.
