Research
Mixed
Lower drug prices for semaglutide and tirzepatide could significantly improve their cost-effectiveness, potentially making them competitive with surgical and behavioral interventions.
If drug prices for semaglutide and tirzepatide were reduced, these medications could become cost-effective options for managing class III obesity, potentially offering a non-surgical alternative.
GoodConditionalHIGH confidence
Lower drug prices could significantly improve pharmacotherapy cost-effectiveness.
Why this rating
Based on scenario analyses using tiered pricing structures.
Source
A cost‐effectiveness analysis of behavioural, pharmacological, and surgical obesity treatments in Canada
Nisha Gupta et al. · Diabetes Obesity and Metabolism · 2025
DOI 10.1111/dom.16627
unknownCited 3×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and Health Behavior Intervention (HBI) are cost-effective strategies for managing class III obesity, whereas current-price pharmacotherapies (semaglutide and tirzepatide) are not cost-effective compared to no treatment or HBI.Good
- Health Behavior Intervention (HBI) consisting of 13 dietician-led counseling sessions over 1 year is a cost-effective strategy for managing class III obesity compared to no treatment.Good
Related findings · Mixed
- Bariatric surgery (VSG and RYGB) is the most effective and sustainable treatment for obesity, producing marked and sustained weight loss that non-surgical interventions cannot match.Strong
- Severely protein-deficient diets (2–3% energy) induce lean body mass loss and metabolic imbalance, whereas adequate protein intake (0.66 g/kg/d minimum) is a prerequisite for maintaining muscle, bone, and physiological function.Strong
- For patients with Class III obesity (BMI >39.9 kg/m2), metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) is significantly more effective than any currently approved medication, with BilioPancreatic Diversion (BPD) showing the highest estimated weight loss.Strong
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