Hormonal
In patients with overweight/obesity and established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), treatment with semaglutide 2.4 mg significantly reduces total annual medical costs and inpatient healthcare resource utilization compared to non-treated controls.
For patients with obesity and heart disease, using semaglutide 2.4 mg is associated with lower total medical bills over a year, primarily because it reduces the need for hospital stays. This suggests the drug can be cost-effective for this specific population by preventing expensive cardiovascular events.
In the 1-year period following initiation of semaglutide 2.4 mg, mean per patient per year (PPPY) total medical costs were significantly lower for semaglutide 2.4 mg-treated patients compared with controls ($16,201 vs. $20,840; Figure 3; Supplemental Table 3) with a 22% (−$4,639) difference in total medical costs (total cost ratio = 0.78 [95% CI 0.67, 0.89]; p < 0.001).
Why this rating
Observational retrospective cohort study using claims data; propensity score matching used, but inherent limitations of claims analysis (coding inaccuracies, missing data) apply.
Source
Impact of semaglutide 2.4 mg on healthcare resource utilization and medical costs in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in the United States (SHINE-ASCVD)
Wojciech Michalak et al. · Journal of Medical Economics · 2025
DOI 10.1080/13696998.2025.2526282
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