Breakthroughs in weight loss medication keep coming, which means it's only a matter of time before employees ask about
One of the latest GLP-1 advancements is Eli Lilly's new oral obesity drug, Orforglipron, which during testing helped
Increased access to less invasive weight loss medication means benefits managers should expect an uptick in interest from employees, says Wei-Li Shao, president of virtual chronic condition care platform Omada Health and former executive at Eli Lilly. At the same time, he notes that statistically, GLP-1 users often gain weight back after they stop the medication due to a lack of
"If we thought the GLP-1 injectable uptake was huge, I think the oral uptake slope will be even steeper and faster," says Shao. "So how do we support people with lifestyle intervention, whether on a GLP-1 injectable or GLP-1 oral, such that we maximize not only the health benefit and outcome but also the cost equation?"
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Omada's program helps members build habits that aid them in keeping weight off even after they stop using GLP-1 medication, reducing overall healthcare spend on weight management and related conditions. Data analysis of Omada members on a GLP-1 medication discontinuation care track showed an average weight regain of -0.1 after four months, while separate analysis of third party trials made up of non-members showed participants regained an average of 6-7% of the weight they'd lost after the same amount of time.
If employers want to get the most return out of GLP-1 offerings, they also need to provide coinciding resources that will help employees lead healthier lifestyles long term, Shao says.
Designing an impactful benefits package
First, benefit managers should educate themselves on the current GLP-1 landscape, says Shao. He advises them to work with consultants from their company's pharmacy benefit manager and health plan, as well as trusted companies that provide support services for GLP-1s and weight loss in general, to become familiar with the different options available, their side effects, typical utilization, budget impact and other helpful decision-making information.
Next is figuring out the right resources to offer alongside these medications — many of which can also support anyone who is not taking a GLP-1, but looking for weight management assistance as well, Shao says. This is a great opportunity to remind employees of current benefits, such as access to a primary care provider and other forms of ongoing, holistic care.
"We have to remind ourselves that only about 10-15% of people that suffer from obesity are on a GLP-1, or have taken a GLP-1," he says. "What are you doing as a benefit leader to actually support everyone? What additional support services, lifestyle and web support services [are you] providing them so that you can broaden the discussion to getting healthy, whether [they] want a GLP-1 or not?"
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Finding the right third-party support
For benefits leaders, partnering with a third party solution such as Omada can help their company achieve maximum impact with offerings, especially related to complicated health issues like obesity and GLP-1 support. Because not all solutions are created equal, Shao advises benefits professionals to first ask each potential candidate to explain what kind of care it provides, so they can compare it to others within the market.
"You essentially have three kinds of solutions, the first of which [prescribes] GLP-1s, but [does] it more responsibly," he says. "Another company says, 'We realize people are on GLP-1s, but we think there's a better way, and we will help you get them off a GLP-1. Then the third [says,] 'Whether or not your employees are on a GLP-1 or not, we will support [them] on that health journey."
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Additionally, benefit decision makers should ask vendors to provide strong, transparent data about their product or program, find out how turnkey the solution is and inquire about the level of support provided after implementation, Shao says.
"[Ask,] 'What's the post-sale experience?'" he says. "'Are you going to make this hard or easy for me? Are you integrated with my PBM, or am I going to do a lot of work for you to get the data you need to administer the solution correctly for my employees?' Because we're not talking about probably a couple of people here; we're talking hundreds, if not thousands of people that you're going to have to help."
