Managed care analysis finds negative 18-month ROI for GLP-1 receptor agonists

The wire

1. 01A JMCP viewpoint reviewed claims and electronic health record data from over 29,000 treatment-naive members of a regional managed care organization and found negative short-term return on investment for SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists, alone and combined.
2. 02Payers setting coverage policy on semaglutide and tirzepatide are the audience: adherent members saw less growth in acute care use than nonadherent members, but not enough to offset drug costs within 18 months.
3. 03The authors argue negative ROI reflects delayed time to benefit and real-world use patterns rather than low clinical value, and suggest pairing access with adherence and utilization management. This is a single-organization viewpoint, not a controlled study.

From the source

Return on investment of SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists: Implications of real-world use for managed care

Journal of managed care & specialty pharmacy · 2026 Oct · Rapp H, Marr D, Modany A et al.