A JAMA Health Forum paper, “Lifetime Health Effects and Cost-Effectiveness of Tirzepatide and Semiglutide in US Adults,” by the CDRP’s Jennifer Hwang, Neda Laiteerapong, Elbert Huang, and David D. Kim, was cited in a March 14, 2025 New York Times article on GLP-1 weight loss drugs.

Blockbuster weight loss drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound, which have been shown to prevent heart attacks and strokes and save lives.

But for the employers and government programs being asked to pay for the medications, the financial case for them is less clear. Are the drugs’ benefits worth their enormous cost?

The answer right now is no, according to a new study published on Friday in the journal JAMA Health Forum, by researchers at the University of Chicago.

To be considered cost effective by a common measure used by health economists, the price of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy would need to be cut by over 80 percent, to $127 per month, the researchers concluded. And Eli Lilly’s Zepbound would be cost effective only if its price fell by nearly a third, to $361 per month.

Read more in Rebecca Robbins, “How Much Should Weight Loss Drugs Cost?” on NYTimes.com HERE

Read the JAMA Health Forum paper HERE