Greater Access to Weight-Loss Drugs Could Save More Than 50,000 US Lives Annually

Greater access to weight-loss drugs could substantially improve Americans’ lives and, in thousands of instances, save them, according to scientists from Yale University and the University of Florida.

Weight-loss drugs and preventable deaths in the US

With access at its present level, an estimated 8,592 lives - largely among patients with private insurance - could be saved every year. Broader availability of medicines including semaglutide, marketed as Ozempic and Wegovy, and tirzepatide, sold as Zepbound, which are increasingly used to support excess weight reduction, could cut annual US deaths by a further estimated 42,027 people.

"Expanding access to these medications is not just a matter of improving treatment options but also a crucial public health intervention," says epidemiologist Alison Galvani of the Yale School of Public Health. "Our findings underscore the potential to reduce mortality significantly by addressing financial and coverage barriers."

The US is currently facing an obesity crisis. CDC figures indicate that around 73.6 percent of US adults are overweight, meaning they have a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or above. This total includes the 41.9 percent of Americans classified as obese, with a BMI of 30 or higher.

Obesity is associated with a heightened risk of numerous serious conditions, including cardiovascular disease, heart failure, liver disease, depression, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. Each of these can reduce a patient’s life expectancy.

Yale study examines barriers to obesity treatment

A research team led by Yale University epidemiologist and data scientist Abhishek Pandey sought to measure how wider access to weight-loss drugs would affect US mortality from many obesity-related illnesses.

The scientists mapped BMI levels throughout the US and compared them with the proportion of Americans who can currently obtain weight-loss prescriptions. This enabled them to calculate the death rate from obesity-related complications that can be directly linked to inadequate access to these prescriptions.

"Limited access stems from a combination of financial barriers, supply constraints, and restrictive insurance coverage," the researchers write in their paper.

"Although insurance typically covers these medications for diabetes treatment, coverage for weight-loss is less consistent, often requiring patients to pay out-of-pocket or face restrictive insurance policies. Furthermore, 25.6 million Americans are uninsured and more than 80 million are inadequately insured. Currently those uninsured with diabetes or obesity have no access to these innovative weight-loss drugs, and access is challenging even for those with coverage."

They calculated that if every person eligible for weight-loss prescriptions could receive them, the US obesity rate would decline to 38 percent and annual lives saved would exceed 50,000.

That represents the most favourable outcome, where access is not limited by either price or supply. Yet even if those obstacles remain, greater availability would sharply lower deaths from obesity comorbidities, including 11,769 fewer deaths from type 2 diabetes.

Although the US presents itself as one of the world’s wealthiest nations, the study shows that poverty can still be fatal despite that national wealth. The authors argue that action is needed to reduce this damaging inequality.

"We need to ensure that drug prices are more aligned with manufacturing costs and increase production capacity to meet demand," explains mathematician Burton Singer of Yale University. "At the same time, we must tackle the insurance and accessibility issues that prevent many people from getting the treatment they need."

The research was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.