Look at the research on affordability, coverage and the economics of treatment.
13 cited sources41 recorded findingsStudy findings updated
AI-assisted research summary. These summaries are for general information. Read the original source for the full study and its limitations.
THE SHORT VERSION
What’s worth knowing.
The key findings, what they mean, and the context that matters.
THE HEADLINE TAKEAWAYInsurance coverage discontinuation 37.7%; high medication costs 20.3%; side effects 27.1%
Insurance loss, costs and side effects were reported stopping reasons
Among 512 survey respondents who stopped semaglutide or tirzepatide prescribed for weight management, 37.7% cited loss of insurance coverage, 20.3% high medication costs and 27.1% side effects.
These were self-reported experiences from a single academic health system; selection and recall bias and the cross-sectional design limit conclusions about longer-term discontinuation.
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Reported reasons for treatment discontinuation among 512 survey respondents who discontinued semaglutide or tirzepatide
Insurance coverage discontinuation 37.7%; high medication costs 20.3%; side effects 27.1%
Tewksbury, Colleen et al.. Patient characteristics and early experiences with anti-obesity medications: the CAMP study.. Frontiers in nutrition. 2026.
Self-reported prescription fulfillment and treatment continuation among 2,628 survey respondents prescribed semaglutide or tirzepatide for weight management
90.1% filled the initial prescription; 80.5% remained on treatment
Tewksbury, Colleen et al.. Patient characteristics and early experiences with anti-obesity medications: the CAMP study.. Frontiers in nutrition. 2026.
A tirzepatide price increase coincided with more semaglutide starts
+31.15 percentage points
In September 2025, semaglutide initiation was 31.15 percentage points above the projected pre-interruption trend around the tirzepatide list-price increase.
This observational study involved self-paying UK adults with overweight or obesity using one telehealth provider. It cannot establish that the price change caused the shift.
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Change in semaglutide initiation in September 2025, around the tirzepatide list-price increase, relative to the projected pre-interruption trend.
+31.15 percentage points 95% CI: 26.07-36.24
Dix, Sophie et al.. Real-World Treatment Patterns and Weight Outcomes Before and After a Tirzepatide Price Increase in Over One Million Self-Paying UK Adults With Overweight or Obesity.. Diabetes, obesity & metabolism. 2026.
Initial treatment selection among 1,033,522 adults initiating therapy through one UK telehealth provider from May 2024 through January 2026.
90.2% tirzepatide vs 9.8% semaglutide
Dix, Sophie et al.. Real-World Treatment Patterns and Weight Outcomes Before and After a Tirzepatide Price Increase in Over One Million Self-Paying UK Adults With Overweight or Obesity.. Diabetes, obesity & metabolism. 2026.
Prescription uptake was lower in the lowest socioeconomic-status provider areas
adjusted OR 0.75
For semaglutide or tirzepatide, the adjusted prescription odds ratio was 0.75 for patients seen by providers in the lowest versus highest neighborhood socioeconomic-status quartile.
Retrospective data covered commercially insured adults aged 18-64 with overweight or obesity and without type 2 diabetes. Provider neighborhood status was a proxy for patient socioeconomic status, and causation cannot be inferred.
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Semaglutide or tirzepatide prescription uptake among patients seen by providers in the lowest versus highest neighborhood SES quartile
adjusted OR 0.75 95% CI: 0.73-0.78
Le, Minh Trung et al.. Sociodemographic disparities in semaglutide and tirzepatide prescription for obesity treatment.. Health affairs scholar. 2026.
Six-month cumulative incidence of semaglutide or tirzepatide prescription from 2021 to 2025 among commercially insured adults aged 18-64 with overweight or obesity and without type 2 diabetes
1.9% to 16.6%
Le, Minh Trung et al.. Sociodemographic disparities in semaglutide and tirzepatide prescription for obesity treatment.. Health affairs scholar. 2026.
Tirzepatide cohort had lower costs excluding the medicine
-$319 per person per month (25.4% reduction)
At 12-18 months, the difference in all-cause healthcare costs excluding tirzepatide was -$319 per person per month (25.4% reduction) for the tirzepatide cohort versus propensity score-matched untreated controls.
Matched cohort of adults aged over 55 Years with obesity or overweight without diabetes. Because tirzepatide cost was excluded, this does not establish lower total treatment spending.
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Difference-in-differences estimate for all-cause healthcare costs excluding tirzepatide at 12-18 months versus propensity score-matched untreated controls
-$319 per person per month (25.4% reduction) 95% CI: -$544 to -$94
Upadhyay, Navneet et al.. Trends in Cost of Care With Tirzepatide in Adults Aged Over 55 Years With Obesity or Overweight Without Diabetes: A Matched Cohort Analysis.. Diabetes, obesity & metabolism. 2026.
Private access was 47.8% for Australian GLP-1 medicines indicated for type 2 diabetes
For Australian GLP-1 medicines indicated for type 2 diabetes, 47.8% of access was private overall; 26.9% of semaglutide and all tirzepatide access was private.
Measured during May 2024-April 2025. These are medicine-access estimates, not patient-level insurance benefits, affordability or health outcomes; study design details are not available in this summary.
See the evidence
Private access to GLP-1 medicines indicated for type 2 diabetes in Australia during May 2024-April 2025
47.8% privately accessed overall; 26.9% of semaglutide and all tirzepatide
Falster, Michael O et al.. Trends in publicly subsidized and private access to GLP-1 medicines indicated for type 2 diabetes in Australia, 2020-2025.. British journal of clinical pharmacology. 2026.
Change in total Australian sales of GLP-1 medicines indicated for type 2 diabetes from May 2020 through April 2025
Almost 10-fold increase
Falster, Michael O et al.. Trends in publicly subsidized and private access to GLP-1 medicines indicated for type 2 diabetes in Australia, 2020-2025.. British journal of clinical pharmacology. 2026.
Peru retail scenario projected semaglutide 2.4 mg costs
S/16,804.86 per patient in year 1; S/18,135.52 per patient in a maintenance year
Semaglutide 2.4 mg was estimated at S/16,804.86 per patient in year 1 and S/18,135.52 per patient in a maintenance year in a supplementary high-cost non-governmental retail scenario.
This was not an expected institutional procurement estimate; the figures apply only to the supplementary retail scenario used in the Peruvian analysis.
See the evidence
Semaglutide 2.4 mg costs in a supplementary high-cost non-governmental retail scenario, not an expected institutional procurement estimate.
S/16,804.86 per patient in year 1; S/18,135.52 per patient in a maintenance year
Vera Ponce, Victor J. Projected budget impact of pharmacotherapy scenarios for obesity and related conditions in Peru: A national survey analysis of 76,819 participants.. Obesity pillars. 2026.
Modeled tirzepatide cost-effectiveness versus semaglutide
$34,423.89/QALY
Over 68 weeks, modeled incremental cost-effectiveness for tirzepatide versus semaglutide was $34,423.89 per quality-adjusted life-year.
This payer analysis covered Iranian adults with overweight or obesity without diabetes. Iran's 2026 willingness-to-pay threshold was PPP $15,558.5 per quality-adjusted life-year. Clinical-effectiveness and adverse-event inputs came from published literature rather than head-to-head trials, and the country-specific pricing context limits generalizability.
Study details & original results
Reiszadeh, Negin et al.. Economic evaluation of tirzepatide, semaglutide, and liraglutide in the treatment of obese and overweight patients without diabetes: a short-term cost-effectiveness analysis in Iran.. Journal of diabetes and metabolic disorders. 2026.
Semaglutide was considered cost-effective at Iran's 2026 willingness-to-pay threshold, defined as one GDP per capita
PPP $15,558.5/QALY
Modeled 68-week incremental cost-effectiveness of tirzepatide versus semaglutide among Iranian adults with overweight or obesity without diabetes, from the payer perspective
A tirzepatide price increase coincided with more semaglutide starts
+31.15 percentage points
In September 2025, semaglutide initiation was 31.15 percentage points above the projected pre-interruption trend around the tirzepatide list-price increase.
Tirzepatide-to-semaglutide switching also rose 9.26 percentage points, then attenuated; sensitivity analyses supported anticipatory changes in August 2025. These observational data came from self-paying UK adults with overweight or obesity using one telehealth provider and cannot establish causation.
Study details & original results
Dix, Sophie et al.. Real-World Treatment Patterns and Weight Outcomes Before and After a Tirzepatide Price Increase in Over One Million Self-Paying UK Adults With Overweight or Obesity.. Diabetes, obesity & metabolism. 2026.
Change in semaglutide initiation in September 2025, around the tirzepatide list-price increase, relative to the projected pre-interruption trend.
+31.15 percentage points 95% CI: 26.07-36.24
Change in tirzepatide-to-semaglutide switching around the price increase; the increase subsequently attenuated, and sensitivity analyses supported anticipatory changes in August 2025.
+9.26 percentage points 95% CI: 7.09-11.42
Initial treatment selection among 1,033,522 adults initiating therapy through one UK telehealth provider from May 2024 through January 2026.
Higher first recorded tirzepatide doses tracked discontinuation
44%higher relative hazard
Compared with a first recorded tirzepatide dose of 2.5 mg, 15 mg was associated with a 44% higher relative hazard of observed discontinuation.
A 10 mg first dose also had a 24% higher relative hazard versus 2.5 mg. Retrospective data from one private provider in Poland cannot establish causality; affordability and tolerability were not measured.
Study details & original results
Dziewierz, Artur et al.. Tirzepatide persistence, adherence, and dose escalation in a real-world setting with high out-of-pocket costs: a Polish cohort study.. Advances in medical sciences. 2026.
Observed tirzepatide discontinuation among patients whose first recorded dose was 15 mg versus 2.5 mg
HR 1.44 95% CI: 1.26-1.64
Observed tirzepatide discontinuation among patients whose first recorded dose was 10 mg versus 2.5 mg
HR 1.24 95% CI: 1.12-1.39
44% higher relative hazard, calculated from HR 1.44. This is not an absolute percentage-point difference.
Semaglutide or tirzepatide uptake rose, with provider-area disparities
adjusted OR 0.75
From 2021 to 2025, six-month prescription incidence rose from 1.9% to 16.6% among commercially insured adults with overweight or obesity and no type 2 diabetes. The adjusted odds ratio was 0.75 for lowest versus highest provider-neighborhood socioeconomic quartile.
Adults were aged 18-64. Provider-neighborhood socioeconomic status was a proxy for patient status, and retrospective observational data cannot establish causation.
Study details & original results
Le, Minh Trung et al.. Sociodemographic disparities in semaglutide and tirzepatide prescription for obesity treatment.. Health affairs scholar. 2026.
Semaglutide or tirzepatide prescription uptake among patients seen by providers in the lowest versus highest neighborhood SES quartile
adjusted OR 0.75 95% CI: 0.73-0.78
Six-month cumulative incidence of semaglutide or tirzepatide prescription from 2021 to 2025 among commercially insured adults aged 18-64 with overweight or obesity and without type 2 diabetes
Dates show when findings were added here, not when papers were published. Study populations and comparisons differ.
WHEN YOU WANT TO GO DEEPERSee all 41 findingsOriginal results, comparisons and study details.
13 of 13 source groupsFindings stay together with their study.
SOURCE 132 findings
Reiszadeh, Negin et al.. Economic evaluation of tirzepatide, semaglutide, and liraglutide in the treatment of obese and overweight patients without diabetes: a short-term cost-effectiveness analysis in Iran.. Journal of diabetes and metabolic disorders. 2026.
Modeled 68-week incremental cost-effectiveness of tirzepatide versus semaglutide among Iranian adults with overweight or obesity without diabetes, from the payer perspective
Dix, Sophie et al.. Real-World Treatment Patterns and Weight Outcomes Before and After a Tirzepatide Price Increase in Over One Million Self-Paying UK Adults With Overweight or Obesity.. Diabetes, obesity & metabolism. 2026.
Change in tirzepatide-to-semaglutide switching around the price increase; the increase subsequently attenuated, and sensitivity analyses supported anticipatory changes in August 2025.
Six-month cumulative incidence of semaglutide or tirzepatide prescription from 2021 to 2025 among commercially insured adults aged 18-64 with overweight or obesity and without type 2 diabetes
Dziewierz, Artur et al.. Tirzepatide persistence, adherence, and dose escalation in a real-world setting with high out-of-pocket costs: a Polish cohort study.. Advances in medical sciences. 2026.
Escalation to at least 10 mg among eligible patients with a low first recorded tirzepatide dose
Added
25.8% (565/2,194); 18.6% of the full cohortSource [11]
SOURCE 093 findings
Kulkarni, Neeti S et al.. The Conventional Cost-Effectiveness and Distributional Cost-Effectiveness of Semaglutide for Obesity Treatment.. Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.). 2026.
Modeled incremental cost-effectiveness versus no treatment over 25 years among Black and White adults aged 65–70 with BMI ≥35 and cardiovascular disease
Added
$7,300/QALY for semaglutide and $12,100/QALY for LSGSource [9]
Modeled incremental cost-effectiveness of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy compared with semaglutide in the defined population
Self-reported prescription fulfillment and treatment continuation among 2,628 survey respondents prescribed semaglutide or tirzepatide for weight management
Added
90.1% filled the initial prescription; 80.5% remained on treatmentSource [8]
Reported reasons for treatment discontinuation among 512 survey respondents who discontinued semaglutide or tirzepatide
Added
Insurance coverage discontinuation 37.7%; high medication costs 20.3%; side effects 27.1%Source [8]
SOURCE 063 findings
Upadhyay, Navneet et al.. Trends in Cost of Care With Tirzepatide in Adults Aged Over 55 Years With Obesity or Overweight Without Diabetes: A Matched Cohort Analysis.. Diabetes, obesity & metabolism. 2026.
Belančić, Andrej et al.. Trends in glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist utilization and expenditure in Croatia.. The Journal of international medical research. 2026.
15.99 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day; 16.1% of total prescriptionsSource [5]
National expenditure on GLP-1 RAs in Croatia in 2024
Added
€42.07 million; 42.7% of total noninsulin antidiabetic spendingSource [5]
SOURCE 043 findings
Vera Ponce, Victor J. Projected budget impact of pharmacotherapy scenarios for obesity and related conditions in Peru: A national survey analysis of 76,819 participants.. Obesity pillars. 2026.
Survey-observable candidate populations in Peru estimated from pooled ENDES 2022-2024 data comprising 76,819 records.
Added
7.54 million adults with BMI-defined obesity; 9.04 million meeting the broad criterion; 3.67 million meeting pragmatic prioritySource [4]
Projected annual gross medication-acquisition budgets at hypothetical 100% coverage. Naltrexone/bupropion used an IETSI-reported scenario; liraglutide was a high-cost non-governmental retail scenario rather than an expected institutional procurement estimate, and phentermine/topiramate was an exploratory supplementary comparator.
Added
Broad criterion: S/142.95 billion for liraglutide, S/23.65 billion for naltrexone/bupropion, and S/26.83 billion for phentermine/topiramate; pragmatic priority: S/57.95 billion, S/9.59 billion, and S/10.88 billion, respectivelySource [4]
All 3 findings from this source
Semaglutide 2.4 mg costs in a supplementary high-cost non-governmental retail scenario, not an expected institutional procurement estimate.
Added
S/16,804.86 per patient in year 1; S/18,135.52 per patient in a maintenance yearSource [4]
SOURCE 034 findings
Falster, Michael O et al.. Trends in publicly subsidized and private access to GLP-1 medicines indicated for type 2 diabetes in Australia, 2020-2025.. British journal of clinical pharmacology. 2026.
Afentou, Nafsika et al.. Cost-Effectiveness of Endoscopic Bariatric Therapies Compared with Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy and Semaglutide.. Obesity surgery. 2026.
Afentou, Nafsika et al.. Cost-Effectiveness of Endoscopic Bariatric Therapies Compared with Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy and Semaglutide.. Obesity surgery. 2026.
Falster, Michael O et al.. Trends in publicly subsidized and private access to GLP-1 medicines indicated for type 2 diabetes in Australia, 2020-2025.. British journal of clinical pharmacology. 2026.
Vera Ponce, Victor J. Projected budget impact of pharmacotherapy scenarios for obesity and related conditions in Peru: A national survey analysis of 76,819 participants.. Obesity pillars. 2026.
Belančić, Andrej et al.. Trends in glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist utilization and expenditure in Croatia.. The Journal of international medical research. 2026.
Upadhyay, Navneet et al.. Trends in Cost of Care With Tirzepatide in Adults Aged Over 55 Years With Obesity or Overweight Without Diabetes: A Matched Cohort Analysis.. Diabetes, obesity & metabolism. 2026.
Kulkarni, Neeti S et al.. The Conventional Cost-Effectiveness and Distributional Cost-Effectiveness of Semaglutide for Obesity Treatment.. Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.). 2026.
Dziewierz, Artur et al.. Tirzepatide persistence, adherence, and dose escalation in a real-world setting with high out-of-pocket costs: a Polish cohort study.. Advances in medical sciences. 2026.
Dix, Sophie et al.. Real-World Treatment Patterns and Weight Outcomes Before and After a Tirzepatide Price Increase in Over One Million Self-Paying UK Adults With Overweight or Obesity.. Diabetes, obesity & metabolism. 2026.
Reiszadeh, Negin et al.. Economic evaluation of tirzepatide, semaglutide, and liraglutide in the treatment of obese and overweight patients without diabetes: a short-term cost-effectiveness analysis in Iran.. Journal of diabetes and metabolic disorders. 2026.
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