Richard H. Hughes, IV, and William Walters, attorneys in the Health Care & Life Sciences practice, in the firm’s Washington, DC, office, co-authored an article in Health Affairs, titled “New Anti-Obesity Medications Should Be Considered Preventive Health Care.”
Following is an excerpt:
Federal policy makers are trying to wrap their heads around a new class of drugs for managing and preventing the symptoms of type 2 diabetes. The surprising success of their use for weight loss has the potential to curb the US’s high rates of obesity, change lives for those struggling with cardiovascular diseases and metabolic disorders, and generally facilitate a shift to healthier living and reduced long-term health care costs.
Glucagon-like peptide 1 or GLP-1—a class of receptor agonists—are innovative new medicines that yield significant benefits to the patient populations for which they are indicated, including many benefits that are still being realized through additional study and widespread use. As new benefits are being discovered, and the value of known benefits still being determined, where GLP-1s fit within our health care paradigm, and which federal entity will oversee their access and cost issues, remain open questions.
The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF or Task Force) is reportedly developing a draft research plan that will consider whether to grade anti-obesity medications (AOMs) as preventive medications for chronic weight management. Meanwhile, the Congressional Budget Office has laid out the new research it needs to assess the budgetary effects were Medicare to widely cover AOMs, specifically asking for data on near- and long-term clinical impacts, factors affecting use of the drugs and the expectations around the price and effectiveness as they are being developed.
Promising clinical and real-world evidence suggests that GLP-1s should be positioned as a clinical preventive intervention. By preventing the potential complications of living with obesity and type 2 diabetes, GLP-1s are poised to improve lives while reducing costs to our health care system and society.
