Patients, providers and payers alike are investing in GLP-1 medications - but are they seeing the value they expected?

Hi, I’m Dr. Sarah Linke, Senior Director of Clinical and Transitional Research at Omada Health, and I have exciting GLP-1 data to share with you.

And before I dive in, I’ll give a bit of context. 

We all know GLP-1 medications are very effective for weight loss, that’s not news to anyone—but there’s a big catch:

GLP-1s are only effective when they’re taken long enough to achieve meaningful weight loss, which takes a variable amount of time.

However, studies evaluating medication-taking behavior in the real world show that only about 50% of people stay on for more than 6 months. 

As a result, the amount of weight loss achieved in the general population is significantly less than what we see in the news about clinical trial results.

Why is this important? Because patients, providers and payers alike are heavily investing in these medications, and too often, they’re not seeing the value they expect.

Given this phenomenon, Omada set out to build and evaluate a GLP-1 companion program designed to support members in taking their GLP-1s as prescribed, so they can achieve their weight loss goals, and ultimately, live healthier lives.

Here’s what we learned:

An analysis of over 1,000 Omada members with an average BMI of 39 found that those who stopped taking their GLP-1s before six months lost an average of 7.4% of their body weight. 

Meanwhile, members who persisted on their GLP-1s through six months lost an average of 12.1% of their body weight—that’s a 64% relative increase. 

Plus, we saw 84% of Omada members persisting on their GLP-1s in that same timeframe. That’s versus about 65% in published real world evidence. 

So, what’s the secret to keeping these members on track with their medications and their weight loss goals? Our data suggests that the right type of support while taking GLP-1s is key, and includes:

• A GLP-1-focused care team

• Tailored exercise and nutrition support

• A specialized GLP-1 curriculum

• And medication support, like side effect management

… resulting in high member engagement between visits with their primary care physician and medical home.

If you want to dig deeper into our GLP-1 persistence data and see how Omada can help you feel confident in your GLP-1 coverage strategy, check out our clinical white paper at omadahealth.com/glp1s