COIOS
Power of data Item confirms peer-reviewed

Cost-effectiveness of antiobesity drugs varies widely across 26 published models

A systematic review of 26 full economic evaluations of approved antiobesity medications found the results heterogeneous and highly sensitive to model assumptions, with semaglutide consistently more cost-effective than liraglutide and tirzepatide often above lower willingness-to-pay thresholds.

The review searched MEDLINE, Embase and government websites for full economic evaluations of approved antiobesity medications in adults with overweight or obesity, covering tirzepatide, semaglutide, liraglutide, naltrexone with bupropion, orlistat, phentermine and phentermine with topiramate. The 26 included studies all came from high or upper-middle-income countries and mostly took payer perspectives. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios varied widely and moved with model assumptions, and no pooled estimate was produced.

Why it is interesting: It shows how much of the economic case for antiobesity drugs rests on modelling assumptions rather than long-term real-world data.

Source
British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 20 September 2026
DOI
10.1002/bcp.70825
Type
Peer-reviewed article
Design
Systematic review of 26 full economic evaluations of approved antiobesity medications in adults, narrative synthesis, PROSPERO-registered
Verdict
Confirms prior evidence
Driver
Forecasts and their track record
Driver
Obesity, diabetes and the GLP-1 drugs
Driver
New medicines