Changes in Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Health Care Expenditures Among Patients Prescribed Semaglutide

What are the changes in cardiovascular risk factors and health care expenditures associated with initiating semaglutide prescription?In this multicenter cohort study of 23 522 adults, semaglutide initiation was associated with significant reductions in weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and hemoglobin A levels at 13 to 24 months. However, semaglutide initiation was also associated with an increase in health care expenditures (not including the cost of semaglutide itself).These findings suggest that, while semaglutide initiation is associated with improved cardiovascular risk profiles in clinical populations, its initiation is also associated with higher health care expenditures, underscoring the need to assess its long-term cost-effectiveness.

Corresponding Authors: Jason Abaluck, PhD, Yale School of Management, Box 208200, New Haven, CT 06520 (jason.abaluck@yale.edu); Yuan Lu, ScD, Section of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, 195 Church St, 5th Floor, New Haven, CT 06510 (y.lu@yale.edu).

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