Azuri J, Hammerman A, Aboalhasan E, Sluckis B, Arbel R. Tirzepatide versus semaglutide for weight loss in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A value for money analysis. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2023 Apr;25(4):961-964. doi: 10.1111/dom.14940. Epub 2022 Dec 27. PMID: 36507900.
Highlights:
- Tirzepatide was compared to Semaglutide to analyze the cost and value of each drug.
- When analyzing dollar per % of weight lost, Tirzepatide was almost half the cost of Semaglutide. In other words, Tirzepatide cost approximately $985 for each 1% of body weight lost, compared to Semagludtide’s $1845 per 1% of body weight lost.
Result:
Using tirzepatide resulted in a weight loss of 17.8% (95% CI: 16.3%-19.3%) compared with 12.4% (95% CI: 11.5%-13.4%) for semaglutide. The total cost of 72 weeks of tirzepatide was estimated at $17 527 compared with $22 878 for 68 weeks of semaglutide. Accordingly, the cost needed to treat per 1% of body weight reduction with tirzepatide is estimated at $985 (95% CI: $908-$1075) compared with $1845 (95% CI: $1707-$1989) with semaglutide. Scenario analysis confirmed these findings.
Conclusion: Tirzepatide provides better value for money than semaglutide for weight reduction.
