Protecting the Vital Role of GLP-1 Medicines

GLP-1 medicines are helping millions of Americans lead healthier lives through significant weight loss and reducing the risk of dozens of weight-related comorbidities in the process. These medicines are widely regarded as our nation’s best chance to reverse the alarming rise in obesity rates, as well as reduce the heavy financial burden obesity places on patients, families, our healthcare system and the broader economy. Further, new research suggests these medicines can address a variety of acute and chronic diseases and the number one leading cause of death in the U.S., heart disease, among others.

To unlock the full potential of GLP-1 medicines, life science innovators continue to prioritize research, innovation and cutting-edge clinical trials to discover even more effective compounds to improve the lives of patients worldwide. These efforts, however, must also be supported by policymakers. Rather than impose price controls, policymakers must incentivize continued innovation and increase patient access through market-oriented policies.

Patient Health Depends on Life Science Innovation

Patients today have access to GLP-1 medicines as a direct result of decades of research and life science innovation. Decades of investment into developing these medicines have paid off greatly for patients; studies show that most patients taking new GLP-1 medications are losing significant weight and maintaining it, with benefits extending beyond the scale. For example, a recent clinical trial by Novo Nordisk demonstrated that its obesity drug Wegovy helped patients lose weight and reduced the overall rate of major heart problems, such as heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular-related deaths, by 20 percent.

GLP-1s Yield the Power to Save Americans Millions of Dollars

Innovative medicines that reduce comorbidities and improve public health also translate into significant healthcare system savings. Currently, obesity costs the U.S. healthcare system nearly $173 billion annually, and medical costs for people with obesity tend to be 30 to 40 percent higher than for those without obesity. By 2025, the global cost of treating obesity-related complications is expected to rise to over $4 trillion—higher than the gross domestic product of nearly every individual country in the world. In short, the cost-per-treatment for GLP-1 medications pays for itself in the long run through reduced long-term healthcare costs and increased productivity.

When We Limit Research and Scientific Innovation, It’s the Patients Who Pay the Price

We’ve seen the danger in artificially imposed price controls before and how they can limit research and scientific innovation, and lead to increased prescription drug costs, longer wait times and less access for patients. Research from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s first edition of the Patient Access Report in 2023 revealed that foreign governments imposing price controls force patients to endure longer treatment wait times, sometimes exceeding 500 days. Some patients with severe conditions had to wait over 16 months for treatment.

The consequences of price controls in the United States will ripple into the next generation of patient needs. The Chamber’s research also shows that price controls could lead to a 70 percent decrease in obesity-related clinical trials, meaning promising new GLP-1 medicines in the pipeline may never be realized. Due to proposed price controls, the United States faces a potential 29 to 44 percent drop in the development of new medicines.

The risks are clear. That’s why it’s so concerning that policymakers are targeting individual companies in ways that will only serve to limit access to medicines for patients who need them. Publicly vilifying an innovative company can have far-reaching consequences for Americans. Rather than attacking companies and seeking to artificially control prices, policymakers should engage in constructive dialogue and defend the innovative free market system that creates solutions for patients.

The Bottom Line

GLP-1 medicines are driving unprecedented success in the fight against obesity, and we are just beginning to understand their exponential impact on chronic disease. It is critical that, rather than impose artificial price controls, policymakers build on this momentum by offering incentives for innovation, encouraging free enterprise and increasing patient access and affordability through market-oriented policies.

About the authors

Brad Watts

Brad Watts is the Vice President for Patents and Innovation Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC). He works with U.S. Chamber members to foster a political, legal, and economic environment where innovators and creators can invest in the next big thing for the benefit of Americans and the world.

Read more