Omada Health’s Guide to GLP-1s | Q1 - Q2 2025
As the GLP-1 conversation evolves, Omada Health is updating its industry FAQs to deliver timely data and insights for virtual care buyers.
In 2024, we focused on weight loss quality vs. quantity, usage and costs, off-ramping protocols, and equity issues. We also drilled into emerging details of the GLP-1 experience, including compounded GLP-1s, how to manage the medication’s impact on body composition, and ways to assess the value of virtual companion programs.
In this guide, we address new indications and their impact on employers and payers, as well as early outcomes of Omada’s Enhanced GLP-1 Care Track, and primary care perspectives on third-party telehealth prescribers.
New Indications Build Pressure on Employers and Payers
While GLP-1s have been effective in managing type 2 diabetes for more than a decade, their emergence as a breakthrough therapy for obesity put the medications on the map. The latest research from JAMA Cardiology estimates that 129.2 million U.S. adults (or half of the country’s adult population) are eligible for semaglutide therapy for weight management alone. However, over the last year, GLP-1s have been approved to treat conditions beyond diabetes and obesity, including cardiovascular disease, obstructive sleep apnea, and most recently, chronic kidney disease.
Additional indications may be on the horizon, such as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH)—formally known as NASH—which currently has multiple treatment candidates in phase 3 trials. Other indications include, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, substance and alcohol use disorders, and obesity-associated cancers.
As these revolutionary medications gain FDA approval to treat an array of conditions, more people will meet eligibility requirements. As a result, pressure on payers and employers will continue to increase as patients struggle with unaffordable list prices, costing between $499 and $1,000 for a monthly supply.
Early Outcomes of Omada’s GLP-1 Enhanced GLP-1 Care Track
Through the ANSWERS Initiative, the Omada Insights Lab studies the impact of behavior change coupled with GLP-1s to identify effective interventions. Our 2024 analyses highlight the complexity and emotional nature of the GLP-1 member journey, and show that when members combine GLP-1 therapy with Omada’s Enhanced GLP-1 Care Track, they can achieve healthy weight loss and health benefits.
Maintaining Weight Loss After GLP-1 Discontinuation
Primary Care Perspectives on Third-Party Prescribing
A new survey by Omada Health collected data from 2,000 primary care physicians (PCPs) to understand their experiences prescribing GLP-1s to patients, as well as their points of view on third-party telehealth prescribers. Over the last two years, telehealth companies have capitalized on the GLP-1 boom by creating prescribing networks to expand accessibility, and prescribe compounded formulations. According to the survey, 64% of PCPs actively advised against patients using third-party telehealth prescribers to obtain their GLP-1 medications, with 50% listing continuity of care as a primary concern.
Primary Care Perspectives on Third-Party Prescribing
A new survey by Omada Health collected data from 2,000 primary care physicians (PCPs) to understand their experiences prescribing GLP-1s to patients, as well as their points of view on third-party telehealth prescribers. Over the last two years, telehealth companies have capitalized on the GLP-1 boom by creating prescribing networks to expand accessibility, and prescribe compounded formulations. According to the survey, 64% of PCPs actively advised against patients using third-party telehealth prescribers to obtain their GLP-1 medications, with 50% listing continuity of care as a primary concern.
Lack of Context to Comorbidities
Comorbidities are likely common in populations taking GLP-1s for weight loss. Those with obesity have more than a six-times increased risk of type 2 diabetes and ~60-70% prevalence of dyslipidemia compared with patients of clinically normal weight. These known risks require a whole-person approach to care from a primary care provider with visibility into the person’s long-term medical history.
Risk of Medication Interactions
When asked about concerns of third-party GLP-1 prescriptions, 43% PCPs reported concerns of medication interactions and or side effect management, while 56% were concerned by overprescribing.
GLP-1s slow the digestion of food, which means they can also affect the absorption of oral medications. There are also some medications that have weight-based dosing, and considering the rapid weight loss associated with GLP-1s, patients require close monitoring to ensure that other medications are dosed correctly. Keeping prescriptions in the medical home may encourage the safe and proper use of GLP-1 medications.
Unknown Contraindications
Critical contraindications of GLP-1s are a history of thyroid cancer and/or hypersensitivity to the ingredients in the medication, meaning if a patient has a history of either of these conditions, the physician should not prescribe the medication. These are important considerations for any physician prescribing GLP-1s.
Want to learn more about GLP-1s and how to manage coverage? Visit our Enhanced GLP-1 Care Track page.
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The Omada Insights Lab Big Event
Description for event companies may benefit from assessing their GLP-1 strategy alignment with business goals and employee health needs.
New Indications
New Indications
New Indications
