SALGBA 2025 National Conference

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.