Value Viewpoint: May 2, 2025

It was a busy week for obesity medicines:

On Wednesday, Aon released the preliminary results of a multi-year study of 50 million commercially insured lives, which included 139,000 GLP-1 users from 2022 to 2024 compared to a matched control group. Aon reports:

“A Bend in the Cost Curve: After the widely reported initial jump in costs related to initiation of GLP-1 medications, cost growth rates diverge from the GLP-1 treatment group, trending at half the rate of a precisely matched control group in the last 12 months of the analysis period. Outside the cost of the treatment, Aon observed a seven-percentage point improvement in medical spend growth for GLP-1 users in the second year.”

“Reduced Cardiovascular Events and Improved Health: GLP-1 users experienced a 44 percent reduction in risk of hospitalizations caused by major adverse cardiovascular events (e.g., stroke, heart attack and heart failure) over the 24 months following therapy initiation. Other notable health improvements included lower incidence of claims for pneumonia, inflammatory bowel disease, osteoporosis, and alcohol and substance use disorders compared to a precisely matched control group.” 

Aon will share more details on May 5 at the Milken Institute Global Conference. Milken Executive Vice President, Esther Krofah, shared in the press release,

“By quantifying both the health and economic benefits of GLP-1 access, this work not only advances the dialogue around obesity management in the U.S. workforce, it also paves the way for scalable, global solutions that prioritize prevention and long-term impact.” 

If the Aon study had been available earlier, it could have brought an employer lens to ICER’s recent webinar, Affordable Access to GLP-1 Obesity Medications: Strategies to Guide Market Action & Policy Solutions. ICER’s webinar explores affordability and access challenges with payer, provider, and patient speakers. Inclusion of the employer and pharmaceutical innovator perspectives could have enhanced the exploration. 

Also of note:

• On Tuesday, ICER announced that it will assess the comparative clinical effectiveness and value of tirzepatide and semaglutide for the treatment of obesity. Public comments are being accepted on the Draft Scoping Document until May 19, 2025. New England CEPAC will review the assessment in November 2025.

• The World Health Organization is planning to support weight loss drugs for treating obesity in adults, which marks a shift in its approach (Reuters).

New research published in Therapeutic Innovation & Regulatory Science examines the prevalence of patient engagement (PE) and patient experience data (PED) in health technology assessment (HTA) and the regulatory review process. In their landscape analysis, study authors identified 28 references from HTA/regulatory bodies, 26 from peer-reviewed articles, and 8 references on PE and PED integration (PE+PED) from HTA/regulatory bodies, compared with 0 references in their previous 17-month analysis. About the study results, the authors concluded,

“The increase in PE, PED, and PE+PED references worldwide in 2023 versus the prior 17-month analysis suggests accelerated adoption of PE+PED practices. However, a need remains for comprehensive, actionable guidance on best practices for use of PE and PED for harmonization and incorporation into HTA/regulatory processes.”

On a related topic, in the first article published as part of ICER’s new Health Affairs Scholar series, ICER's President and CEO, Sarah Emond, and Director of Patient Engagement, Catherine Fischer, describe ICER’s patient engagement program, which has evolved considerably over the years. See the figure below for the authors’ representation of ICER’s patient engagement process:

If you're heading to ISPOR, check out NPC’s ISPOR 2025 activities page for our sessions, posters, and social events in Montreal from May 13 to 16. 

Issue Panels:

• To What Extent Will the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Impact Innovation and Access to Rare Disease Treatments—Did the IRA Temporarily Spook Industry or Will It Have a Permanent Influence? | Thursday, May 15 | 1:45-2:45 pm

• Pharmaceutical Policy Provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act: Beyond Drug Negotiation | Thursday, May 15 | 5:00-6:00 pm

• Less Is More? Understanding and Rewarding the Full Value of Long-Acting Therapies | Thursday, May 15 | 5:00-6:00 pm

Workshops:

• Advancing Inclusive Healthcare Benefit Design: Engaging Employees Through Participatory Decision-Making | Wednesday, May 14 | 5:00-6:00 pm

Educational Symposia:

• Navigating the Evolving Landscape of US Healthcare Policy Reforms: Implications for Drug Pricing, Access, and Health Equity | Wednesday, May 14 | 3:15-4:15 pm

• Bringing Us Together or Pushing Us Apart: Will JCA, HEMA, and Other Cross-Border Collaboration Initiatives Improve Patient Access? | Wednesday, May 14 | 3:15-4:15 pm

Posters:

• Evaluating Therapeutic Alternative Selection in Medicare’s Initial Drug Price Negotiation Explanations | Wednesday, May 14 | 10:30 am - 1:30 pm

• Are Commercial Insurance Premiums Associated With the 340B Drug Pricing Program? | Wednesday, May 14 | 10:30 am - 1:30 pm

• Are Existing Descriptions of Unmet Medical Need Fit for Purpose in the CMS Drug Negotiation Program Context? | Wednesday, May 14 | 10:30 am - 1:30 pm

• What Proportion of the Total Value Generated by New Drugs Accrues to Manufacturers? A Review of Empirical Estimates of Producer Surplus | Wednesday, May 14 | 4:00 - 7:00 pm

• The Cost of 340B to States | Wednesday, May 14 | 4:00 - 7:00 pm

• Impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act on 2025 Formulary Coverage in Medicare Part D Plans | Wednesday, May 14 | 4:00 - 7:00 pm

• Ongoing Accelerated Approval Trends and What It Means for Patients | Friday, May 16 | 9:00 am - 11:30 am

👁️ Eye on ICER

A calendar of ICER’s upcoming reports & meetings:

Policy White Papers/Special Assessments:

- 10/23/25: Launch Price and Access Report: Drug Approvals from 2023-2024 — Final Report

- December (date tbd): HEMA Final Report

Value Assessment Reports:

- 5/15/25: Retinitis Pigmentosa — Final Evidence Report

- 5/27/25: Spinal Muscular Atrophy — Draft Evidence Report

- 5/29/25: Multiple Sclerosis: SPMS — Revised Evidence Report

- 7/15/25: Multiple Sclerosis: SPMS — Final Evidence Report

- 7/17/25: Spinal Muscular Atrophy — Revised Evidence Report

- 7/23/25: Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis — Draft Evidence Report

- 9/2/25: Spinal Muscular Atrophy — Final Evidence Report

- 9/8/25: Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis — Revised Evidence Report

- 9/9/25: Obesity Management — Draft Evidence Report

- 10/27/25: Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis — Final Evidence Report

- 10/29/25: Obesity Management — Revised Evidence Report

- 12/16/25: Obesity Management — Final Evidence Report

Meetings:

- 6/13/25: Multiple Sclerosis: SPMS — Public Meeting (California Technology Assessment Forum CTAF)

- 8/1/25: Spinal Muscular Atrophy — Public Meeting (Midwest CEPAC)

- 9/25/25: Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis — Public Meeting (California Technology Assessment Forum CTAF)

- 11/13/25: Obesity Management — Public Meeting (New England CEPAC)

Contributing author: Brian Sils