Making GLP-1 weight loss drugs cheaper isn’t enough to address America’s obesity problem – here’s why
In a significant move to combat obesity in the United States, the Trump administration announced on November 6, 2025, a groundbreaking agreement with pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk aimed at reducing the cost of GLP-1 medications, which have gained popularity as effective treatments for weight loss. These drugs, initially approved for managing Type 2 diabetes, work by mimicking the hormone glucagon-like peptide-1, which regulates blood sugar levels and suppresses appetite. As obesity rates in the U.S. continue to rise—affecting approximately 40% of adults, or more than 70 million people—the government’s initiative seeks to make these medications more accessible by slashing their monthly prices from over $1,000 to as low as $150. This agreement is heralded as one of the most significant federal efforts to address obesity, a pressing public health issue, but experts caution that merely lowering prices may not suffice to tackle the obesity epidemic effectively.
Despite the promising potential of GLP-1 drugs, polling data from the Kaiser Family Foundation reveals that only 1 in 8 American adults have tried these medications. This statistic underscores a critical gap in treatment adoption, particularly as clinical trials have shown that participants can lose about 15% of their body weight within six to twelve months while on GLP-1s. However, many individuals drop out of treatment due to cost barriers, with over half ceasing use after six months. The new pricing structure, set to roll out in early 2026, aims to alleviate this financial burden; however, the reality remains that even $150 a month could be unaffordable for many, especially those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who often face higher rates of obesity and related health conditions.
While the reduced pricing for GLP-1 drugs marks a crucial step towards improving access to effective obesity treatments, experts emphasize the need for comprehensive policy changes to create a supportive environment for weight management. Current public health policies in the U.S. are fragmented and often lack the breadth needed to address obesity effectively. For instance, strategies such as enhancing nutrition education in medical training and regulating the marketing of ultraprocessed foods could significantly impact public health outcomes. By adopting a more holistic approach that combines affordable medication with broader legislative measures, the U.S. could make meaningful strides in reducing obesity rates and improving the overall health of its population.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enFeQlB37js
Polling shows that 1 in 8 Americans have tried GLP-1 drugs.
zimmytws/iStock via Getty Images Plus
The Trump administration is making a significant effort to reduce the cost of weight loss drugs. Its
agreement with pharmaceutical giants
, announced Nov. 6, 2025,
will reduce the monthly prices
of these medications by hundreds of dollars.
For the past 25 years, I have
treated people with obesity
and have
developed and studied treatments
for the condition in both adults and adolescents. One major frustration of my work is the fact that
evidenced-based treatments
for obesity are
woefully underused
These drugs, originally approved to treat Type 2 diabetes,
mimic a natural hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1
that regulates blood sugar and reduces appetite.
In my view, by making GLP-1 drugs more accessible to patients, this agreement represents one of the most significant advances the federal government has made to address obesity, one of the country’s
most pressing public health issues
. However, this reduced price tag alone may not make a meaningful dent in rates of obesity in American adults without additional policy changes.
Treating obesity
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 40% of adults in the U.S. – more than 70 million people –
have obesity
. Researchers and clinicians generally define obesity based on a measure called body mass index, or BMI, which is the ratio of a person’s weight in kilograms to their height in meters, squared.
BMI is an imperfect measure
, to be sure, but most medical organizations consider a person with a
BMI greater than 30
to have obesity.
Between television commercials, advertisements on social media and suggestions from family and friends, Americans are bombarded by approaches to losing weight. For many of these approaches, there’s little to no evidence showing they successfully help people lose weight. However, extensive and rigorous research supports the use of GLP-1s for treating obesity. Studies show that these medications can reliably
help people lose about 15% of their body weight
in six to 12 months.
Evidence-based approaches for weight loss include GLP-1 drugs, surgical treatment and behavior changes such as adopting a healthier diet.
Alexandr Kolesnikov/Moment via Getty Images
There are two other evidence based-approaches.
Lifestyle changes
, such as consuming fewer calories and increasing physical activity, can help people lose about 5% of their weight in the same period of time. With surgical treatment, now referred to as metabolic and bariatric surgery, patients can achieve a
loss of about 30% of their body weight
after about 18 months.
Which of these treatment approaches is appropriate for a given person depends on their circumstances and is best discussed with their health care provider. But in my experience,
too few health care professionals refer their patients
to any of these therapies.
Addressing the cost barrier
According to a November 2025 poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation,
1 in 8 adults in the U.S. have tried a GLP-1 medication
. That may sound like a lot, but given that
more than 40% of American adults
have obesity, it may not be enough.
In clinical trials, people taking GLP-1 drugs to treat obesity generally
maintained their weight loss for a year
if they stayed on the medication. However, participants in the trials did not have to pay for the medications. Research suggests that more than half of people using the drugs
stop taking them after six months
, most often because they can’t afford them.
The federal government’s deal with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk
aims to address this barrier
.
GLP-1 drugs currently cost more than US$1,000 per month for people unable to get them covered by health insurance – and
many insurance plans do not
.
According to the
Nov. 6 White House announcement
, starting in early 2026, certain GLP-1 drugs covered by the agreement will be available for
$350 per month or less
through an online marketplace the government plans to launch.
Some drugs will be as cheap as $150, according to the announcement. Companies will also drop the amount that Medicare and Medicaid pay for them, and certain Medicare patients would be able to access them with a $50 co-pay.
These prices are still in flux
, news reports suggest. However, for most Americans,
paying even $150 a month
for a single medication remains a budget buster. That’s especially true given that
people from lower socioeconomic groups
experience higher rates of obesity and often have other related health conditions that require costly medications.
These costs are not temporary. Most patients with obesity and related health problems will likely need to use these medications indefinitely. According to emerging research, people who stop taking them typically
regain the weight they lost
. Realistically, very few people who take GLP-1 drugs can maintain their weight loss with lifestyle changes alone.
Studies suggest that patients who use GLP-1 drugs for weight loss will likely have to use them indefinitely.
aprott/iStock via Getty Images Plus
Beyond cost
The reduced pricing for GLP-1 drugs is an important first step in increasing affordability and access to these treatments. Given that the food environments people live in make it difficult to make healthy choices, I believe that this move will only meaningfully benefit the health of all Americans if it is combined with other policy changes.
While several countries have a
national plan to prevent and treat obesity
, the U.S. does not. Instead, American public health policies are
largely set state by state
. They often include strategies such as free school meals for children or more robust insurance coverage for treating obesity and related health conditions. However, most such policies are often too narrow to have significant benefits at the population level.
Broader policy shifts and legislation targeting obesity prevention could move the needle.
For example, research is increasingly showing that
ultraprocessed foods
play a role in
promoting weight gain
and potentially other diseases, such as
colorectal cancer
. Legislators could draw on that research to better regulate these foods – for example, to limit the use of certain especially harmful ingredients, to restrict marketing of ultraprocessed products, or to limit their inclusion in school meals.
Another policy change that may help would be to
build more extensive nutrition education
into the training that
medical students
and other health care providers receive. This may better position the next generation of clinicians to help their patients make the healthiest choices to maintain their weight and health.
These and other policy changes will be critically important in efforts to reduce the rate of obesity among Americans in the future.
David B. Sarwer’s program of research has been funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health for over the past 20 years. He also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the journal Obesity Science and Practice.
