Semaglutide 2.4 mg versus Liraglutide 3 mg for the Treatment of Obesity in Greece: A Short-Term Cost-Effectiveness Analysis.

BACKGROUND

Obesity is a global health issue with significant economic implications for health systems. Pharmacotherapy, including semaglutide 2.4 mg and liraglutide 3 mg, offers a treatment option for weight management; however, its cost-effectiveness requires evaluation. This study assesses the short-term cost-effectiveness of semaglutide 2.4 mg versus liraglutide 3 mg in achieving clinically relevant weight loss targets at 68 weeks in Greece.

METHODS

A short-term cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted from the perspective of the Greek third-party payer [National Organization for the Provision of Health Services (EOPYY)], comparing costs and outcomes for semaglutide 2.4 mg and liraglutide 3 mg over a 68-week horizon. Effectiveness was measured by the proportion of patients achieving weight loss targets of ≥ 5%, ≥ 10%, ≥ 15%, and ≥ 20%, using efficacy data from the STEP-8 head-to-head trial, a 68-week, randomized, double-blind study conducted in the USA, comparing semaglutide 2.4 mg versus liraglutide 3 mg in adults who were overweight or had obesity without diabetes. Only direct medical costs were included, reflecting the payer perspective, and no discounting was applied owing to the short time horizon. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses assessed the results' robustness.

RESULTS

Semaglutide 2.4 mg had higher treatment costs (€3285.55) compared with liraglutide 3 mg (€2742.47) but demonstrated greater efficacy and a lower cost of control across all weight loss targets. The cost per patient achieving ≥ 5% weight loss was €3768.72 for semaglutide and €4718.66 for liraglutide, corresponding to a difference of €949.95 per patient. The cost difference widened at higher weight loss targets, with semaglutide showing differences of €6064.20 for ≥ 10% weight loss, €17,005.23 for ≥ 15%, and €37,296.00 for ≥ 20%. These findings were consistent across sensitivity analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

Semaglutide 2.4 mg is likely to be a short-term, cost-effective treatment option for adults who are overweight or have obesity without diabetes in Greece.