A study published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism found that adults aged 55 and older using Eli Lilly’s Zepbound incurred up to 38% lower total healthcare costs within a year of initiating treatment, compared with matched controls who did not receive the drug.
The analysis, based on claims data from 15,843 adults who began Zepbound between November 2023 and September 2025, showed cost reductions of up to 15% at six months and up to 38% at 12 months. Excluding Zepbound’s cost, these savings equated to roughly $181 per patient per month at six months and $607 per patient per month at 12 months. The monthly expense of the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program, which covers Zepbound under certain conditions, is approximately $195 per patient.
Patients treated with Zepbound also demonstrated lower rates of hospital admissions and emergency department visits across all follow-up periods. Routine outpatient and office visits were numerically higher among treated individuals. The study employed two analytical methods—pairwise analysis and Inverse Probability of Censoring Weighting—to compare outcomes.
Zepbound, a dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist approved for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or overweight with weight-related conditions, was the focus of the research. Claims data used in the study did not include the drug’s net price, so Zepbound’s cost was excluded from total treatment cost calculations.
The findings suggest potential long-term economic benefits of Zepbound in reducing high-cost healthcare utilization among older adults with obesity.
