Middle-aged adults taking GLP-1s for obesity can save over $192K on lifetime medical costs, higher if they don’t have college degrees, new study finds

Over 40 million Americans have reported using GLP-1 drugs for weight loss, a behavior reshaping everything from the healthcare industry to pop culture and consumer behavior—and the drugs’ use could balloon into as much as a $240 billion market. While these weight-loss drugs pumped billions into pharma giants Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk as social media and celebrity endorsements drove more people to buy them, the companies may not be the only ones to financially benefit. According to a new study released by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), taking GLP-1s for obesity might also save middle-aged Americans hundreds of thousands of dollars in lifetime medical bills. “Obesity is a big comorbidity for a lot of different chronic conditions, so if you start GLP-1s, like that’s gonna kind of trickle down, and it’s gonna save money,” the study’s lead author, Felipe Montano-Campos, told Fortune. NBER’s report estimated that people between the ages of 40 and 50 saved on average $192,735 in lifetime medical bills. Surprisingly, those savings climbed to $220,000 for adults within the same age range without college degrees. Largely, this is due to GLP-1s treating obesity without the usual tried-and-true means to lose weight, namely, a strict regimen of diet and exercise, explained Montano-Campos. “Everyone gets a positive treatment effect, but the ones that are benefiting the most are these lower-educated individuals,” he said, explaining that because GLP-1s directly target appetite and metabolism, they make it easier for people with more time constraints, like those working multiple jobs or of a lower socioeconomic status, who may not have the time to stick to go to a gym or purchase healthier foods. Researchers simulated the U.S. adult population 25 and up to estimate the lifetime health and economic effects of using GLP-1s for weight loss. They tested life-long pathways for two scenarios: one in which adults did not use GLP-1s, and the other with sustai