Once-Weekly Subcutaneous Semaglutide 2.4 mg Injection is Cost-Effective for Weight Management in the United Kingdom

Objectives: The objective of the current preliminary study was to present the cost-effectiveness analyses submitted to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) (TA10765) that deemed semaglutide 2.4 mg subcutaneous (s.c.) injection a cost-effective option for weight management in the United Kingdom (UK) alongside diet and exercise (D&E).

Methods: The study was conducted from the National Health Service (NHS) and Personal Social Services perspective and based on the NICE reference case. The clinical safety and efficacy of semaglutide 2.4 mg s.c. injection were obtained from the Semaglutide Treatment Effect in People with Obesity (STEP) 1 trial. The previously published and validated Core Obesity Model was used to project lifetime occurrence of obesity complications, their costs and quality of life consequences over 40 years. The base case cohort had a mean starting age of 48 years and BMI of 38.7 kg/m². The confidential NHS price for semaglutide 2.4 mg s.c. injection was provided by Novo Nordisk. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were expressed as cost/quality-adjusted life-year (QALY). Uncertainty was assessed through sensitivity analyses, including a scenario analysis using clinical data from the STEP 2 trial and a previously published and validated Core Diabetes Model to investigate a cohort with type 2 diabetes at baseline.

Results: Semaglutide 2.4 mg s.c. injection showed higher total costs and health benefits compared with D&E, with an ICER of £14,827/QALY gained. The probabilistic sensitivity analysis showed that semaglutide 2.4 mg s.c. injection was cost-effective in 90% of cases at a willingness-to-pay threshold of £20,000/QALY. The ICER from the scenario analysis for the diabetic population was £16,613/QALY gained, using the Core Diabetes Model.

Conclusion: Semaglutide 2.4 mg s.c. injection is a cost-effective therapy compared to D&E alone for patients with obesity and weight-related comorbidities in the UK. Sensitivity and scenario analyses confirm the robustness of the analyses.