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GLP-1 medications prescribed for obesity could generate nearly $193,000 in lifetime economic and health value per patient while delivering outsized benefits to populations that have historically faced greater barriers to weight management, according to a new working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research.

UnitedHealth's Optum Rx has reached a tentative settlement with the FTC, joining CVS Health's Caremark and the Cigna Group's Express Scripts, which agreed to settlements earlier this year.

CVS Health filed a similar lawsuit last month.

But employers surveyed in February and March were more aware of TrumpRx than of weight-loss drug sites like Ro.

According to the report, employer spending on GLP-1 drugs doubled in a single year, rising from $11 to $24 per member per month. GLP-1s now account for 10.5% of all prescription drug claims, up from 6.9% in 2023.

This increase reflects the convergence of several powerful forces reshaping the health care landscape, according to a PWC report.