Page 28 - GHES-3-3

Global Health Economics and
Sustainability
Semaglutide for treating T2D and obesity

The scientific reasoning behind the studies collected $2.6 billion ($1 billion direct and $1.6 billion indirect)
is grounded in the study design, which involved assessing in 1969 to $98.2 billion ($44.1 billion direct and $54.1
relevant published articles, comparing the effectiveness of billion indirect) in 1997 (Mentis, 2023). The financial
semaglutide for treating T2D patients with obesity, and burden of T2D alone was recorded at $760 billion in 2019,
evaluating the financial impact of the therapies on national representing nearly 91% of total diabetes costs, with direct
healthcare systems. costs being notably higher in high-income countries. For
The presentation of endpoint data focuses on the example, Saudi Arabia, a country with a high prevalence
comparative positive effects of semaglutide in patients of T2D, spent nearly 25 billion riyals in 2014 on the
with both T2D and obesity and the economic benefits management of all forms of diabetes (Alkhatib et al., 2022).
for healthcare system sustainability. Further clinical At the same time, several studies conducted on Denmark’s
perspectives were also recorded to enhance the validity and population have shown that the cost of treating T2D is
robustness of the study’s outcomes, and specific measures influenced by disposable income levels (Nauck & Dietrich,
were proposed to improve access to innovative antidiabetic 2022).
therapies. 4. Obesity
3. T2D 4.1. Clinical elements of obesity

3.1. Clinical elements of T2D Obesity is widely recognized as a significant global public
T2D is the most prevalent form of diabetes (Hu et al., health issue, closely linked to numerous comorbidities,
2023). A variety of factors contribute to the increased increased hospitalizations, and reduced life expectancy,
risk of developing T2D, with obesity being one of the and is regarded as a key aggravating factor in the onset
most significant aggravating factors (Wilson et al., 2023). of cardiovascular disease and metabolic dysfunction-
Obesity is a significant risk factor for the development of associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) (Xie et al.,
T2D (Wilson et al., 2023). Obesity is classified in severity 2022). The presence of T2D further increases the risk of
using the body mass index (BMI) as Class I, II, and III developing MASLD (Gu et al., 2023), as insulin resistance
(Wilson et al., 2023). Overweight and obesity are defined leads to liver inflammation (Yuan et al., 2023). Obesity
by BMI values of >25 and 30 kg/m , respectively, and are also contributes to a range of complications, including
2
strongly associated with an increased risk of morbidity and disability, psychological issues, cardiovascular disease, and
mortality from T2D (Anam et al., 2022). These risks rise kidney disease (Ma et al., 2023).
further with higher BMI, and the presence of comorbidities This trend underscores the immense strain on the
such as hypertension and dyslipidemia (Anam et al., sustainability of healthcare systems (Aldawsari et al., 2023)
2022), which coexists with the T2D, are linked to insulin and highlights the negative impact on the quality of life
resistance. for people with diabetes (Laursen et al., 2023). It is also
“Diabesity,” a widely known term amalgamating the important to note that the medications used to treat obesity
two conditions’ names, underscores the undeniable and diabetes must carry a low risk of adverse effects (Guan
connection between diabetes and obesity (Haddad et al., et al., 2022). In lighted of the evidence presented above, it
2023), highlighting obesity as a critical driver of T2D is clear that weight loss is an important goal for diabetes
development (Ma et al., 2023), with both conditions prevention. However, the safety and tolerability of available
contributing to the promotion of cardiovascular disease medications pose limitations on their use (Gao et al., 2022).
(Kennedy et al., 2023). Since the majority of T2D patients are either obese
or overweight, with abdominal fat accumulation
3.2. Health expenses for T2D management contributing to increased insulin resistance, a weight loss
The global healthcare costs for adults with diabetes are of approximately 5 – 10% should be a primary objective to
projected to reach approximately $1.03 trillion by 2030 and improve clinical outcomes (Seidu et al., 2022). Achieving
$1.05 trillion by 2045, with 90% of these costs attributable this goal not only benefits individual health but also
to the management of T2D and its complications (Laursen reduces the financial burden on both patients and national
et al., 2023). It is important to note that the total cost healthcare systems.
assessment also includes indirect costs, such as lost
income and reduced productivity due to early retirement, 4.2. Costs of obesity
morbidity, disability, and death. In the United States, the On a global scale, the prevalence of obesity has been
direct and indirect costs of diabetes healthcare rose from increased at an alarming rate, tripling between 1975 and

Volume 3 Issue 3 (2025) 20 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.8547