While patients may notice some body weight loss in the first month, the full benefits are usually fully noticed after three to six months of treatment
1 Food physically remains in the stomach for a longer duration
Hospital systems were comparably affected, for example, UPMC out of Pittsburgh posted an even larger loss of about $370 million over the same term, which it attributed to increased medical utilization and pharmacy costs, while Highmark Health - also of Pittsburgh - despite avoiding operational losses, reported a significant decline in operating gains in 2024 relative to 2023, which administrators blame on high prescription drug costs - most notably GLP-1s
This highlights the impact these medications, along with proper care, can have on diabetes risk and events that drive costs for employers
GLP-1
Ongoing laboratory investigations explore how coordinated receptor engagement may influence intracellular signaling networks, pathway feedback mechanisms, and system-level endocrine responses under controlled experimental conditions