Obesity Management: Most-Read Stories of 2025

The focus on tackling obesity reached a fever pitch in 2025 as miracle weight-loss drugs moved from the headlines to mainstream medical staples. However, the year was defined just as much by pharmacy benefit shake-ups in the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) space and pricing wars as it was by clinical breakthroughs.

Here are the most-read obesity management stories from Drug Topics in 2025.

CVS Caremark Makes Wegovy Preferred Weight-Loss Medication

In May of 2025, CVS Caremark, the nation’s largest pharmacy benefit manager (PBM), announced that semaglutide (Wegovy) will become the preferred GLP-1 medication on its primary commercial formularies starting July 1, 2025. This strategic move effectively displaces Eli Lilly’s rival drug tirzepatide (Zepbound) and signals a major shift in the competitive landscape of obesity management.

To support this expansion, Novo Nordisk has partnered with telehealth platforms and launched a direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmacy program to streamline access for self-paying patients. As demand for weight-loss medications continues to skyrocket, this partnership aims to make FDA-approved treatments more affordable and accessible to the growing number of Americans seeking obesity care.

Eli Lilly Launches Self-Pay Vials of Tirzepatide for Patients With Obesity

In an effort to expand access and improve price transparency, Eli Lilly launched single-dose vials of tirzepatide in 7.5 mg and 10 mg doses through its DTC “Self Pay Journey” program this past February. Through the bypassing of third-party supply chains, the company is offering vials alongside discounted 2.5 mg and 5 mg options, with out-of-pocket (OOP) costs ranging from $349 to $499 per month.

This initiative followed the FDA’s declaration that the long-standing shortages for both tirzepatide and semaglutide had been resolved earlier in 2025. While advocacy groups like the Obesity Action Coalition have praised the move for improving affordability, they emphasize that systemic changes in insurance coverage are still necessary to treat obesity as a chronic disease.

Oral Semaglutide Shows Improvements in Blood Glucose, Cardiovascular Risk Factors

New data from the phase 3 OASIS 4 trial demonstrated that a 25 mg daily dose of oral semaglutide significantly improves glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors in patients with overweight or obesity. Over a 72-week period, participants receiving the tablet achieved a mean body weight reduction of 13.6%, compared with just 2.2% in the placebo group.

The study found that improvements in blood glucose, fasting insulin, and triglycerides occurred even in patients who experienced more modest weight loss, suggesting broader metabolic benefits beyond weight decreases. These findings, alongside data from the STEP UP phase 3b trial for higher-dose injectables, highlight the potential for oral options to simplify obesity management while simultaneously tackling cardiometabolic comorbidity.

Q&A: Factors Showing Tirzepatide is More Beneficial Than Semaglutide | ASHP Midyear

At the ASHP 2024 Midyear Clinical Meeting, researchers highlighted data from the SURMOUNT trials showing that tirzepatide led to significantly greater weight loss than semaglutide, with some patients achieving over 20% reductions. While semaglutide previously held an edge in established cardiovascular risk reduction among GLP-1s, tirzepatide gained a new indication for managing obstructive sleep apnea and was awaiting results from its own major cardiovascular trials expected in 2025 and beyond.

Experts emphasized that because tirzepatide targets both GLP-1 and GIP receptors, its dual-action approach may explain the superior weight loss seen in clinical settings. Ultimately, pharmacists are encouraged to use shared decision-making to help patients navigate these options based on their specific comorbidities, budget, and insurance coverage as options for GLP-1s expand.

Patients with Obesity Showed High Discontinuation, Low Reinitiation of GLP-1 RAs

A large-scale study published in JAMA Network Open revealed that patients using GLP-1 receptor agonists specifically for obesity were significantly more likely to discontinue treatment and less likely to restart it when compared with patients with type 2 diabetes. Data showed that 64.8% of patients without diabetes stopped therapy within the first year, often due to barriers such as high costs, lack of insurance coverage, and plateaus in weight loss.

The research also identified a strong correlation between income and adherence, suggesting that financial hurdles are a primary driver of discontinuation. Because these medications require long-term use for sustained health benefits, experts warned that these high dropout rates could exacerbate health disparities and undermine the long-term management of obesity as a chronic disease.