How to Maximize the Value of GLP-1 Drugs While Improving Health Equity
How Avalon modernizes genetic test management for health plans and labs with an evidence-based, end-to-end model.
GLP-1 Therapy Is Transforming Care—and Testing the System
GLP-1 therapies (e.g., Mounjaro, Zepbound) are driving breakthrough outcomes in obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiometabolic disease. However, their high cost, limited access, and uneven prescribing threaten to deepen health inequities and strain payer budgets.
Inequities in GLP-1 Access
As shortages end and lower-cost compounded options vanish, only those with high incomes or generous benefits can afford access, leaving vulnerable populations behind.
Asian, Black, and Hispanic patients are significantly less likely to receive GLP-1s even when clinically indicated for diabetes.
More than 42,000 U.S. deaths could be prevented annually through broader access (PNAS, 2023).
$142B
in projected global sales by 2030
$350M+
increase in spending reported by a single Blue plan (2022–2023)
Employers report
steep increases
in pharmacy costs and mounting concern over unsustainable GLP-1 utilization
“Costly innovation without equitable access is not a sustainable model.”
Avalon’s Approach
Avalon addresses these challenges by helping payers shift from subjective or BMI-only criteria to lab-informed, data-driven eligibility that aligns GLP-1 access with medical necessity.
Impact at a Glance
Maximized ROI
GLP-1s reach the right patients, those most likely to benefit.
Reduced Waste
GLP-1s reach the right patients, those most likely to benefit.
Improved Equity
GLP-1s reach the right patients, those most likely to benefit.
Faster Access
Real-time lab integration streamlines prior auth, reducing delays.
Sustainable Spend
Maintain coverage without financial compromise.
Blanket exclusions and unmanaged expansion are both risky. Instead, strategic, diagnostics-based coverage models can optimize care delivery and cost control, while closing the equity gap.
Explore how you can adopt lab-driven GLP-1 eligibility strategies.
Contact Us to design an evidence-based approach that balances affordability, access, and equity.