Asembia AXS25: Navigating the Evolving Landscape of GLP-1 Medications

In an interview with Pharmacy Times®, Becky Davis, principal at Charles River Associates, discussed the expanding use of GLP-1 medications across multiple health conditions. She highlighted her presentation, “GLP-1s: Riding the Wave of Innovative Medications,” which she shared at Asembia's AXS25 Summit.

Davis highlighted the shift from obesity-focused opt-in benefits to more standard coverage. She anticipates that payers will need to manage a broader range of GLP-1 products more specifically, which will require pharmacists to develop expertise in advising patients with complex diagnoses and unique medication regimens. Davis also emphasized the increasing variety of GLP-1 medications, including new indications and formulations like injectables and oral treatments. Pharmacists will need to adapt by understanding diverse utilization management requirements and ensuring adequate storage space for these evolving medications.

Pharmacy Times: Given that GLP-1 medications are being used for more and more health issues, and patients often have multiple conditions, how do you see the pharmacist's responsibilities changing to best support these patients?

Becky Davis: As GLP-1s expand in their indications due to the high comorbidity burden, it's going to be rarer and rarer that you're just treating a patient for obesity. Right now, payers force coverage of the obesity indications on an opt-in benefit. It means that not all patients end up having access. As the indications are brought in, I expect we'll see more of that benefit going to standard benefits. So, more access to patients, more patients coming into the pharmacy. I think for pharmacists, it will mean that they need to spend more time advising patients who have a unique combination of diagnoses on specific titration or dosing schedules than they do now.

Pharmacy Times: How do you anticipate payer coverage and management of GLP-1s will evolve with increasing indications, and what challenges might this pose for pharmacy practice?

Davis: As I mentioned right now with obesity focus, that is an opt-in benefit. In the future, I think we'll see more standard benefit coverage. We'll see more patients having access, and with that, payers are going to need to really figure out how to manage a lot more GLP-1 coverage. They may choose to manage those products more specifically and by brand. One thing pharmacists will need to handle is the unique utilization management associated with the different GLP-1 products.

Pharmacy Times: What are the biggest future opportunities and challenges for pharmacists in managing the expanding use of GLP-1s?

Davis: There are going to be a lot of new GLP-1s in this category. There'll also be new indications coming. Probably with it, hopefully with it, a lot more patients. The payers are really going to probably end up needing to manage the category more specifically than they do now. Pharmacists are likely going to need to deal with that. It's also probably going to mean that they need to worry about stocking a broader set of GLP-1s. In this case, that takes refrigerator space for the injectables as well as space on the shelf for the orals that are coming.