Alera Group’s Mary Delaney shares insights on GLP-1 use in Benefits Pro article

Alera Group’s Vital Incite office is one of the great differentiators that sets us apart from other national firms and employee benefits practices. Vital Incite Managing Partner Mary Delaney recently demonstrated her office’s expertise on the hot topic of weight-loss medications with an article in the popular online publication Benefits Pro, “Navigating GLP-1 insurance coverage with the right pharmacy benefits manager.”

“The demand for weight-loss drugs is surging,” Delaney writes, “including from those who don't need them or are not aware of their side effects.”

In keeping with Vital Incite’s specialty of using data analytics to optimize benefits solutions, including the use of pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs), Delaney cites multiple inefficiencies in the use of GLP-1 medications for weight-loss treatments.

“According to proprietary data obtained by Vital Incite, in the first quarter of 2023, 45% of members filling GLP-1s that are only approved for persons with Type 2 diabetes did not have a diabetes diagnosis,” she reports. “Despite the best efforts of employers, that off-label use improved only slightly, to 39% by the end of Q3 2023.”

The first step in addressing this inefficiency, Delaney writes, is selecting the right PBM. Next is requiring doctors to ensure that patients who are prescribed a GLP-1 fully meet the criteria.

To read the full article, visit the BenefitsPro website.