JAMA Cardiol

Is semaglutide worth the cost for secondary heart protection?

February 5, 2026

A new economic analysis reports that while semaglutide effectively reduces major adverse cardiovascular events in U.S. adults with overweight or obesity and established cardiovascular disease, it doesn't meet common U.S. cost‑effectiveness thresholds at current net prices. Authors note that semaglutide would reach the widely used $120,000‑per‑QALY benchmark only if its annual price fell by an additional 18%, to about $7,055. They also found that the drug becomes cost‑effective for this indication at the $5,988 cash price available to self‑paying patients, yielding an incremental cost‑effectiveness ratio of $99,600 per QALY. Overall, lifetime therapy remains clinically beneficial but financially burdensome, with meaningful health gains that don’t fully offset long‑term drug costs.

Clinical takeaway: Semaglutide offers meaningful CV risk reduction, but broader secondary-prevention use may hinge on drug pricing, supporting targeted use and policy-driven cost reductions.

Source:

Hennessy S, et al. (2026, February 4). JAMA Cardiol. Cost-Effectiveness of Semaglutide for Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in US Adults. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41637062/