A systematic review of the economic value proposition for commercially available nonsurgical weight‐loss interventions

Abstract

Objective: The study aim was to review the economic evaluation literature of commercially available and effective nonsurgical weight-loss interventions to investigate whether there is evidence to support claims of cost-effectiveness (i.e., good value for money) or cost savings (i.e., a positive return on investment).Methods: Relevant databases were systematically reviewed to identify economic evaluations of commercially available weight-loss products and services shown to result in clinically significant weight loss. Five weight-loss medications (orlistat, liraglutide, naltrexone-bupropion, semaglutide, and phentermine-topiramate), two meal replacement programs (Jenny Craig, Optifast), and one behavioral intervention (Weight Watchers [WW]) that met inclusion criteria were identified. After screening, 32 relevant comparisons of cost-effectiveness or cost savings across 20 studies were identified. Results: Ten of twenty pharmaceutical comparisons showed evidence of costeffectiveness based on established thresholds. Four of twelve nonpharmaceutical comparisons provided evidence of cost-effectiveness, and five made claims of cost savings. However, methodological concerns cast doubt on the robustness of these claims. Conclusions: Evidence of cost-effectiveness for commercially available, evidencebased, nonsurgical weight-loss interventions is mixed. There is no evidence for costsaving weight-loss medications and only weak evidence for behavioral and weightloss interventions. Results provide a call to action to generate more robust evidence of the economic value proposition for these interventions.