Medications
Your pharmacy trend is driven by molecules, not by vendors. Start here to understand what each agent costs and what it delivers, then look at which vendors will actually gate it.
Semaglutide
Wegovy · Ozempic · Rybelsus
The molecule that created this market. Weekly injectable GLP-1 agonist, the most widely prescribed agent across employer programs and the one your pharmacy trend is most likely driven by.
- Vendors
- 12
- First-line
- 5
- Step-gated
- 5
Tirzepatide
Zepbound · Mounjaro
The dual-incretin agent producing the largest average weight reductions recorded in this class. Higher efficacy, comparable cost, and rapidly growing share of employer spend.
- Vendors
- 12
- First-line
- 5
- Step-gated
- 5
Liraglutide
Saxenda · Victoza
The first-generation daily GLP-1. Lower efficacy than the weekly agents, but generic entry has made it the cheapest genuine GLP-1 option and a credible step-therapy rung.
- Vendors
- 7
- First-line
- 1
- Step-gated
- 0
Metformin
Glucophage
Not a GLP-1, and not a weight-loss drug — but the first rung of nearly every credible step-therapy protocol, and effectively free. How a vendor uses metformin tells you whether its cost discipline is real.
- Vendors
- 11
- First-line
- 6
- Step-gated
- 0
A high step-gated count is good news for your budget. It means more vendors require a documented lower-cost trial before a member reaches that molecule — the single most effective structural cost control a prescribing vendor can offer.