OBJECTIVES: Obesity is associated with high direct and indirect costs related to increased healthcare utilization and loss of productivity. Optifast^® is a clinically-proven total diet replacement Low Calorie Diet for obesity management. In the context of a medically supervised weight management program, Optifast achieves a significant and durable weight loss at a rate of ≈ 1 kg per week. This health economic model aims to demonstrate potential cost savings of Optifast^®program in Switzerland, as compared to “no intervention” and pharmacotherapy with liraglutide 3 mg. Payers’ and employers’ perspectives are taken into account.

METHODS: An event-driven decision analytic model estimated the cost-effectiveness of 1-year Optifast^® program over 10 years period in Switzerland. The analysis was performed for the broad population of obese persons (BMI > 30 kg/m) treated with Optifast^® vs liraglutide 3 mg and vs “no intervention”. The model includes the risk of complications related to increased BMI; data sources include published literature, clinical trials, official Swiss price/tariff lists and national population statistics. The primary perspective is that of the Swiss payer and employer; costs are in 2016 CHF.

RESULTS: Optifast^® leads to cost savings for payers (CHF 5,623) and employers (CHF 30,307) over 10 years versus “no intervention” by reducing the cost of obesity complications. Compared to liraglutide 3 mg, Optifast^® leads to additional cost savings for payers (CHF 9,732) and employers (CHF 14,187) over the same time period. Scenario analyses show additional cost savings in patients with severe obesity (BMI>40 kg/m), with T2 diabetes mellitus.

CONCLUSIONS: Reimbursing Optifast^® leads to meaningful costs savings for Swiss payers and employers as compared with liraglutide 3 mg and with “no intervention” in obese patients. Similar results could be expected in matching healthcare settings of other countries.