Webinar: GLP-1 Drug Update: The Backlash and The Future

Wednesday, July 16, 2025
1:00p.m. Eastern/10:00 a.m. Pacific - 90-minutes

Overview

When the Food and Drug Administration approved longtime diabetes drug Wegovy for weight loss in 2021, the floodgates opened. Millions of Americans sought prescriptions for Wegovy and other GLP-1 medications since approved for weight loss. Despite costing $1,000 a month or more, the drugs were considered a key toward reducing the incidence of heart disease, diabetes and other chronic conditions associated with obesity.

Then came the backlash. The Medicare program said it would not cover GLP-1s for weight loss due to its cost. Ditto for California’s Medicaid program. Cigna created a new division just to manage the costs of GLP-1s. Regional plans such as Independence Blue Cross in Pennsylvania have put bans into place. And the Food and Drug Administration barred the production of lower-cost compounded GLP-1s.

But while the near-term future of GLP-1s for weight loss seems to have clouded, possibilities over the longer-term remain promising. Orforglipron, a GLP-1 weight loss drug in pill form developed by Eli Lilly, has shown promise in trials and has been submitted to the FDA for approval. And the data regarding GLP-1s and their ability to reduce heart disease and all its collateral effects cannot be ignored.

Join us on for a webinar event where presenters Angela Fitch, M.D., Co-Founder, Chief Medical Officer, knownwell; Tim Church, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer, Wondr Health; and Amit Shah, Chief Operating Officer, Virta Health discuss the current and future possibilities, “GLP-1 Drug Update: The Backlash and The Future.”

New for 2025
The HealthExecWire Webinar Season Pass

You'll get both live and on-demand access to HealthExecWire's next six webinars, including "GLP-1 Drug Update: The Backlash and The Future" - for only $477!

Learn More

Learning Objectives

• The current status of the GLP-1 market
• What restrictions are being placed by whom and why
• How the drugs may be deployed moving forward
• How payers and providers are balancing costs with patient demands
• What the cost curve for GLP-1s resemble moving forward
  

Potential Audience

• Health Plan Executives
• Medicaid Program Managers and Officials
• Healthcare Academics and Researchers
• Hospital Executives
• Physicians and Physician Executives
• Public Policy Leaders
  

Faculty

Angela Fitch, M.D, President, Obesity Medicine Association, Co-Founder, Chief Medical Officer, knownwell

Angela Fitch, M.D., is a leader in the field of obesity medicine. She is the immediate past president of the Obesity Medicine Association. She served as chair of the clinical management section of the Obesity Society in 2015–2016.

She practiced primary care for 10 years before becoming a diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine in 2012. Aside from co-founding knownwell, Dr. Fitch is an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard University and the former co-director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Weight Center. She is board-certified in obesity medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics.

Tim Church, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer, Wondr Health

Tim Church, M.D., Ph.D., is one of the country’s leading clinical thought leaders in exercise and obesity research. As the author of more than 300 published clinical articles, Dr. Church has received many awards for his research in preventive health.

As Wondr Health’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Church leads the development of program curriculum, which is inspired by his medical expertise. Specializing in business-to-business strategies, Dr. Church is an advocate for the employer and has a proven track record of empowering organizations through disease prevention to decrease healthcare costs and inspire employees to be their best selves.

Dr. Church earned a medical degree, doctoral degree and master’s of public health degree from Tulane University. He also earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Davis.

Amit Shah, Chief Operating Officer, Virta Health

Amit Shah is the Chief Operating Officer at Virta Health, where he leads the technology and care teams working to reverse type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions through innovative, evidence-based virtual care.

Since joining Virta in 2016, Mr. Shah has helped scale the company from an early-stage startup to a nationally recognized leader in metabolic health — all while fostering a culture of ownership, compassion, and relentless focus on patient outcomes.

Prior to Virta, Mr. Shah was an early team member at Paladina Health (a DaVita company), where he led operations and market expansion. He also co-founded DURON Energy, a venture bringing solar power to underserved communities in India. Earlier in his career, he sharpened his problem-solving and operational chops at McKinsey & Company, Amazon, and Johnson & Johnson.

Mr. Shah earned his master’s in business administration degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He earned both his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in industrial and operations engineering from the University of Michigan. 

Registration Details

• Live Webinar: $249
• Webinar Recording: $249
• Live Webinar and video Recording: $349 for attendees

For Corporate Site licensing information please email adamg@mcol.com. We look forward to your attendance!

MCOL Premium members receive a 50% discount on all Healthcare Web Summit events. Members can get the discount code by logging onto the Premium Member Website and then going to the Premium Member HealthWebsummit page. Non-members can learn about MCOL Premium memberships and sign-up to get the 50% discount on this and future events.

Cure for the Common Webinar

In addition to the main presentation, this webinar will include a moderated audience Q&A. Within one business day of your registration, you'll receive login information. You will receive reminder emails 1 day and 1 hour before the live event.

One day after the live webinar, you'll receive a follow-up email which will include a link to the presentation slides. You’re also welcome to provide feedback via this email as well as submit additional questions to be forwarded to the speakers. For support before, during or after the event, please contact HealthcareWebSummit office at 209.577.4888.