Amazon and Walmart have launched GLP-1 weight management programs within days of each other, signaling a broader shift as retailers, payers and drugmakers compete to control access to one of healthcare’s fastest-growing drug classes.
Amazon’s One Medical program integrates primary care, pharmacy and virtual services into a single platform, while Walmart has expanded weight management support across its nearly 4,600 locations. Both models are designed to manage patients over time — including prescribing, monitoring and follow-up — functions traditionally handled within health system primary care and specialty clinics.
The push comes as demand accelerates across the market. First-time semaglutide (Wegovy) prescribing rose more than 50% from December to March, and GLP-1 therapies accounted for nearly 8% of all prescriptions in March. Expanded access through retail, telehealth and direct-to-consumer channels, along with new oral options, is driving more patients into ongoing treatment.
However, the growth is also creating financial strain. Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health said GLP-1 spending contributed to roughly one-third of its insurance division’s $180 million loss in 2025 and has led to tighter coverage requirements. At the federal level, CMS on April 21 paused a Medicare Part D payment model for the drugs, highlighting ongoing questions around pricing, participation and long-term sustainability.
For hospitals, the implications are already emerging. As GLP-1 use rises, bariatric surgery volumes have declined, with prescriptions reaching about 24% of eligible patients compared to 0.09% undergoing surgery by the third quarter of 2025. At the same time, oncology leaders are beginning to assess how sustained weight loss and metabolic changes tied to GLP-1 use could influence cancer risk and outcomes.
Early research suggests the drugs may be associated with reduced mortality in some obesity-related cancers and lower incidence in certain populations, though findings remain preliminary and observational.
The result is a rapidly evolving landscape in which access, affordability and care delivery are being redefined simultaneously, leaving health systems to determine how to compete, partner or adapt as more obesity care moves beyond traditional clinical settings.
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