New drugs against obesity are working – for patients and the life insurance industry

• Munich Re’ s Life Science Report: The number of people with obesity will continue to rise until 2035, along with associated health problems
• New drugs for the treatment of obesity in adults show significantly better results than earlier products – with implications for life insurance portfolios
• Beyond weight reduction, these drugs also help with cardiovascular diseases, cancer and sleep apnea

Munich/New York Obesity is threatening the health and well-being of millions of people worldwide. According to the Munich Re report, more than half of the global population will be overweight or obese by 2035. The number of obese children is set to double within the next 10 years.

‘New obesity drugs have the potential to reduce mortality and morbidity and positively impact quality-of-life for millions of people. They improve the health of patients and also have an impact on the insurance industry in the medium and long term,’ says Dr. Gina Guzman, Vice President & Chief Medical Director at Munich Re Life US.

Obesity is a chronic disease characterized by excess adipose tissue. It increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity-related cancer, sleep apnea, liver disease, and diabetes.

Obesity treatment: How new drugs could change the insurance industry

‘Newer obesity drugs are changing the way we lose weight by achieving breakthrough effects that previous drugs have failed to achieve,’ says Dr. Guzman.

Furthermore, there is consensus that Body Mass Index (BMI) alone does not provide sufficient insight into obesity, as the calculation is not a direct measure of body fat. Today, more meaningful criteria can be measured much better using digital measuring instruments and their calculations.

The Life Science Report published by Munich Re for World Obesity Day shows encouraging results regarding the impact of new drugs on the health and life expectancy of obese individuals.

Current medical research: Only the tip of the iceberg

‘Munich Re’s analysis revealed that these drugs have the potential to reduce mortality rates by 21% in non-severely obese individuals and by as much as 40% in severely obese individuals in the United States general population over the next 10 to 20 years. In addition, these drugs are expected to have a significant impact on reducing morbidity,’ said Dr. Guzman.

‘Medical research on these newer anti-obesity drugs has only revealed the tip of the iceberg regarding potential insurance implications, particularly in underwriting and pricing. This will have an impact on insurance in the event of death, as covered by term life insurance. But products such as insurance for critical illnesses or income protection insurance – occupational disability insurance – also depend on these findings.’

Munich Re's Metabolic Risk Calculator provides a holistic assessment of health risks.

Follow the link for the full report: https://www.munichre.com/landingpage/en/life-science-report-2025/obesity.html

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