GLP-1 drugs linked to 17% drop in worker sick leave, new economic study finds - CBS News

What the report says

CBS News reported that a new economic study links use of GLP-1 medications, including drugs sold as Ozempic and Wegovy, with reduced workplace absences. The paper, published this month by the National Bureau of Economic Research, found that patients using the medications took 17% less long-term sick leave than comparable people who were not using them. The study defined long-term sick leave as illness-related absence lasting more than 30 days.

The research examined worker and medication-use data from Denmark. According to CBS News, the estimated reduction in absences amounted to savings of up to 1.5% of a worker’s salary, or about $866 on average. Jonathan Zhang, a Duke University professor and one of the study’s co-authors, told CBS News that improved health outcomes associated with GLP-1 drugs, including fewer major cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and strokes, could help explain why workers might miss fewer extended periods of work.

CBS noted that Denmark’s sick-leave system is substantially different from that of the United States. In Denmark, employers cover full pay for illness-related absences up to 30 days, while the government pays for longer-term sick leave. As a result, fewer short absences can benefit employers, while reductions in longer absences can lower government costs.

Zhang told CBS the findings may still be relevant to the U.S. labor market, where workers may be more likely to work while ill because paid leave protections are less generous. He suggested that if GLP-1 drugs reduce illness-related “presenteeism,” employers could see productivity gains while workers may also benefit from being healthier and more effective on the job.