RTI International, Vree Health Sign Licensing Deal on Obesity Cost Calculator

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – RTI International has signed a license and development agreement with Vree Health LLC, a healthcare services and technology company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., that  grants Vree Health exclusive rights to use RTI’s Obesity Cost Calculator in connection with commercial weight management solutions.

The Obesity Cost Calculator is used by companies to estimate additional costs associated with employees who are overweight or obese.

Vree Health plans to use the cost calculator tool to help its customers estimate a wide range of health care costs associated with their overweight and obese employees, and to develop effective strategies to better manage those costs.

Obesity, which was recently designated as a disease by the American Medical Association, is a worldwide epidemic with significant impact on health and its costs. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 70 percent of the American adult population is considered overweight or obese. The total health care cost associated with obesity in the United States was estimated by RTI at $147 billion in 2011.

Obesity is also associated with the increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and health conditions such as osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, and other metabolic disorders.

 “We are pleased to see RTI’s cost calculator go further into the marketplace,” said Lynn Soby, vice president of commercialization and innovation. “Vree Health is an excellent partner to help us leverage our expertise in obesity and health economics research.”

The cost calculator is able to estimate costs including medical care, prescriptions, and insurance premiums, as well as factors related to lost productivity associated with overweight and obese employees.

Additionally, the Obesity Cost Calculator helps employers model the potential financial impact of a weight management intervention they are relative to the costs of conducting the program.  

Under terms of the licensing agreement, RTI and Vree Health will work together to help address the growing obesity epidemic, to further refine the cost calculator, and better align it with a shift toward wellness and prevention programs that are increasingly part of employer-sponsored health benefit packages.