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Virta, an eight-year-old healthcare tech company, gives employers and insurance providers a cheaper alternative treatment to GLP-1s for type 2 diabetes and obesity.
This $2 billion unicorn startup is corporate America’s secret weapon against Ozempic

BY YASMIN GAGNE
As drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy become more widespread, an increasing number of employees are asking their insurance to cover them. Recently though, employers including the University of Texas and private healthcare system Ascension have halted coverage saying that they cannot keep up with the rising costs as more people get on GLP-1 medications. In UT’s announcement about the change, it stated that coverage for these medications now cost $5 million per month compared with $1.5 million per month a year and a half prior.

This is where eight-year-old healthcare technology company Virta sees an opportunity. Virta works with employers—including United Airlines and UPS—and healthcare plans to help reverse type 2 diabetes and obesity, primarily using nutritional therapy. The company’s main selling point? Giving employers and providers a cheaper alternative to weight loss treatment GLP-1s. Patients who don’t have access to coverage can use its virtual platform and services for $249 a month. The company has received $360 million in funding from the likes of Tiger Global and Founders Fund.

“Having obesity or type 2 diabetes is not a personal choice,” says Virta cofounder and CEO Sami Inkinen. “You don’t [develop either one] because of a lack of willpower. It’s a metabolic disease, and we need to treat it as such.” Inkinen, who previously cofounded real estate marketplace Trulia, says that he was inspired to start the company after being diagnosed as prediabetic himself and working with doctors to change his nutritional habits to stop the spread of the illness.

Virta is in a fortuitous position partly by chance. The company was initially founded to treat pre-diabetic and diabetic patients. Because Ozempic and other GLP-1s were primarily created to treat diabetes (before being prescribed for weight loss in an off-label capacity), the company has significant experience observing how the medication worked on patients before demand drastically expanded over the past year.

“We were very focused on type 2 diabetes reversal for seven years,” Inkinen says. “Employers and health plans that we now serve—470 of them—also didn’t care about obesity or weight loss until 18 months ago when these GLP-1 drugs got approved. There was an increased demand on the payers.” He adds, “In the last 18 months, we went from exclusive focus on type 2 diabetes to treating people who are obese or overweight.”

Inkinen says that over the years, the company has developed a track record of weaning patients off GLP-1s while helping them maintain their weight. (Many GLP-1 users report regaining weight after they stop taking the shots.) Some diabetic Virta patients may get an Ozempic prescription to stabilize their blood sugar, but they would only be expected to take it temporarily and while on a nutritional plan.

Although Inkinen acknowledges that diet and exercise programs haven’t always worked as a permanent weight loss solution because they demand a lot of willpower from customers—that’s why people might go to WeightWatchers for years with no change—Virta sounds an awful lot like a diet. After customers get their biomarkers measured, they are provided with recipes and meal plans to follow, many of which involve eating a moderate-protein diet and cutting out carbs. The plan is designed with the purpose of eliminating cravings and making sure followers feel full.

Inkinen says that the primary difference between Virta and companies like Noom is that, although users can’t eat anything they want, they can eat however much they want. Virta continuously checks readings like blood sugar and adjusts the diet accordingly.

Looking at the seven years of data Virta has collected, Inkinen says that 60% of Virta patients came off GLP-1s within a year, often because they could not tolerate them. He also adds that there haven’t been many studies on the long-term side effects of the drugs. “We’ve treated almost 100,000 people now. Zero people that I’ve met for a patient say, ‘I wanna be on a drug for the rest of my life.’”

You’ll no doubt be hearing that line from a frugal employer or your healthcare insurer soon.

AutoZone decided to shift its health coverage focus from managing to reversing type 2 diabetes, and the company is happy it did, according to a November 30 webinar “From Status Quo to real results: Why AutoZone made the switch from management to reversal for diabetes, prediabetes and weight loss,” by Virta Health.
Matt Harmon, vice president of compensation and benefits at AutoZone, said during the webinar that 40,000 of AutoZone’s 115,000 employees in the Americas are part of the Virta plan, which offers a comprehensive approach to reversing diabetes, prediabetes, and obesity. The ultimate goal is to get people off medications that include pricey and popular glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists.

This 4.5 hour live, virtual course will honor the late Dr. Sarah Hallberg by covering insights and practical strategies for the reversal of type 2 diabetes, with a focus on the role of low-carbohydrate interventions in this setting.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Review the definitions of type 2 diabetes reversal
Discuss the key metabolic disturbances and pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes
Overview of the role of dietary and nutrition interventions for type 2 diabetes reversal, including low-carbohydrate and low-calorie diets
List the efficacy and safety of low-carbohydrate interventions for type 2 diabetes reversal
Discuss practical approaches for the initiation and maintenance of a low-carbohydrate diet for type 2 diabetes reversal
Apply low-carbohydrate interventions as part of a comprehensive treatment regimen for type 2 diabetes reversal

Reset expectations and take back your life
Reverse type 2 diabetes or prediabetes. Lose weight and keep it off. We’ve got your back on your journey to transformed health.

PHTI identified two potential bright spots for digital diabetes management tools. Initial data showed that Virta users are much more likely to achieve clinically meaningful benefits in glycemic control, including diabetes remission and the ability to reduce or eliminate their diabetes medications, if they can maintain the rigorous dietary requirements of the intervention. The other area of greater potential is among patients with higher starting HbA1c levels who are newly starting insulin. By engaging these patients at an early critical transition point in their care, digital solutions could have more impact by helping establish good self-management habits among these higher-risk patients.

ARLINGTON, Va., June 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Pro Football Retired Players Association (PFRPA), a national organization that develops programs and benefits for retired NFL players, today announced a new partnership with Virta Health, the leader in transforming health and vitality by reversing obesity and type 2 diabetes. Virta is PFRPA’s first partner in the weight loss and diabetes space.

The Virta care team—including health coaches, nurse practitioners and doctors—starts by considering each person’s health goals, dietary preferences and lifestyle to create an individualized nutrition plan. To help members make and sustain these changes, Virta provides on-demand support and education through its easy-to-use app.

Through Virta, tens of thousands of members have achieved sustained weight loss, improvements in blood sugar and type 2 diabetes reversal, while reducing or even eliminating medications like insulin and GLP-1s.

“Many retired NFL players struggle with obesity or being overweight, and many don’t have the resources or tools to improve their health,” said Kevin Kumler, President at Virta. “We are excited to partner with PFRPA to introduce Virta to its members and help them to take back control of their health through better nutrition.”

Through the partnership, PFRPA and Virta will host educational webinars for PFRPA members focused on Virta’s nutrition-first approach to weight loss and diabetes reversal. Virta will also offer free one-year memberships to the first five PFRPA members who enroll in Virta’s solution for weight loss, prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. To apply, visit virtahealth.com/join/pfrpa.

PFRPA Executive Director Joe Agbasi emphasized the potential of the new alliance with Virta, and how the two organizations align on promoting successful, sustainable outcomes for their respective members.

“Working in partnership with Virta, we aim to provide retired NFL players and their families with guidance on healthy nutrition and insights that could impact their lives in a positive way,” Agbasi said. “PFRPA supports Virta’s mission of aiding in the reversal of type 2 diabetes and helping people live the lives they deserve.”

PFRPA focuses on solidifying and preserving the legacy of retired NFL players by creating and managing new revenue streams, while developing meaningful health, welfare and educational programs. The organization currently provides dental and vision insurance benefits to more than 10,200 retired players and more than 3,500 players’ spouses.

About Pro Football Retired Players Association (PFRPA)
PFRPA is a champion for retired NFL players, dedicated to bettering the lives of those who contributed to the game. PFRPA, the first court-established retired NFL player organization, through its leadership and dedication, has been on a mission to solidify and preserve the legacy of retired NFL players. Through the Greater Good Fund, PFRPA’s 501(c)(3) charitable foundation, PFRPA develops various health and welfare programs, designed exclusively for retired NFL players. The Football Greats Alliance, PFRPA’s licensing agency, develops partnerships to drive meaningful revenue for retired NFL players and provide revenue for the Greater Good Fund to support all retired players. To date, more than 10,200 retired players and more than 3,500 players’ spouses have enrolled in PFRPA insurance benefits. For more information about PFRPA, visit www.pfrpa.com.

About Virta Health
Virta Health is the leader in obesity and type 2 diabetes reversal and is creating a new standard of care for people living with chronic diseases. Our digital, AI-powered approach combines personalized nutrition science with continuous provider-led support to empower members to eliminate medications, lose weight and take back their lives. Virta has earned the trust of the nation’s largest organizations, including Humana, AutoZone and Blue Shield of California. We also deliver industry-leading cost savings of over $6,000 per member per year while putting our fees at risk based on health outcomes. To learn more, visit www.virtahealth.com.

We’re proud to partner with Dr. Rich Bergenstal & Dr. Holly Willis of the International Diabetes Center to study the impact of CGM on Virta members’ time in glucose range.

This presentation won the WIN ADA abstract award for Behavioral Medicine, Nutrition, Exercise & Education!

If you’re at #ADA2024 visit Virta’s presentation today from Shaminie Athinarayanan, on the impact of Virta on members living in rural vs. urban areas.

Congrats to Shaminie, as this abstract was selected as one of the Health Disparities Committee’s Top 10 Recommended Abstracts!

Starting with Virta’s landmark clinical trial on type 2 diabetes reversal, our commitment to scientific leadership has been critical to our lasting success with members, customers, and the medical community. Simply put, science is the foundation of all that we do at Virta—providing an evidence-based, nutrition-first approach to help transform health and vitality for our members.

For the past eight years, we’ve presented our most important findings at the American Diabetes Association's Scientific Sessions, the nation’s leading diabetes conference. This year was no different.

Below, we’ve summarized the ten abstracts presented at the 2024 event.