Presentation (CTI)

OBJECTIVES: Recent years have shown a substantial increase in the utilization of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) drugs. However, few studies have reported that there is differential efficacy between male and females. This study aims to assess the impact of FDA approval of semaglutide (Wegovy) for chronic weight management on the utilization between males and females in the United States.
METHODS: We used MarketScan commercial claims data (2019-2024) to examine changes in GLP-1RA utilization following the FDA’s approval of semaglutide (Wegovy) for chronic weight management (June 2021). Monthly utilization rates, defined as GLP-1RA users per 10,000 eligible individuals, were evaluated over 30 months pre-approval and 31 months post-approval period using segmented interrupted time series analysis.
RESULTS: The FDA’s approval of semaglutide for chronic weight management has led to greater slope increase resulting in 2.68 times higher utilization in adult females than males (F vs M: 163.06 vs. 60.84/10,000) and 2.74 times higher utilization in adolescent females than males (F vs M: 2.63 vs. 0.96/10,000) by January 2024. Analysis of individual GLP-1 RA drugs indicated that the largest contributors to this sex difference were 4.03-fold higher utilization of Wegovy (F vs M: 57.86 vs 14.37/10,000), 2.13-fold higher of Ozempic (F vs M: 35.12 vs. 16.46/10,000) and 1.74-fold higher of Mounjaro (F vs M: 52.72 vs. 30.29/10,000) in females than males. Female utilization exceeded male utilization by 2.86-fold in nondiabetic patients (130.68 vs 45.55 per 10,000) and by 2.2-fold among diabetic patients (43.57 vs 19.77 per 10,000).
CONCLUSIONS: The FDA approval of semaglutide for chronic weight management was associated with a marked and sustained increase in GLP-1RA utilization, with substantially greater uptake among females than males across both adult and adolescents. These widening sex disparities highlight the need for further research on underlying clinical, behavioral, and access-related factors.