Month-to-month prescriptions for weight problems medicines reached 1.5 million in February 2024, with semaglutide (Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Zepbound) gaining market share as phentermine’s dominance declines
A current examine printed in JAMA Community Open finds a powerful hyperlink between prescription developments of weight problems administration medicines and public on-line search actions in america.
The examine means that monitoring allotted prescriptions for these medicines by way of on-line search actions could also be helpful in assessing public curiosity and forecasting future use.
Background
Weight problems is a continual metabolic illness that will increase the chance of a number of different illnesses, together with kind 2 diabetes, heart problems, continual kidney illness, liver illness, and sure most cancers varieties.
A physique mass index (BMI) of at the very least 30 kg/m2 is outlined as weight problems. The prevalence of this continual illness is growing exponentially worldwide. In america, its prevalence has elevated from 30% in 2000 to 42% in 2018. The nation has additionally skilled a markedly elevated prevalence of very extreme weight problems, from 4% to 9% throughout the identical interval.
Amongst varied efforts to regulate the weight problems epidemic, pharmaceutical interventions have grow to be important elements to realize sustained weight reduction and scale back the chance of comorbidities.
New weight problems administration medicines, together with glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), have proven excessive efficacy in scientific trials. Amongst GLP-1RAs, liraglutide and semaglutide have significantly proven excessive efficacy in selling satiety, lowering urge for food, and regulating blood glucose ranges.
The US Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) has just lately authorised the twin GLP-1 and gastric inhibitory polypeptide agonist tirzepatide for weight administration.
With the growing prevalence of weight problems, a pointy enhance in public on-line search actions for weight problems administration medicines has been noticed in america. The very best search actions have been noticed for semaglutide, resulting in a outstanding surge in demand and subsequent scarcity of the remedy.
Such induction in public consciousness of weight problems administration medicines has raised a priority about provide points for sufferers with diabetes who depend on GLP-1RA remedy.
Researchers on the Johns Hopkins College College of Medication investigated the affiliation between public curiosity and developments in allotted prescriptions for weight problems administration medicines.
The first purpose of the examine was to grasp the implications of this affiliation for forecasting and anticipating the advanced dynamics of weight problems administration medicines within the coming years.
Research design
Researchers analyzed on-line search actions and corresponding knowledge for allotted prescriptions collected from the IQVIA Nationwide Prescription Audit, a complete audit capturing roughly 90% of US retail prescription shelling out that’s then projected to population-level knowledge.
They collected each on-line search knowledge and prescription knowledge of FDA-approved weight problems administration medicines from July 1, 2017, by way of February 29, 2024. They analyzed knowledge derived from all eligible people who used both the Google search engine or acquired prescriptions.
Vital observations
The examine evaluation included a complete of 69,213,936 prescriptions for weight problems medicines that had been allotted within the US throughout the examine interval. The evaluation revealed a gentle enhance from 0.76 to 0.80 million between July 2017 and June 2018 and from 1.29 to 1.51 million between March 2023 and February 2024.
This sustained induction of allotted prescriptions for FDA-approved weight problems medicines reached an annual progress fee of 5.3% throughout this era.
Amongst varied weight problems medicines, the best prescription exercise was noticed for phentermine, semaglutide, and tirzepatide. By February 2024, roughly 0.74, 0.42, and 0.25 million month-to-month prescriptions had been issued for phentermine, semaglutide, and tirzepatide, respectively.
The vast majority of prescriptions had been issued by superior apply practitioners, major care physicians, and internists. Whereas prescriptions issued by superior apply practitioners elevated from 25.3% in July 2017 to 40.6% in February 2024, a discount from 57.9% to 48.1% was noticed for prescriptions issued by major care physicians and internists.
Concerning decisions made by superior apply practitioners, major care physicians, and internists for weight problems medicines, the examine recognized semaglutide as probably the most most well-liked remedy.
The proportion of tirzepatide in allotted prescriptions additionally elevated significantly by February 2024. Nevertheless, on the similar interval, phentermine’s share in prescriptions decreased.
On-line search exercise for weight problems medicines
The examine discovered the best on-line search exercise for semaglutide, adopted by tirzepatide and phentermine.
Sure medicines that aren’t primarily authorised for weight problems administration however share the identical chemical drug underneath completely different model names and labels had been individually analyzed within the examine to discover potential off-label functions of GLP-1RAs.
In accordance with the corresponding prescription knowledge, semaglutide had the best on-line search exercise, adopted by tripeptide and liraglutide.
Affiliation between prescription developments and on-line search actions
The examine discovered important associations between prescriptions and on-line search volumes for phentermine, liraglutide, semaglutide, and tirzepatide, with semaglutide and tirzepatide exhibiting the best associations.
Research significance
The examine offers a complete overview of prescription developments and on-line search actions for FDA-approved weight problems administration medicines.
In line with the examine findings, semaglutide and tirzepatide are probably the most most well-liked weight problems medicines by the primary prescribing specialists, in addition to probably the most continuously searched medicines on-line.
The strongest affiliation between prescriptions and on-line search volumes noticed for semaglutide and tirzepatide highlights the real-time associations between public consciousness and prescription developments.
Total, the examine offers a basis to information epidemiologic developments and harness real-time search patterns to estimate future developments within the adoption of weight problems therapy.
