AIMS: To examine the impact of FDA approval of semaglutide (Wegovy) for chronic weight management on the utilization gap between males and females in the United States.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study utilized 2019-2024 MarketScan commercial claims data. Changes in the GLP-1RA utilization 30 months before and 31 months after the US FDA's approval of semaglutide (Wegovy) for chronic weight management in June 2021 were evaluated using segmented regression of interrupted time series. The rate of monthly GLP-1RA utilization was calculated as the number of GLP-1RA users per 10 000 eligible individuals in each month. Rate ratios (RR) were used to compare post-intervention slope changes between males and females.
RESULTS: Similar utilization trends were observed among males and females prior to the intervention in both the overall sample and subgroups. The intervention has led to a greater increase in slope among females than males, resulting in widened sex gaps in GLP-1RA utilization. In January 2024, the RR for adults was 2.68 (F:163.06; M:60.84/10 000) and 2.74 for adolescents (F:2.63; M:0.96/10 000). In nondiabetic patients, RR was 2.86 (F:130.68; M:45.55/10 000) whereas diabetic patients had an RR of 2.2 (F:43.57; M:19.77/10 000). Individual GLP-1RAs that contributed the most to this sex difference were Wegovy (RR:4.03; F:57.86; M:14.37/10 000), Ozempic (RR:2.13; F:35.12; M:16.46/10 000), and Mounjaro (RR:1.74; F:52.72; M:30.29/10 000).
CONCLUSIONS: The FDA approval of semaglutide (Wegovy) for chronic weight management was associated with a sharp increase in GLP-1RA utilization in the United States, widening sex-based differences, with female utilization significantly surpassing that of males.
