FILE PHOTO: A combination image shows an injection pen of Zepbound, Eli Lilly’s weight loss drug, and boxes of Wegovy, made by Novo Nordisk. REUTERS/Hollie Adams/Brendan McDermid/Combination/File Photo
Reuters, June 10, 2024, at 6:06 a.m. By Bhanvi Satija and Sriparna Roy
(Reuters) – Evidence that weight-loss drugs like Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound can cut heart disease risk, treat sleep apnea and address other health issues may help convince more men to use them, five doctors who prescribe the medicines regularly told Reuters.
Men prefer to shed extra pounds with diet and exercise changes before reaching for drugs, if they address their weight at all, doctors and three healthcare industry analysts said in interviews.
Women are far less hesitant to seek a physician’s help with weight loss and management, they said.
The “typical weight management program is female predominant in our clinic. It’s almost two out of three patients are women, and that’s pretty much common across the country,” said Dr. Robert Kushner, obesity medicine researcher at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine.
Female patients accounted for at least 78% of total prescriptions for Wegovy and 76% or more total prescriptions for Zepbound between January and March, according to U.S. data from IQVIA.
Yet obesity rates remain similar for both men and women at 43% and 42%, respectively, according to U.S. government data.
Please click here for the rest of the article.