Research Reports | Market Assessment
December 2017

Obesity/Overweight | Current Treatment: Physician Insights | US | 2017

Obesity is a growing epidemic in the United States. Despite the high prevalence, only a limited number of antiobesity drugs are available, and lifestyle interventions remain the cornerstone of obesity management. The time period from 2012 to 2017 saw launches of several agents including Vivus’s Qsymia, Eisai’s Belviq, Orexigen’s Contrave, and Novo Nordisk’s Saxenda. However, the drug-treatment rates for obesity remain low owing to the high cost of treatment, limited reimbursement, and poor risk-benefit drug profiles. This research reveals current prescribing patterns of antiobesity drugs by U.S. endocrinologists and primary care physicians (PCPs), major drivers and deterrents for drug selection, and important influencers of current prescribing behavior.

  • Of patients drug treated for weight loss, what percentage receive each of the key brands such as Novo Nordisk’s Saxenda or Vivus’s Qsymia? Which factors drive or constrain physicians’ prescribing practices?
  • What percentage of obese patients receive off-label treatment for weight loss with drug classes such as the SGLT-2 inhibitors?
  • How do antiobesity prescribing patterns change between lines of therapy? How frequently are physicians prescribing combinations of antiobesity drugs, and which are their preferred combinations?

Scope:

  • Markets covered: United States
  • Methodology: Survey of 74 endocrinologists and 25 PCPs, completed in March 2017
  • Indication coverage: obesity/overweight
  • Key drugs covered: Contrave/Mysimba, Belviq, Qsymia, Saxenda, Xenical
  • Key companies mentioned: Orexigen Therapeutics, Eisai, Vivus, Roche, Novo Nordisk
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