597 - Trends in GLP-1 Use in US Adolescents and Young Adults

Poster Number: 597
Publication Number: 597.3189

Background: National guidelines, including the January 2023 American Academy of Pediatrics Clinical Practice Guidelines for Child Obesity, recommend offering pharmacotherapy as an adjunct to lifestyle change for adolescents and young adults (AYA) with obesity. Semaglutide, under the brand name Ozempic, was approved for adults with type 2 diabetes in 2017. Another formulation, under the brand name Wegovy, was approved for adults with obesity in June 2021 and for adolescents with obesity in December 2022. There are few national data on semaglutide use in any population, including AYAs.

Objective: To assess trends in semaglutide use in AYAs during 2018-2023.

Design/Methods: We analyzed data on semaglutide dispensing to adolescents aged 12-17 and young adults aged 18-25 years during January 2018-June 2023 using the IQVIA Longitudinal Prescription Database, an all-payer database reporting 92% of prescriptions dispensed from retail pharmacies. We calculated the quarterly number of patients with ≥1 dispensed prescription for Ozempic or Wegovy by age group and sex. For each patient with Ozempic or Wegovy dispensing in Q1-Q2 2023, we described characteristics as of the earliest fill in 2023.

Results: After Q4 2022, the number of adolescents with Ozempic and Wegovy dispensing rose sharply. This rise was most pronounced in females, for whom this number reached 4,698 and 4,446 patients, respectively, in Q2 2023 (Fig. 1a). A similar pattern occurred among young adults, although the number of patients with Ozempic and Wegovy dispensing in Q2 2023 was almost 7-fold higher than among adolescents (Fig. 1b). Most AYAs with Ozempic and Wegovy dispensing in Q1-Q2 2023 were privately insured (adolescents: 54.4% and 61.7%; young adults: 66.2% and 79.2%, respectively). Endocrinologists and nurse practitioners were the most common prescribers of semaglutide to adolescents. Nurse practitioners and family medicine physicians were the most common prescribers to young adults (Table).

Conclusion(s): Ozempic and Wegovy dispensing to adolescents surged after Wegovy was approved for adolescents with obesity in December 2022. The increase in Ozempic dispensing potentially suggests increasing off-label use of this drug for obesity. Most AYAs with semaglutide dispensing are female, highlighting the importance of ensuring that prescribers are educated on sex-specific risks (e.g., safety concerns during pregnancy). Such efforts could include advanced practice providers, such as nurse practitioners, given the prominent role of these providers in semaglutide dispensing.