Real-World Use of Semaglutide for Weight Management: Patient Characteristics and Dose Titration-A Danish Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE: To determine patient characteristics and dose titration patterns of real-world semaglutide (Wegovy) users.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We used a population-based cohort study including Danish adults who filled semaglutide prescriptions from 12 December 2022 to 31 December 2023. Outcomes were patient characteristics, prescriber type, and dose titration patterns.

RESULTS: We identified 110,748 individuals (median age 49 years; 70% female) filling 773,708 prescriptions for semaglutide. General practitioners initiated treatment in 86%. Common comorbidities included hypertension (30%), dyslipidemia (17%), and arthrosis (17%). Only 13% reached the maximum dose of 2.4 mg by their fifth prescription, while 5.7% stopped after the first prescription. Few users (10%) followed recommended dose increases every 4 weeks. Overall, 25% filled at least one prescription of 2.4 mg, while 33-48% continued with the 1.0-mg dosage from the fourth prescription onward.

CONCLUSIONS: Real-world semaglutide users generally resembled trial participants, but few follow the dose titration schemes tested in premarket clinical trials.