Introduction & Objective: Use of branded anti-obesity medications (bAOMs) has increased concurrently with the rise of telemedicine, a convenient, cost-effective modality for patient care. However, limited data exist regarding characteristics of telemedicine users in medical weight management. This study examines the profile and treatment course of patients prescribed bAOMs for overweight or obesity via telemedicine at an academic weight center in New York City.

Methods: This is a retrospective observational study of patients who started telemedicine treatment between May 1, 2020, and September 30, 2022, received a bAOM prescription (Contrave®, Qsymia®, Saxenda®, or Wegovy®), and had ≥6 (±2) months’ follow-up. Data were abstracted by electronic medical record query using relevant ICD/diagnosis codes and biomarker data to curate a dataset of eligible patients for analysis.

Results: Patients who met inclusion criteria (N=1286) had a mean age of 47.2 (SD=12.8) years, initial weight of 220.9 (50.6) lb (n=934), initial BMI of 35.2 (6.5) (n=930), and an average of 2.2 weight-related comorbidities (most commonly dyslipidemia [n=705], hypertension [n=355], and prediabetes [n=595]). Most patients identified as White (63.7%); 72.2% of patients were female. Patients had a mean (SD) of 9.5 (7.2) telemedicine visits with physicians, nurse practitioners, and registered dietitians over 17.7 (7.2) months; 36.2% used both telemedicine and in-person visits, and 63.8% used only telemedicine. The most frequently prescribed bAOM was Wegovy® (70.3% of patients), followed by Saxenda® (17.6%), Contrave® (13.6%), and Qsymia® (12.4%).

Conclusion: In this study, Wegovy® was the most commonly prescribed bAOM, and telemedicine facilitated frequent appointments (every 1.9 months on average). Future research is necessary to examine the impact of this treatment model on obesity and obesity-related comorbidities.

Disclosure

A. Shukla: Research Support; Eli Lilly and Company, Novo Nordisk. Consultant; Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. D. Li: None. A.J. Casper: None. L. Aronne: Advisory Panel; Novo Nordisk. Consultant; Novo Nordisk. Advisory Panel; Lilly Diabetes, Altimmune Inc. Consultant; Lilly Diabetes. Advisory Panel; Pfizer Inc. Consultant; UnitedHealth Group. Advisory Panel; Boehringer-Ingelheim. Board Member; AstraZeneca. Advisory Panel; Amgen Inc. D. D'Angelo: None. K.H. Saunders: Other Relationship; Intellihealth. L.I. Igel: Consultant; Novo Nordisk. Employee; Intellihealth. E. Lucas: Consultant; Intellihealth. K. Palepu: None. E. Zacherle: Employee; Novo Nordisk. A. Traina: Employee; Novo Nordisk. Stock/Shareholder; Novo Nordisk. K. Olsson: Employee; Novo Nordisk.

© 2024 by the American Diabetes Association
2024
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