Semaglutide · research summary

Sociodemographic disparities in semaglutide and tirzepatide prescription for obesity treatment.

Health affairs scholar · 2026. Summary drawn from the study's full text. Each statement is followed by the exact sentence it comes from. This is a research summary, not medical advice.

Study type

Retrospective observational study using nationwide claims data
“Using claims data from Komodo Health, we identified commercially insured individuals aged 18–64 years with overweight or obesity but without type 2 diabetes.”

Subjects

Commercially insured adults aged 18–64 years with overweight or obesity but without type 2 diabetes
“We identified commercially insured individuals aged 18–64 years with overweight or obesity but without type 2 diabetes.”

Sample size

512,389 participants
“The final analytic sample included 512 389 participants (Figure S2).”

Duration

July 2021 to June 2025
“Treatment trends were evaluated from July 2021 through June 2025.”

Reported findings

Six-month cumulative incidence of prescription increased from 1.9% to 16.6% over the study period
“Six-month cumulative incidence of prescription increased from 1.9% to 16.6% over the study period.”
Higher access was associated with being female, non-Hispanic White, higher BMI categories, and higher provider socioeconomic status
“Higher access was associated with being female, non-Hispanic White, in higher body mass index categories, and seen at a higher socioeconomic status (SES)–quartile provider.”
Sociodemographic disparities in prescription widened over time
“Sociodemographic disparities widened over time.”

Limitations stated by the authors

ICD Z68 coding varies across providers and may result in underdiagnosis
“First, although the ICD Z68 code is widely used to identify patients, ICD Z68 coding varies across providers and may result in underdiagnosis, especially among individuals with lower obesity grades.”
Individual-level patient zip code data were unavailable to assess patient-level SES directly
“Second, individual-level patient zip code data were unavailable, so we were unable to assess patient-level SES directly.”
Claims-based approach cannot capture prescriptions obtained through direct-to-consumer channels
“Third, our claims-based approach cannot capture prescriptions obtained through direct-to-consumer channels, which would lead to an underestimation of our utilization percentage.”

Source: PubMed 42852064 · DOI 10.1093/haschl/qxag255 · all study summaries

Reported findings

Six-month cumulative incidence of prescription increased from 1.9% to 16.6% over the study period

“Six-month cumulative incidence of prescription increased from 1.9% to 16.6% over the study period.”

Higher access was associated with being female, non-Hispanic White, higher BMI categories, and higher provider socioeconomic status

“Higher access was associated with being female, non-Hispanic White, in higher body mass index categories, and seen at a higher socioeconomic status (SES)–quartile provider.”

Sociodemographic disparities in prescription widened over time

“Sociodemographic disparities widened over time.”

Limitations stated by the authors

ICD Z68 coding varies across providers and may result in underdiagnosis

“First, although the ICD Z68 code is widely used to identify patients, ICD Z68 coding varies across providers and may result in underdiagnosis, especially among individuals with lower obesity grades.”

Individual-level patient zip code data were unavailable to assess patient-level SES directly

“Second, individual-level patient zip code data were unavailable, so we were unable to assess patient-level SES directly.”

Claims-based approach cannot capture prescriptions obtained through direct-to-consumer channels

“Third, our claims-based approach cannot capture prescriptions obtained through direct-to-consumer channels, which would lead to an underestimation of our utilization percentage.”