Evidence that weight-loss drugs like Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Zepbound can cut heart disease risk, treat sleep apnea, and address other health concerns may lead more men to use them, noted physicians who prescribe the treatments.
Men prefer to lose weight with diet and exercise before reaching for drugs, if they address their weight at all, physicians and three health care industry analysts said in interviews. Women are far less hesitant to seek a physician's help with weight loss and management.
The "typical weight management program is female predominant in our clinic. It's almost two out of three patients," said Dr. Robert Kushner, obesity medicine researcher at Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine.
Female patients accounted for at least 78% of total prescriptions for Wegovy and 76% or more total prescriptions for Zepbound between January and March, according to data from IQVIA. Yet obesity rates remain similar for both men and women at 43% and 42%, respectively, according to U.S. government data.
The FDA approved Wegovy for reducing cardiovascular risks in March. Lilly's Zepbound has improved sleep apnea symptoms in trials, and analysts expect it to be approved for that indication by early next year. The treatments are also being considered for lowering the risk or progression of kidney disease and for alcohol abuse, among other conditions.
Some patients think "when you have multiple benefits, there's more value," said sleep and obesity medicine physician Audrey Wells, M.D. "It's more legitimate as a health treatment, not just a cosmetic treatment."
Stereotypes Around Masculinity
Doctors and analysts attributed the gender difference in part to social and cultural expectations that give men a pass on weight.
Clinical trials that tested Wegovy and Zepbound for weight loss primarily enrolled women. Lilly's sleep apnea trial and Novo's heart disease study both recruited more than 70% male patients, the drugmakers disclosed.
Data from the CDC shows that men are more likely to report having heart disease and are also disproportionately affected by obstructive sleep apnea. Women become equally at risk for these conditions once they reach perimenopause, around age 45.
"A lot more guys especially are nervous about trying medicated solutions to things," said Alex, a 28-year-old from North Carolina who has been taking Wegovy for 4 months but preferred not to provide his full name. "To them I'll reply that this ain't pill popping," he said. "If taking one shot a week can ... give you 10 years of extra time with your kids, most guys, I think, would take it."
