Obesity affects approximately 40% of U.S. adults and is associated with increased cardiometabolic risk. While lifestyle interventions remain fundamental, pharmacologic therapies such as Semaglutide and tirzepatide have demonstrated significant weight reduction in clinical trials when titrated to maintenance doses. However, real-world adherence to recommended titration schedules remains unclear. This retrospective observational study evaluated adults prescribed Semaglutide (Wegovy®) or Tirzepatide (Zepbound®) for weight management between January 2021 and April 2025 through ICUBAcares, a pharmacist-led call center. Primary outcomes included the proportion of patients reaching the recommended maintenance dose and time required to do so. Secondary outcomes examined prescriber specialty patterns and monthly plan costs for non-optimized dosing. Among 739 medication courses, 52.9% of Semaglutide users reached the 2.4 mg dose versus 77.6% of tirzepatide users reaching 15 mg (p < 0.001). Median time to maintenance was significantly shorter for tirzepatide (32 days) than Semaglutide (143 days) (p < 0.001). Endocrinologists had the highest success rate for Tirzepatide (88.2%), while family medicine had the highest volume for both. Non-optimized dosing was associated with higher estimated monthly plan costs. These findings underscore the importance of improving adherence to titration protocols in real-world settings to maximize both clinical and economic outcomes in obesity pharmacotherapy.
Alvarez et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
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