Journal: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

Article Title: Prescriptions for Obesity Medications Among Adolescents Aged 12–17 Years with Obesity — United States, 2018–2023

doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7420a1

Figure Lengend Snippet: Crude percentages (A) and adjusted percent differences in prevalence compared with 2020 (B) of adolescents aged 12–17 years with obesity who received an obesity medication prescription — IQVIA Ambulatory Electronic Medical Records, United States, 2018–2023 Abbreviations: AAP = American Academy of Pediatrics; BMI = body mass index; FDA = Food and Drug Administration. * Adjusted percent differences in prescription prevalence in each year (compared with 2020) were obtained from a generalized linear model with log link and binomial distribution. The adjusted model controls for sex, age category, and obesity class. Obesity was defined as BMI ≥95th percentile for age and sex. 95% CIs indicated by bars. † In November 2020, FDA approved setmelanotide (Imcivree) for treating obesity in persons with monogenic or syndromic obesity aged ≥6 years. In December 2020, FDA approved liraglutide (Saxenda) for treating obesity in adolescents aged ≥12 years. In June 2022, FDA approved phentermine-topiramate (Qsymia) for treating obesity in adolescents aged ≥12 years. In December 2022, FDA approved semaglutide (Wegovy) for treating obesity in adolescents aged ≥12 years. In January 2023, a new AAP clinical practice guideline recommended that clinicians offer obesity medications as part of evidence-based multicomponent treatment for adolescents aged 12–17 years with obesity ( AAP Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation and Treatment of Children and Adolescents With Obesity ). § The sample included 526,973 U.S. adolescents aged 12–17 years with obesity who had a total of 789,057 annual BMI measurements during 2018–2023.

Article Snippet: IQVIA Ambulatory Electronic Medical Records (EMR) data were used to identify U.S. adolescents aged 12–17 years with at least one health care visit during 2018–2023 in which their BMI was recorded as ≥95th percentile for age and sex (i.e., obesity).

Techniques: Medications

Journal: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

Article Title: Prescriptions for Obesity Medications Among Adolescents Aged 12–17 Years with Obesity — United States, 2018–2023

doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7420a1

Figure Lengend Snippet: Adjusted prevalence ratios for receiving an obesity medication prescription among adolescents aged 12–17 years with obesity, by selected demographic characteristics and obesity class — IQVIA Ambulatory Electronic Medical Records, United States, 2023 Abbreviations: BMI = body mass index; Ref = referent. * 95% CIs indicated by bars. † Obesity was defined as BMI ≥95th percentile for age and sex. § A generalized linear model with log link and binomial distribution (model 1) was used to estimate characteristics associated with the outcome of receiving an obesity medication prescription in 2023: age (12–14 years [Ref] and 15–17 years), sex (male [Ref], female), obesity class (class 1 [Ref], class 2, and class 3), and U.S. Census Bureau region (Northeast [Ref], South, Midwest, and West). Model 2 was restricted to adolescents who were Black or African American (Black) or White and included the same covariates as model 1, with an additional covariate of race (Black/White). Obesity classes were as follows: class 1 obesity or BMI ≥95th percentile to BMI <120% of the 95th percentile [Ref], class 2 obesity or BMI of 120% to <140% of the 95th percentile, and class 3 obesity or BMI ≥140% of the 95th percentile. Classes 2 and 3 represented severe obesity. Estimates of association from the model were expressed as adjusted prevalence ratios and plotted on a log(10) scale.

Article Snippet: IQVIA Ambulatory Electronic Medical Records (EMR) data were used to identify U.S. adolescents aged 12–17 years with at least one health care visit during 2018–2023 in which their BMI was recorded as ≥95th percentile for age and sex (i.e., obesity).

Techniques: