Reasons for Discontinuation of Obesity Pharmacotherapy With Semaglutide or Tirzepatide in Clinical Practice.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to characterize the reasons for treatment discontinuation with injectable semaglutide or tirzepatide for obesity in regular clinical practice.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study used electronic health record data between January 2022 and December 2024 from a single integrated health system in Ohio and Florida. The primary reason for treatment discontinuation was examined in a randomly selected sample of adults with overweight or obesity and without type 2 diabetes who initiated injectable semaglutide or tirzepatide and discontinued treatment within the first year.

RESULTS

We randomly selected 288 patients; 145 received semaglutide and 143 tirzepatide. Overall, 137 patients (47.6%) discontinued their medication due to cost or insurance-related issues, 42 (14.6%) due to inability to tolerate the side effects, 34 (11.8%) as they were unable to fill the medication due to shortages, 7 (2.4%) as they switched to a compounded medication, and 5 (1.7%) due to unsatisfactory weight loss; 31 (10.8%) discontinued for other reasons, and for 32 (11.1%) patients the discontinuation reason was not specified in the electronic health record.

CONCLUSIONS

High cost or insurance-related issues are the most common reasons for treatment discontinuation with semaglutide or tirzepatide for obesity. Our findings highlight the need for policies to address cost and could inform discussions between healthcare providers and patients concerning cost and side effects.