Obesity is a significant public health concern in the United States. The body of evidence highlighting the physical and economic impact of obesity on society is growing steadily. Generic phentermine is still the most frequently used first-line therapy. This drug has been on the U.S. market for decades. However, since 2012, several novel branded drugs have entered the market. The approved agents include Novo Nordisk’s Saxenda (liraglutide), Vivus’s Qsymia (phentermine/topiramate), Eisai’s Belviq (lorcaserin), and Currax Pharmaceuticals’ Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion). This report provides important insights into how prescription weight-loss agents are being utilized in the management of obesity and how the practice is evolving.
QUESTIONS ANSWERED
- What patient shares do key therapies and brands garner by line of therapy in newly diagnosed obese patients? What are the quarterly trends in prescribing among recently treated and newly diagnosed patients?
- How has Saxenda been integrated into the treatment algorithm, and what is its source of business?
- What percentage of obese patients receive drug therapy within one year of diagnosis, and how quickly do they receive it? What percentage of patients progress to later lines of therapy within one year of diagnosis?
- What percentage of obese patients are treated with monotherapy versus combination therapy? What are the most common combinations?
- What are the product-level compliance and persistency rates among drug-treated patients?
GEOGRAPHIES
United States
REAL-WORLD DATA
Longitudinal patient-level claims data analysis
KEY DRUGS COVERED
Saxenda, Qsymia, Contrave, Belviq, Xenical, phentermine
KEY ANALYSIS PROVIDED
Brand/therapy usage across longitudinal patient sample
Newly diagnosed patient analysis
Treatment initiation and progression
Line of therapy analysis
Combination therapy analysis
Source of business for recently treated patients
Persistency and compliance analysis
Product-level patient flowchart
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Treatment Algorithms: Claims Data Analysis provides detailed, quantitative analysis of the treatment journey and brand usage across lines of therapy and overall using real-world, patient-level claims data so that marketers can accurately assess their source of business, benchmark usage against competitors, and quantify areas of opportunity for their marketed or emerging brand.
The Treatment Algorithms dashboard supplements our claims data analysis report and retains the full set of analyses included in the PowerPoint-based report. The interactive dashboard allows for easier navigation of data visualizations and provides more detailed analyses examining the flow of treatment regimens in newly diagnosed and recently treated patients.
Table of contents
- Obesity/Overweight - Current Treatment - Obesity | Treatment Algorithms: Claims Data Analysis | US | Dashboard
- About the Treatment Algorithms Dashboard
- Dashboard
- About the Treatment Algorithms Dashboard
Author(s): Rameshwar Prajapati, Ph.D., M.S. (Pharm.)

Rameshwar Prajapati, Ph.D., M.S. (Pharm.), is a business insights analyst in Decision Resources Group’s cardiovascular, metabolic, renal, and hematologic disorders team, focusing primarily on obesity. In this role, his main function is to perform primary and secondary research related to obesity and its treatment, as well as providing insights and assessments for the major pharmaceutical markets regarding weight loss medications.
Rameshwar holds a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Dr. H.S. Gour University, Sagar, India. He obtained his master’s and doctorate degree in pharmacoinformatics from the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, S.A.S Nagar, India. Rameshwar also received a German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) fellowship to conduct his research on P-glycoprotein at the University of Bonn, Germany.