By Bhanvi Satija and Sriparna Roy

June 10 (Reuters) - Evidence that weight-loss drugs like

Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly's ( LLY )

Zepbound can cut heart disease risk, treat sleep apnea and

address other health issues may help convince more men to use

them, five doctors who prescribe the medicines regularly told

Reuters.

Men prefer to shed extra pounds with diet and exercise

changes before reaching for drugs, if they address their weight

at all, doctors and three healthcare industry analysts said in

interviews.

Women are far less hesitant to seek a physician's help with

weight loss and management, they said.

The "typical weight management program is female predominant

in our clinic. It's almost two out of three patients are women,

and that's pretty much common across the country," 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 U.S. data from

IQVIA ( IQV ).

Yet obesity rates remain similar for both men and women at

43% and 42%, respectively, according to U.S. government data.

"This chronic disease does not discriminate by gender,"

a Lilly spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters. Novo

declined to comment on the gender subject.

U.S. regulators approved Wegovy for lowering heart 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 drugs, from a class of medicines that also treat type 2

diabetes called GLP-1 agonists, are also being considered to cut

the risk or progression of kidney disease and for alcohol abuse,

among other health issues. Such new uses could shift the gender

balance, doctors said.

Kushner said in his practice male patients were showing more

interest in these medications, both of which are taken as weekly

injections, in light of data showing their wider health

benefits.

Some patients think "when you have multiple benefits,

there's more value," said sleep and obesity medicine physician

Dr Audrey Wells. "It's more legitimate as a health treatment,

not just a cosmetic treatment."

Other physicians suggested that some men may be more open to

weight-loss drugs based on recommendations from women in their

lives taking the medicines.

"The woman may be the one that initiates the idea or thought

process of going on a GLP-1 (for weight loss), but the man

closely follows," said Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an obesity

medicine specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Yet Barclays pharmaceutical industry analyst Emily Field

sees the market for such drugs - estimated to reach $150 billion

in the coming decade - still primarily involving women, as they

tend to be the ones "who seek treatment" for weight.

'STEREOTYPES AROUND MASCULINITY'

Doctors and analysts attributed the gender difference in

part to social and cultural expectations that give men a pass on

weighing more.

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 have said.

Two analysts said this could be reflective of disease

prevalence rather than gender bias. Data from the U.S. Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention 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.

"In general men, especially before middle age, are not as

experienced in going to the doctor... I think it's in line with

some generalizations about stereotypes around masculinity,"

Wells said.

Representatives from American College of Cardiology (ACC)

and American College of Endocrinology (ACE) noted the gender

discrepancies when GLP-1 drugs are used for weight loss.

However, both ACE's Dr. Scott Isaacs and Dr. Pamela Douglas

from ACC pointed to a more balanced use between genders when the

treatments are prescribed for diabetes, for which they were

initially approved.

Miami-based Dr. Jonathan Fialkow of Baptist Health said

since men have more muscle mass than women, they typically see

evidence of exercise efforts sooner. This also leads to a sense

of greater control over changes in their weight, he said.

"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 four 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."