Archive for January, 2015

First Ever Drug Treatment for Binge Eating Disorder Approved

January 31, 2015 — Late on Friday, the FDA approved the first ever drug treatment for binge eating disorder (BED). Lisdexamfetamine — sold under the brand name Vyvanse — is widely used in children and adults to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children, adolescents, and adults. Lisdexamfetamine quickly gained favor because it is a slower acting form of amphetamine that […]

Shall We Blame Walmart for Obesity?

January 30, 2015 — Villains are useful. A genuine, identifiable villain causing a problem can mobilize people to correct the problem. With obesity, we have lots of phantom villains. Another candidate popped up this week in a working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research. Should we blame Walmart for obesity? Charles Courtemanche and colleagues built a comprehensive […]

10 Obstacles for People Who Need Bariatric Surgery

January 29, 2015 — Reeger Cortell has been puzzling over the reasons that many people do not seek out surgical treatment for severe obesity, even though they could benefit. Roughly 70% of people with severe obesity say they would not even consider surgery. As a Nurse Practitioner, Cortell cares for people seeking bariatric surgery and produces the outstanding Weight Loss Surgery […]

Obesity Professionals Speak Out on Disabilities

January 28, 2015 — About a month ago, the highest court of the European Union touched off a fierce debate about the relationship between obesity and disabilities. Today, all of the major organizations with expertise in obesity have stepped forward to clear up some of the silliness that came out of that debate. The Obesity Society, the Obesity Action Coalition, […]

First Drug for Binge Eating Disorder May Be Near Approval

January 27, 2015 — The first drug for binge eating disorder may be nearing approval at FDA. Shire’s application for lisdexamfetamine (brand name Vyvanse®) for the treatment of binge eating disorder was accepted at the end of September, which means that the FDA is due to rule on their application by February 1. FDA granted a priority review for […]

Overcoming Simplistic Biases about a Complex, Chronic Disease

January 26, 2015 — Simplistic biases about the complex chronic disease of obesity have led policymakers to pursue simple solutions that simply haven’t worked. Four new policy commentaries about obesity call for a shift to strategies that are up to the task. OAC Chairman Ted Kyle says “To reduce the already staggering impact of obesity, we must set aside […]

Bias + Superstition = Measles in Disneyland

January 25, 2015 — “Measles in Disneyland” is a sufficiently jarring headline to make us wonder: how do we find ourselves here? Not so many years ago, CDC told us that measles had been eliminated from the U.S. What happened was a noxious mixture of superstition and bias that has led clusters of families — especially in California — […]

Europe Opens the Way for Two New Obesity Drugs

January 24, 2015 — Let’s just say it. European regulators were spooked by obesity drugs for quite a few years. So news that first buproprion/naltrexone (Contrave U.S./Mysimba EU) and now liraglutide (Saxenda) have been recommended for approval in Europe is good news indeed. What spooked the Europeans was the experience with rimonobant. The European  Commission (EC) granted Sanofi approval for this obesity treatment in 2006, […]

Surgery: Last Resort for Obesity?

January 23, 2015 — What the heck do people mean when they say “surgery can be effective as a last resort for obesity?” Whatever their point, they need to stop it. That pernicious idiom cropped up this week in reporting on a new position paper regarding bariatric surgery in children and adolescents with severe obesity. The position paper was straightforward. The […]

Surprise! “Biggest Loser” Exploits and Shames People

January 22, 2015 — The news this week that the “Biggest Loser” exploits and shames people who appear on this reality show is hardly news to anyone who can see past their own prejudice against people living with obesity. The New York Post published a lengthy story based on the experiences of Kai Hibbard, who says that the show is “a fat-shaming […]