ESC Congress: Everyone Now Claims the Disease of Obesity
If nothing else, the ESC (European for Cardiology) Congress in London this week made one thing clear – everyone in mainstream medicine is now ready to claim the disease of obesity. Cardiologists all over the world are adopting a view we’ve been espousing here for decades. Obesity is not a lifestyle. Not a behavioral problem. It’s a complex chronic disease.
Clinical Consensus
This is plain to see in the clinical consensus statement the European Society for Cardiology released at their congress:
“Beyond its recognition as a high-risk condition that is causally linked to many chronic illnesses, obesity has been declared a disease per se that results in impaired quality of life and reduced life expectancy.
“For patients presenting with obesity, cardiologists, and related healthcare professionals should appreciate the paradigm shift towards combination strategies for managing obesity as a chronic disease. This evolution integrates lifestyle interventions, pharmacotherapy, and interventional or surgical procedures.”
Make no mistake. Cardiologists want to stake their claim to this disease.
Follow the Money
Yes, the science of obesity is leading people to this inevitable conclusion. It opens the door to helping many millions of people with this disease. But the trail of money also helps.
On the science front, the ESC Congress was brimming with insights on the disease of obesity and its treatment. Six studies of semaglutide went live in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology at the opening of the meeting. They covered quite a range of medical outcomes: cardiovascular, COVID, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, kidney disease. The journal’s editor, Harlan Krumholz, said:
“This portfolio of publications, derived from three major trials, significantly advances our understanding of the wide-ranging benefits of GLP-1 agonists, while also highlighting key questions that remain. These groundbreaking medications are poised to revolutionize cardiovascular care and could dramatically enhance cardiovascular health.”
But the flow of money makes it unmistakable that these advances in medicine are meeting a need. Indeed, money talks. Obesity medicines are poised to become one of the biggest markets ever for pharmaceutical industry with projections reaching toward $150 billion by the early 2030s.
The reason is simple. People don’t like living with obesity and it cuts life short. If treatment is possible, they will go to great lengths to get it. Healthcare systems are working to adapt to this new reality. The scale of change will be massive. Hang on for a wild ride.
Click here for the ESC consensus publication, here for the publications in JACC, here and here for more on obesity in the spotlight at ESC Congress.
Bridge in London, painting by Mstislav Dobuzhinsky / WikiArt
Subscribe by email to follow the accumulating evidence and observations that shape our view of health, obesity, and policy.
September 4, 2024
