New Standards of Care Tell Us Obesity Medicines Are Here to Stay
It’s a neat trick. The newest kid on the block in obesity care is part of the oldest in the diabetes neighborhood. It is the Obesity Association of the American Diabetes Association. And yesterday, the OA of the ADA showed that it can play well with others by publishing landmark Standards of Care for obesity medicines. In doing so, they won the endorsement of the Obesity Society, Obesity Action Coalition, Obesity Medicine Association, and the American Board of Obesity Medicine Foundation. We note, however, that ASMBS was not part of that list.
Perhaps what is even more significant about these standards is that they tell us obesity medicines are here to stay. If you need a clue to this, pay attention to the closing words of this publication:
“Given the various pharmacologic approaches now in development, additional obesity medications are likely to come to market in coming years that may further expand treatment options.”
From Marginal to Mainstream
Three decades ago, obesity medicines were marginal in the standard approach to treating obesity. NIH guidelines published in 1998 recommended them only “in carefully selected patients” and only to “augment” the effects of low-calorie diets, exercise, and behavioral therapy. Well before even considering medicines to treat the disease, those guidelines urged practitioners to judge the patient’s motivations for seeking treatment.
Thank goodness judging patients is no longer prescribed. Can we imagine judging the motivations of a patient seeking cancer care?
Welcome Progress
Such antiquated ideas may have reflected a lack of seriousness about actually treating obesity. A holdover from that kind of thinking still surfaces in subtle ways. Some people will say things like “we can’t treat our way out of the obesity crisis” as an excuse for denying access to care.
From our perspective, it is a good thing that such dismissive thinking is fading away – even if it is far from absent.
Jonathan Purnell, President of the Obesity Society, expresses the view we share:
“We welcome the addition of these Standards to the growing body of recent statements helping to position obesity medications as standard therapy in the comprehensive care of patients living with complicated overweight and obesity.”
These medicines are here to stay and more progress is yet to come.
Click here for the new standards publication, here, here, and here for further perspective.
Lighthouse at Stora Bält, painting by Anton Melbye / WikiArt
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January 14, 2026
