Posts Tagged ‘chronic disease management’

Spending yesterday with some of the top experts in obesity, health policy, and health systems reminded us of something essential that often escapes attention. The static measure of BMI cannot possibly be adequate for assessing the chronic disease of obesity. What brought this thought to mind was an expert in health benefit design who said: […]

A steady stream of headlines makes it obvious. The incomprehensibility of a chronic disease like obesity is overwhelming. The New York Times tells us it’s a hard truth about obesity medicines: “You’ll probably need them forever.” The wellness industry is peddling dubious strategies for an “off-ramp” from GLP-1 therapies with inflated claims about “sustained remission.” […]

“People who come off slimming jabs regain weight four times faster than dieters.” The year is young, but already we have this contender for the dumbest headline of the year about obesity. It is helpful only as a reminder of how pervasive the implicit bias about obesity and its treatment is. Slimming Jabs? The headline […]

At the annual meeting of the American College of Surgeons this week, six smart people debated the future of metabolic surgery versus medicines in the treatment of obesity. The interest in this debate is unmistakable. Our newsfeed is full of it. The undercurrent seems to be an implicit contest. Which is best? Which will prevail? […]

The progress we have witnessed in 25 years of working on obesity care has been nothing short of remarkable. Especially in the last four years with the introduction of advanced new obesity medicines. But let’s step back from the minutia of research, clinical care, and policy, to look at the big challenges that remain. When […]

Late yesterday FDA granted Wegovy (semaglutide 2.4 mg) a big new indication – treatment of MASH. The indication FDA approved reads as follows: “For the treatment of noncirrhotic metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), formerly known as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), with moderate to advanced liver fibrosis (consistent with stages F2 to F3 fibrosis) in adults. “The indication […]

Sisyphus, the myth of a person condemned to a futile task of rolling a boulder uphill for eternity, has long been an apt metaphor for obesity medicine. He still is, said Donna Ryan yesterday at the Louisiana 2025 Obesity Conference in New Orleans. But the narrative has shifted dramatically, she explained. Before this shift, the […]

This is a painful lesson and most of the world is very slow to take it to heart. Dealing with obesity – on almost every level – is a marathon, not a sprint. Today’s lesson is about orforglipron, an oral GLP-1 agonist in development by Lilly. This drug is a small molecule that can be […]

A new scientific statement from the American College of Cardiology (ACC) marks a milestone in acknowledging the importance of treating obesity in patients with heart failure. It seems that cardiologists see the light and are recognizing the importance of moving beyond diet and lifestyle advice alone. The statement concludes: “Given emerging evidence of the benefits […]

Stepping back from the intense swirl of obesity care research at the ADA meeting just concluded, one thing stands out: People are having a very hard time following the thread of all this innovation. If you have any doubt, just scan the reports of investment analysts at the meeting. On one hand, they know they […]