November 16, 2024 — Research presented at ObesityWeek 2024 shines a light on a blind spot in drug labeling for persons with obesity. No, we’re not talking about the latest buzzy drug for treating obesity. Rather, we are talking about a prime example of labeling for other drugs that people with obesity may need when they face a serious […]
October 29, 2024 — In some ways, it is nothing new. The medical needs of people living with obesity have been dismissed seemingly forever. But at the same time it is shocking to learn of Merck – a highly respected pharmaceutical firm – leaving doctors in the dark by choice about how one of their drugs acts differently in […]
October 22, 2024 — Adolescence is hard. With respect to mental health, especially of late, the environment is especially harsh. Even harsher if an adolescent is living with obesity. So a recent study in JAMA Pediatrics showing teens with obesity are having fewer suicidal thoughts when they get a GLP-1 is welcome news. Authors Liya Kerem and Joshua Stokar […]
September 9, 2024 — The American College of Clinical Pharmacology is meeting in Bethesda this week. On the opening day, ACCP convened a symposium to address critical questions about how drugs work in people with obesity. What can we – industry, FDA, and scientists – do better? Because all too often, drug labels to guide safe prescribing are effectively […]
November 29, 2023 — It is time to translate words into action and fix the blind spot in drug trials and labeling for people with obesity. Every major obesity group in the U.S. issued this united call to action on Tuesday. This includes the ASMBS, Obesity Action Coalition, Obesity Medicine, Obesity Society, and STOP Obesity Alliance. It comes as […]
November 18, 2023 — At a time when nearly half of the U.S. population is living with obesity, this should be an easy question to answer. Obesity clearly causes some forms of cancer and as the prevalence of obesity is rising, patterns of cancer prevalence are shifting, too. So, yes, we should be able to say with great confidence […]
October 30, 2023 — It leaves our heads spinning. Normal healthcare systems cannot keep up with the demand for a breakthrough in obesity treatment. The company, Novo Nordisk, which developed semaglutide for obesity treatment, has invested billions and now is reaping many billions of dollars in sales. But despite more than a decade of preparation, they can’t keep up. […]
October 17, 2023 — “You’re either invisible, or the answer is to lose weight, even with mental health.” This is the sentiment that surfaced at OW2023 in research of lived experiences from people coping with both obesity and needing treatment for mental health concerns. It becomes acutely important as we learn that drug trials for conditions other than obesity […]
July 7, 2023 — It’s a fact. People come in all shapes and sizes. FDA and pharmaceutical researchers know this. They know that body size and composition can have large effects on how a person responds to drugs. So why do we have such a troubling gap of body size diversity in clinical trials? In the AMA Journal of […]
April 30, 2023 — Recent advances in medicines for treating obesity are stirring up quite a conversation. The enthusiasm for them is hard to miss. Subway ads, tabloid headlines, and celebrities are putting these meds front and center. From all this enthusiasm for the new GLP-1 medicines, the impression might be something like sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows. No doubt, […]
