August 22, 2025 — There’s a long history on the tricky business of celebrity endorsements for weight management. Years ago, the benchmark was the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, who became a spokesperson for Weight Watchers after her divorce from Prince Andrew. Proving much has changed in the popular conception of health and weight, the new benchmark is Serena […]
April 30, 2025 — Mass market compounding of semaglutide and tirzepatide is pretty much a thing of the past. As that chapter in the story of inadequate access to care closes, it seems that Novo Nordisk is ready to go all in with telehealth deals to make up some lost ground. Their press release spells it out: “Today, Novo […]
February 8, 2025 — A telehealth business has a slick, defiant commercial for their compounded weight loss medication ready to run during the Super Bowl tomorrow. More than a few doctors are definitely not amused. They are not the only ones. Two senators have written to the acting head of the FDA to say that caution and fair balance […]
December 30, 2024 — This year is rapidly winding down and already, our gaze is shifting toward expectations for the coming year. So before that shift is complete and we start making predictions for 2025, let’s check the scorecard for the expectations we had for 2024. A year ago, we put forward predictions of five hot topics for the […]
May 3, 2024 — Reports of first quarter business results from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly this week leave no room for doubt. The utilization of obesity treatment is growing at a rate that has caught both of these companies by surprise. Wegovy sales more than doubled in the first quarter of 2024. On top of that, new prescriptions […]
April 19, 2024 — Perhaps it was inevitable. Last week, the Times plunged into stereotypes about obesity care and gender, asking “Is the era of ‘Brozempic’ upon us?” The spark for the story comes from the efforts of telehealth businesses trying to crack the code for reaching men with concerns about obesity. It can be awkward. The cultural baggage […]
January 5, 2024 — Eli Lilly and Company has taken the unusual step of starting a direct to consumer clinical care and pharmacy program for obesity, diabetes, and migraine. If you have any doubt that LillyDirect will shake up the landscape for access to obesity care, just ask the folks at WeightWatchers. Their stock dropped by 11% yesterday when […]
January 2, 2024 — The year we just finished saw quite a pivot in the science and policy we cover here. So what will we pivot toward in 2024? What will leave us cold? Here are our best educated guesses for what will be hot or not in 2024 for obesity and health. #1 Hot: Pricing Drug prices will […]
May 28, 2023 — “Money makes the world go around.” Joel Grey and Liza Minnelli explained this in Cabaret. But sorting it out in healthcare – and specifically in obesity care right now – is quite a challenge. A lot of money is in play and so the tension between greed, health, and obesity care is painfully obvious. The […]
March 7, 2023 — Okay, we’re awake now. WeightWatchers has entered a deal to add telehealth and obesity meds to their business strategy. The company will spend $132 million in cash and stock to acquire Sequence – a subscription telehealth service for weight loss that utilizes advanced obesity meds like semaglutide. Weight Watchers CEO Sima Sistani explains her rationale […]
