January 28, 2015 — About a month ago, the highest court of the European Union touched off a fierce debate about the relationship between obesity and disabilities. Today, all of the major organizations with expertise in obesity have stepped forward to clear up some of the silliness that came out of that debate. The Obesity Society, the Obesity Action Coalition, […]
January 26, 2015 — Simplistic biases about the complex chronic disease of obesity have led policymakers to pursue simple solutions that simply haven’t worked. Four new policy commentaries about obesity call for a shift to strategies that are up to the task. OAC Chairman Ted Kyle says “To reduce the already staggering impact of obesity, we must set aside […]
January 17, 2015 — Drugs can have a profound effect on the health of people with obesity — for better or for worse. When the long process to develop new obesity treatment guidelines in 2013 did not include anything about drugs, a sigh of disappointment was audible. So the brand new publication of guidance on obesity drugs by the […]
January 14, 2015 — What’s the value of innovation in obesity treatment? An unusually diverse group of stakeholders gathered at the Center for Medical Technology Policy (CMTP) to define some shared views about value in obesity treatment Monday. Patient advocates, private health plans, scientific organizations, regulators, government health plans, and medical technology innovators were all represented. Obesity Action Coalition CEO […]
December 24, 2014 — We knew it was coming, we just didn’t know when. And then, just as everyone was off to focus on the holiday, came the announcement from FDA — liraglutide approved for obesity. One might think of this as a tardy approval or an early Christmas gift. FDA had been due to approve it by October […]
December 18, 2014 — The new Surgeon General of the United States, Vivek Murthy, told the senators in his confirmation hearing that obesity will be a signature issue for his four-year term. The nature of the confirmation process demands that a nominee say as little as possible. The nomination dragged on for a year mainly because he was on record prior to his nomination […]
November 10, 2014 — With most people back at home or off to their next meetings, observations from ObesityWeek are becoming memories and the basis for planning next year’s meeting in Los Angeles. From an informal poll of the best and brightest in obesity, here are the top ten observations from this intense experience of the week just past. Build […]
October 27, 2014 — With less that a week before the start of ObesityWeek 2014 on November 2 in Boston, it’s time to start thinking about how to get the most out of this amazing week. Obesity Science. You can be sure of a rich supply of new basic research. Two distinct tracks are entirely devoted to obesity science — […]
October 14, 2014 — On November 5 at Obesity Week in Boston — the premier annual scientific and educational conference for obesity professionals — the Obesity Society will be awarding special recognition to five individuals for distinguished work to advance the understanding of obesity and strategies to reduce its impact on human health. We salute these champions of the […]
October 7, 2014 — Today we have the pleasure of presenting a guest post by Asheley Cockrell Skinner. She works at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, where she conducts research on health policy, obesity, and pediatrics. We are grateful to her for allowing us to post her thoughtful perspective here. Is obesity a disease? This is a question I […]
