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Our latest blog on "Weight-loss: Examining the Role of Injections in Tackling Obesity in the UK" is now live. We discuss the potential of injectable medications, like Semaglutide - marketed as Ozempic for diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss - in combating obesity and gain insights into their efficiency, safety, and implications for managing obesity in the UK.  As we encourage a balanced conversation about the future of weight loss interventions, do injections play a critical role in tackling obesity? Read the full article here:

GLP-1s have been in the news for several years, and for good reason. They're effective weight loss treatments and have the potential to add new indications (in addition to diabetes and obesity) in the coming years in disease areas such as chronic kidney disease and NASH. But, patient persistence is an issue. It's been cited numerous times. Lack of cost-effectiveness and budgetary impact at current prices is an issue. It's been mentioned a lot, too. Accordingly, many payers aren't yet on board. https://lnkd.in/eaM4cZES

Being My Intentionally Provocative Self: #GLP-1 Non-#Adherence Rates Ever the contrarian, I’m going to be intentionally provocative here. I think people are over-reacting to the reports of non-adherence among #GLP1 patients. There, I said it. #BCBS reports that 58% discontinue before reducing their weight by at least 5% and that most of those, a full 30%, discontinue in the first month. Contrarian Point #1: As a leading peer-reviewed article concludes, “[t]he literature concerning adherence” indicates that “compliance rates range roughly from 38%-57% with an average rate of less than 45%.” So, even assuming that BCBS’ rate is correct for all patients, which I don’t think we can say either way, the adherence rate is within the recognized range, just 3% from the average. Contrarian Point #2: Further, because more than half of the discontinuations are within the first 30 days, the clear majority of sales ARE for patients that DO reach a clinically important endpoint. After the first 30 days, 42% of users do, while 27% do not. Just an Observation: It seems to me that these assumed facts pretty much cry out for a value-based contracting solution, which could be fair to both the manufacturers and the payers. Not Fair: By the same token, what wouldn’t be fair to manufacturers would be Senator Sanders’ proposed solution of an across the board price cut, falling just as much on utilization that IS successful as that which is NOT. Indeed, in the unintended consequences file, that would just encourage manufacturers to get as many patients as possible to start on the drug, even if they weren’t the best candidates to stay on it. That is, I think, ass-backward thinking. Just my two (contrarian) cents. #lifesciences #healthcare #health #cardiology #vascular #kidneycare

The NICE - National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has this week endorsed Eli Lilly and Company's Mounjaro (tirzapetide) as a treatment for certain adults with obesity alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, reports Fraiser Kansteiner in Fierce Pharma. Already approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in the UK, NICE cited evidence indicating that Mounjaro was more effective at helping patients lose weight than diet and exercise changes alone. They nonetheless cautioned that there is a “high level of uncertainty” around its cost-benefit calculus. Our snap analysis of HCP conversations relating to the approval of Mounjaro (or Zepbound) by the FDA in November last year found that eHCPs envisioned the treatment as a powerful new option for patients, and suggested that through competition with similar products, the approval could lead to “better access and sustained lower pricing”. Read more of what we heard from HCPs related to the approval below: https://lnkd.in/eMWnwshV #mounjaro #zepbound #obesity #elililly https://lnkd.in/eHEVXhEs

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Wegovy for lowering the risk of stroke and heart attack in adults who are overweight or who have the disease of obesity and have not been diagnosed with diabetes. This is GREAT NEWS but only the FIRST STEP! We have to question WHY heart disease is covered and the disease of obesity is not. OBESITY IS A DISEASE. We have to treat it as such! We have to overcome WEIGHT BIAS, the negative judgments, beliefs, assumptions and attitudes toward individuals who are overweight or have the disease of obesity. HEART DISEASE is a DISEASE RELATED TO OBESITY. HIGH CHOLESTEROL is a DISEASE RELATED TO OBESITY. TYPE 2 DIABETES is a DISEASE RELATED TO OBESITY. LET'S PUT OUT THE FIRE instead of lowering the flames! Obesity Medicine Association Obesity Action Coalition American Board of Obesity Medicine #endweightbias #endweightstigma #obesityisadisease #obesitymedicine

NEW BLOG: Private prescribing for obesity drugs is on the rise - What do we need to be aware of? Dr Stephianie De Giorgio has seen a huge increase in the number of patients accessing weight loss medication privately and discusses what we need to know and what side effects or concerns we might need to have. Read her blog here: https://buff.ly/4chHeN8 #Obesity #PrivatePrescribing #PrimaryCare

📅 Today is World Obesity Day! The opportunity to talk about the approximately 2300 clinical trials that are ongoing. 🦠 Since 1948, obesity has been officially recognized as a disease. And like all diseases, obesity brings with it negative consequences, such as type 2 diabetes and reduced quality of life. In the fight against obesity, 3 factors stand in the way: 🏠  An obesogenic environment. 🧬 Genetic predisposition (under discussion). 🚩 Adipose tissue dysfunction. 🏥 The pharmaceutical industry has a role to play in this public health challenge. By 2030, a majority of the world's adults will be overweight or obese, and one of the main avenues for combating this disease is the exploration of treatments used for diabetes. 🤝 Accompanying patients is also very important, to provide holistic support and accompany lifestyle changes linked to the various treatments. 👛 Finally, the fight against obesity requires harmonization of the drug reimbursement system, which is still too fragile and unequal from one country to another. 👁️🗨️ To find out more, read our latest article on the subject here: https://lnkd.in/erUtgn-k #health #obesity #clinicalsearch #innovation #healthcare

What is staggering about this headline is not that GLP-1 agonists are effective in under 12-year-olds. What is staggering is that we have to treat under 12-year-olds for obesity, no less with medication. #obesitypandemic #healthcrisis #prevention #sickcare

Semaglutide Benefits Patients With Obesity Presenting With Type 2 Diabetes, HFpEF, Study Finds CNN (4/6, Christensen) reports, “The popular weight loss drug Wegovy [semaglutide] seems to provide more health benefits for people who have diabetes and a common kind of heart failure than just helping take off the pounds, according to a new study.” The study “showed how the drug helped people with Type 2 diabetes who also had one of the most common kind of heart failure, obesity-related heart failure with preserved ejection fraction [HFpEF].” While “current treatment for this condition involves lifestyle changes and heart medications...there are no therapies specifically approved to treat this particular condition, and the number of people who have it has been growing significantly, the study authors said.” https://lnkd.in/eDzBHzsN

We all know GLP-1s are the miracle solution for obesity. On the other hand Ceci Connolly & Sami Inkinen are not so sure... https://lnkd.in/gbR5tHTx