There are signs that obesity drugs are improving. The new drug, which is moving “rapidly” for FDA approval, has been shown to help users lose more than one-fifth of their body weight.
Steve Inskeep, Host:
some other news. It seems that obesity drugs continue to improve. NPR’s Alison Aubrey reports.
Alison Aubrey, Byline: Frank Layfield (ph) is a retired media executive in his seventies whose struggles with weight go back decades. At one point he told me that he weighed about 340 pounds and that helping his daughter learn to ride a bike was hard work.
FRANK RAYFIEL: You know how it was done. Run behind her bike with her hands on her seat and when she’s a few steps away you say, hey look, you’re doing it right? could not be chased. And it was a real burden for me. I hated it.
Aubrey: Rayfeel tried many diets, including the keto diet, and lost a lot of weight. But when his weight loss plateaued and he needed insulin, his appetite increased. .
RAYFIEL: Within 2 months, I lost 10% of my weight without any effort. So it’s amazing even without actually trying it.
Aubrey: Rayfield is taking a drug called tirzepatide. It is currently approved for diabetics and marketed as Munjaro. The FDA is now rapidly reviewing new evidence that the drug may work for a wider range of people with weight-related problems. The drug is similar to the blockbuster Ozempic, but with added gut hormones that help suppress appetite.
RAYFIEL: Well, I sit down with a big sandwich, eat half of it, and say, “I’m done.” Tummy full. I am completely full. It certainly tires me much quicker.
AUBREY: Dr. Louis Aronne of Weill Cornell Medicine is one of the researchers and a co-author of the published findings.
LOUIS ARONNE: What we found was that tirzepatide produced weight loss of up to 22.5%, which is as good as most types of bariatric surgery.
Aubrey: Aronne says obesity drugs have come a long way. He says he can do more.
ARONNE: I believe we are in the midst of a revolution in the treatment of cardiometabolic diseases.
AUBREY: Treating obesity is hoped to prevent related conditions. Dr. Pamela Brandt, of her Inova Health System in Virginia, who takes an integrative approach to treating obesity and metabolic disease, said these new drugs could be very helpful for those who can afford them. says.
PAMELA BRANDT: So it’s really nice to be able to give someone a tool and know that it’s most likely to help them.
Aubrey: She says obesity isn’t a cosmetic problem and new anti-obesity drugs aren’t meant to help you lose weight to fit into ball gowns and wedding dresses, despite headlines that celebrities and influencers are using them. No. Obesity is a life-threatening disease.
BRANDT: Obesity is definitely a medical problem. The diseases themselves are closely related, but not what causes all the other downstream metabolic problems, right? posed cardiovascular risk.
Aubrey: With about 650 million people worldwide becoming obese and having a shorter life expectancy, she says we need medical tools like surgery and drugs. Right now, the biggest obstacles are money and time. New drugs cost thousands of dollars per patient per year and may need to be taken indefinitely to maintain benefits.
Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian is a cardiologist and professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition at Tufts University. He says the health system can’t afford to provide these drugs to everyone.
DARIUSH MOZAFARIAN: In my experience, patients want to take these drugs to lose weight. However, few people want to do these things for the rest of their lives. And few payers want to pay these fees for the rest of their lives.
Aubrey: He says these drugs should be used by people who need them, but to create a healthier community, they should turn to nutritious foods and lifestyle support. must be combined with access to
Alison Aubrey, NPR News.
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