Hello everyone,
I hope you are well. We have some quite interesting news pieces this week, including reporting on Eli Lilly’s lawsuits against compounding pharmacies; record-setting interest in physicians applying to take the the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM) exam; and, Oprah and a panel of obesity specialists diving into the GLP-1 topic.
Also, there is an excellent exploration of weight loss plateaus with medications; and the potential economic disruption of the weight loss medications on industries ranging from food to the medical and fitness industries. Enjoy!
Kind regards, Raj
AT A GLANCE
- Compounded GLP-1 controversy: Eli Lilly has ‘…filed lawsuits against several compounding pharmacies, spas and wellness centers around the U.S. for selling unapproved versions of its Mounjaro diabetes drug…’ in reporting from Ed Silverman at STAT News.
- Record medical interest in obesity: A record 1,889 physicians applied to take The American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM) 2023 certification exam, which tests doctors for their competency in treating obesity.
- Oprah & Ozempic: Media mogul Oprah Winfrey steps into ‘…the controversial topic of weight loss drugs, specifically diabetes medications like Ozempic…’ as per Kase Wickman at Vanity Fair.
- Inevitable [GLP-1] plateau: Dani Blum at The New York Times recounts Kimmy Meinecke who for two years had been taking a weekly injection of Ozempic to control her diabetes, and ‘…one day, the scale hit 240, 25 pounds below the weight she’d started at, and stayed there.’
- Economic disruption: Reuters reporters Aimee Donnellan and Robert Cyran mention a new term — “total unaddressable market”, or TUM — based on the impact of anti-obesity drugs to obliterate ‘…demand for products and services from the medical, food and fitness industries.’
NEWS
- Eli Lilly has ‘…filed lawsuits against several compounding pharmacies, spas and wellness centers around the U.S. for selling unapproved versions of its Mounjaro diabetes drug…’ in reporting from Ed Silverman at STAT News.
- The company ‘…cannot validate the safety or effectiveness of products claiming to contain tirzepatide [the active ingredient in Mounjaro] that are not our own branded product…’
- Entities that provide such drug products ‘…should be stopped.’
- Silverman continues that ‘…the outsized demand has caused supply problems for both companies and the occasional shortages have created an opening for other businesses to fill the void…’ though Lilly and Novo Nordisk ‘…argue the compounded versions are actually unapproved medicines.’
- The American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM) certification, which tests doctors for their competency in treating obesity, has had a record 1,889 physicians applied to take the 2023 exam. This is up from a total of 889 applicants in 2019. ABOM Board Chair Judith Korner, MD said ‘…With recognition of obesity as a complex chronic disease and continuing advancements in effective treatment options, we believe the desire to provide the best possible care for patients with obesity will continue to attract physicians to this rapidly growing field.’
OPINION
- Media mogul Oprah Winfrey steps into ‘…the controversial topic of weight loss drugs, specifically diabetes medications like Ozempic…’ as per Kase Wickman at Vanity Fair.
- Drs. Fatima Cody Stanford from Boston, Dr. Melanie Jay at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and psychologist Dr. Rachel Goldman joined Oprah, together with Sima Sistani, CEO at WeightWatchers – where incidentally Ms. Winfrey is a major shareholder and board member.
- In reference her own weight journey, Oprah stated ‘…I felt, I’ve got to do this on my own. Because if I take the drug, that’s the easy way out.’ There was also discussion on ‘…a world that has shamed people for being overweight forever, and all of us who have lived it know that people treat you differently, they just do.’
- As the opening sentence of the article states, ‘…When Oprah Winfrey speaks, the world listens…’ for which I am grateful to talk openly on stigma and bias in the care of people with obesity, though also that everyone’s journey is individual – and just like managing depression, cancer, or infertility, what is right for me is not always the best for someone else.
- Dani Blum at The New York Times recounts Kimmy Meinecke who for two years had been taking a weekly injection of Ozempic to control her diabetes, and ‘…one day, the scale hit 240, 25 pounds below the weight she’d started at, and stayed there.’
- She ‘…had expected to lose more weight, and to keep losing it for longer…’ though as per Dr. Robert Gabbay, at the American Diabetes Association ‘…It would be dangerous if you just kept losing weight.’ Indeed, the human body is built upon maintenance, or a system of homeostasis, and losing weight can slow down metabolism, leading to a plateau effect.
- Dr. Scott Hagan at the University of Washington notes ‘…A small proportion of those who take these drugs won’t lose weight at all…’ which may come as a shock for those who think that everyone on a GLP-1 medication will lose 20% of their total body weight.
- Dr. Andrew Kraftson, at Michigan Medicine adds patients often ‘…come in with unrealistic expectations… leading to tough conversations…’ such that ‘…most people taking these medications will hit a plateau around the 18-month mark after starting treatment.’
- And this is no different regarding mode of weight loss – I have had similar situations with my patients who have undergone bariatric surgery too.
- Reuters reporters Aimee Donnellan and Robert Cyran mention the total unaddressable market, or TUM, as a new term based upon the impact of anti-obesity drugs to obliterate ‘…demand for products and services from the medical, food and fitness industries.’ The drug suppress appetite, and also have ‘…the potential to affect giant groups such as Switzerland’s Nestle, Cadbury and Oreo maker Mondelez International, and Kraft Heinz…’ that dominate a global market for snacks currently worth over half a trillion dollars in revenue per year.
- Additional ‘…potential losers are firms like ResMed and Inspire Medical Systems, which make products that treat sleep apnea…’ where the majority of sufferers are obese. And ‘…companies selling joint replacements such as Zimmer Biomet and Smith+Nephew could see their $25 billion and $11 billion values slimmed.’
- On the corporate upside, if there is population-wide weight reduction from anti-obesity medications, ‘…plastic surgeons may benefit if patients seek nips and tucks following weight loss…’ and ‘…dating services like Match and Grindr may attract newly confident users.’
Kind regards, Raj
