The US Preventive Services Task Force published in JAMA a Recommendation Statement on Interventions for High Body Mass Index in Children and Adolescents.
Simar Bajaj at NewScientist on GLP-1s’ unexpected effects on the brain, to treat depression, anxiety, addiction and Alzheimer’s.
JAMA Pediatrics publishes the impact of financial incentives on improved outcomes of a dietary intervention among 126 adolescents with severe obesity.
Zealand Pharma drug petrelintide, which targets the amylin hormone, led to 8.6% weight loss at 16 weeks, with the potential of lower side effects.
NEWS
The US Preventive Services Task Force published in JAMA a Recommendation Statement on Interventions for High Body Mass Index in Children and Adolescents.
They ‘…commissioned a systematic review to evaluate the evidence on interventions (behavioral counseling and pharmacotherapy) for weight loss or weight management in children and adolescents that can be provided in or referred from a primary care setting.’
The outcome was for clinicians to ‘…provide or refer children and adolescents 6 years or older with a high BMI to comprehensive, intensive behavioral interventions.
This is in the context that almost 20% of children and adolescents aged 2 to 19 years in the US have a BMI at or above the 95th percentile for age and sex, based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) growth charts from 2000.
A comprehensive, intensive behavioral interventions is defined as comprising at least 26 contact hours or more that include supervised physical activity sessions for up to 1 year.
The USPTF found the totality of the evidence on medications for weight loss to be inadequate.
In addition, the USPSTF did not review evidence for bariatric surgery, but it remains another important treatment for children and adolescents with severe obesity, supported by several professional recommendations, and based on high-quality longitudinal safety and efficacy data.
OPINION
Simar Bajaj writes at NewScientist on GLP-1s’ unexpected effects on the brain, opening up potential new ways to treat depression, anxiety, addiction and Alzheimer’s.
Bajaj adds ‘…there are hints that these drugs could be repurposed to treat depression, anxiety, addiction and even certain eating disorders [mediated] …through direct action on the brain.’
The article notes ‘…Obesity first doctors say they start with one medication, to treat obesity, and often find other chronic diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis, simply vanish.’
So true!
From blood pressure, cholesterol, arthritis and sleep apnea, to diabetes, kidney disease, and on to depression, addiction, schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease… with potential impact on a reduced risk of common cancers too.
A significant proportion of overweight or obese patients don’t find pharmaceutical ads about weight-management products relatable, says Andrea Park in FIERCE Pharma.
The survey, conducted by Phreesia and Klick Health, comprised nearly 3,000 individuals, with ‘…one-third said they don’t rely at all on a healthcare provider or specialist to help with their weight management.’
In addition, ‘…fewer than 10% said they were currently using over-the-counter or prescription medications to help with weight loss.’
There were also ‘…low levels of trust in pharma ads when it came to looking for information about weight management.’
DATA
JAMA Pediatrics publishes the impact of financial incentives on improved outcomes of a dietary intervention among 126 adolescents with severe obesity.
In addition to pre-portioned, calorie-controlled meals of 1200 kcals/day, subjects in the intervention group received a $20 gift card for every 0.5% they lost from their body weight at the start of the study, up to 52 weeks.
Those getting the gift card had a reduction in BMI of about 7%, compared to around 1% for those in the control group.
Ted Kyle at ConscienHealth adds ‘…money for weight loss might not be the best strategy for helping teens cope with severe obesity.
The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology publishes on Associations between BMI and hospital resource use in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in England.
From almost sixty thousand patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 between April 1, 2020, and Dec 31, 2021, those living with obesity [BMI >30] had longer hospital stays, were more likely to be admitted to ICU, with hospital costs estimated to be £2,736 [or about $3,458] higher.
We have known that excess weight is a major risk factor for severe disease after infection with SARS-CoV-2, with the ability to inform national resource allocation to match hospital capacity to areas where BMI profiles indicate higher demand.
In America, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA reviewed over 100,000 adults and reported overweight and obesity were associated with higher cost of care, and obesity was associated with longer hospital stays too.
Zealand Pharma drug petrelintide, which targets the amylin hormone, led to 8.6% weight loss at 16 weeks, with the potential of lower side effects, as per the Phase 1b multiple ascending dose (MAD) trial.
David Kendall, Zealand’s chief medical officer said ‘…These results support our conviction that petrelintide is very well tolerated and can potentially play an important role as an alternative to incretin-based therapies for the management of overweight and obesity.’
Amylin is a hormone produced in pancreatic beta cells and co-secreted with insulin in response to food intake.
Notably, the study was from just 48 participants, and will require considerably more data to be developed into a prescription medication.
Zealand Pharma aims to rapidly progress the clinical development of petrelintide and initiate a Phase 2b clinical trial later in 2024.
