Obesity

Why One CEO Thinks Drugs Won’t Be Able to Solve the Obesity Crisis

New research found that there are no racial disparities in weight loss results among patients taking obesity drugs. However, the study found that people of color have less access to services like behavioral care or surgical interventions, which are often needed in order for patients to lose weight and keep it off. To tackle this issue, Enara Health CEO Rami Bailony argued that the U.S. healthcare system must innovate the way it dispenses weight loss drugs, employing a more holistic care approach.

By Katie Adams

Health Tech

Knownwell Secures $20M for Weight-Inclusive Primary Care

Knownwell's $20 million Series A funding round was led by A16Z and included participation from Flare Capital Partners. The company also launched an adolescent metabolic health program.

By Marissa Plescia

With the Rise of AI, What IP Disputes in Healthcare Are Likely to Emerge?

Munck Wilson Mandala Partner Greg Howison shared his perspective on some of the legal ramifications around AI, IP, connected devices and the data they generate, in response to emailed questions.

Consumer / Employer, Health Tech

Hello Alpha, TrestleTree Partner To Support Weight Loss

In a new partnership, patients in need of weight loss support can receive primary care, mental health and chronic condition management through Hello Alpha. In between Hello Alpha visits, patients can access health coaching services from TrestleTree.

By Marissa Plescia

Health Tech

WeightWatchers Launches New GLP-1 Support Program

WeightWatchers' new GLP-1 program offers daily nutritional and activity targets, recommended foods, recipes, food and activity tracking, a digital community, virtual workshops and access to coaches 24/7.

By Marissa Plescia

Health Tech

Twin Health Snags $50M to Help Employers, Health Plans Treat Metabolic Disease

Twin Health raked in $50 million in Series D financing. The startup seeks to help patients improve their metabolic health and reduce the need for medications through the “digital twin” technology it sells to employers and health plans.

By Katie Adams

MedCity Influencers, BioPharma

Are Registered Dietitians the Key To Optimizing Weight Loss With GLP-1s?

Prescriptions for GLP-1s are soaring, but fewer than a third of people prescribed the costly drugs will continue taking them one year later without personalized support. Without the expert guidance of a registered dietitian, you risk not achieving the significant clinical benefits these drugs offer and forfeiting the potential for sustainable, transformative health outcomes.

By Gretchen Zimmermann

Consumer / Employer, Health Tech

Hims & Hers Gets Into Weight Loss Treatment

Hims & Hers unveiled a new weight loss program on Monday that includes access to medications, educational content and digital tracking tools.

By Marissa Plescia

Consumer / Employer

NEBGH Helps Employers Combat Cardiovascular Disease in Women Through New Guide

A new guide from Northeast Business Group on Health helps employers understand the challenges women face when it comes to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. It also recommends actions that employers can take to support women in their workforce.

By Marissa Plescia

BioPharma, Pharma

Roche Lines Up $2.7B Acquisition to Join Chase for New Diabetes, Obesity Drugs

Roche’s Carmot Therapeutics acquisition brings three clinical-stage assets that the companies say could be best-in-class drugs for metabolic disorders. In addition to standalone use, Roche sees the Carmot molecules as part of potential combinations with its own drug candidates.

By Frank Vinluan

BioPharma, Pharma

Carmot’s IPO Filing Makes Case for Bias in Drugging Key Obesity, Diabetes Targets

Carmot Therapeutics isn’t the first company targeting both the GLP-1 and GIP receptors to treat metabolic diseases. But the company contends that biased signaling—activating certain pathways but not others—is key to setting its drugs apart from others in the same class.

By Frank Vinluan

Health Services

Maximize Revenue and Patient Care with Strategic Weight Loss Management

We will highlight Build My Health's revenue practice management tools, which could help physician practices add up to $250,000 to their practices.

By Build My Health and MedCity News

BioPharma, Pharma

Eli Lilly Plans New $2.5B Manufacturing Site in Germany for Injectable Meds

The German manufacturing site is the latest capital infrastructure move for Eli Lilly, which has already made $11 billion in investments in its global manufacturing capabilities in the past three years. The new site will help Lilly meet strong demand for its diabetes and obesity drugs.

By Frank Vinluan

BioPharma, Pharma

AstraZeneca Pays $185M to Add Oral GLP-1 Drug Candidate to Pipeline

AstraZeneca gains global rights to an oral GLP-1 agonist on track to reach Phase 2 testing in 2024. Under China-based Eccogene, the small molecule’s Phase 1 data show reductions in glucose and body weight.

By Frank Vinluan

Consumer / Employer

Walgreens Exec: Reimbursement Models Need to Catch Up with GLP-1 Demand

Walgreens is seeing “an enormous amount of demand” for injectable weight loss drugs, its president of U.S. healthcare said during the Reuters Total Health conference in Chicago. He declared that the healthcare industry needs to come up with a reimbursement model “that correctly compensates pharmacists and others” to administer these drugs. In his view, reimbursement hasn't caught up with the demand.

By Katie Adams

MedCity Influencers, BioPharma

Why GLP-1s Alone Cannot Solve the Obesity Crisis

People with obesity should be offered a range of suitable treatments as well: behavioral, nutrition, exercise, medication and surgery, through a coordinated and holistic approach under one roof, with a care coordinator. Like cancer, obesity is a heterogeneous disease and recommendations and responses to all treatment modalities will be heterogeneous as well.

By Rajesh Aggarwal

Consumer / Employer

Weight Loss Startup Calibrate Is Changing Hands

Weight loss company Calibrate — which sells a program combining GLP-1 drugs with personalized metabolic health coaching — announced a legal restructuring of its business. The startup, which recently had two major rounds of layoffs, has struggled amid GLP-1 drug shortages and mounting user complaints.

By Katie Adams