Moving the conversation about obesity beyond the scale By Jonathan IsaacsohnApril 19, 2024

https://www.statnews.com/2024/04/19/moving-obesity-conversation-beyond-the-scale-quality-weight-loss/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_lh3oSHafR8PWtQVcXDV4OBW3d_lkzzCsmwcFoabnH9T7DgCL-Vt_siJAMIwP_amqcp_559yAXa4a5NWDYFmSNe1hKAA&_hsmi=303358707&utm_content=303358707&utm_source=hs_email Ozempic and other semaglutide drugs have revolutionized obesity in more ways than one. Not only do the drugs provide an effective treatment for weight loss — alongside improving cardiovascular health and easing sleep apnea — but they have helped change the social perception of obesity from a lifestyle choice to a disease. That’s something clinicians have long advocated for; the National Institutes of Health identified obesity as a disease in 1998. STAT’s Matt Herper and Elaine Chen described the potential cultural impact of these drugs in a prescient piece back in March 2023. And in a new First Opinion, Jonathan Isaacsohn, a cardiologist and CEO of CinRx Pharma, writes that this reframing of obesity helps drug developers because it validates and supports their work. The spotlight on GLP-1 drugs is also fueling interest in what scientists see as the next frontier in this line of research: weight loss drugs that do not reduce lean mass. Read more.