Insulin changed the way we treat and manage diabetes. Chemotherapy has precipitously reduced the mortality rate of certain cancers. Now, GLP-1 medications are reshaping the way we treat obesity.
The innovations that are happening in obesity care are matching the magnitude of an epidemic that affects 100 million Americans. It’s incredible to see these groundbreaking medications come to market for patients. We cannot conflate the availability of obesity medications with accessibility for patients who need them. Doctors, insurers, policymakers and employers must recognize the health, economic and societal benefits of obesity medications and adopt policies that recognize GLP-1s as a new standard of care.
For too long, patients with obesity have been told they must try harder to lose weight. This approach is not only stigmatizing but inadequate on many levels and a cause for lasting harm for individuals who are struggling with their condition. It strips patients of dignity, blames them for the chronic and relapsing nature of the disease, and stifles the courage it takes for patients to seek meaningful help.
Putting the challenges of stigma and bias aside, I spent years watching patients come out of surgery and return to my clinic later with additional weight. Like many providers, I struggled to navigate an obesity treatment landscape that was limited for patients and their families.
Like any healthcare innovation, GLP-1s have given patients hope and redefined the treatment of obesity. The $54 billion market for GLP-1s reflects the tremendous promise of the treatments, as well as the dire stakes of the epidemic. Obesity costs U.S. healthcare nearly $173 billion yearly. With more than 200 related complications such as heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and certain cancers, obesity is one of the most chronic conditions globally.
The data on incretin products is also unambiguous: GLP-1s help patients achieve weight loss and a multitude of other positive health effects in a manner that has never been achieved by any other method. Studies show that patients taking semaglutide or tirzepatide can achieve a 15 percent to 20 percent reduction in body weight, orders of magnitude more than previous medications. Patients have also seen statistically significant reductions in blood pressure, lower cholesterol and reported improvements in mobility.
Studies suggest GLP-1s could have an antidepressant effect. These innovative medications have also been shown to reduce the risks for serious life-threatening conditions, including neurocognitive disorders such as dementia, as well as major cardiac events such as heart attack, stroke and heart failure.
New and innovative obesity medications offer patients hope in their treatment and care journey, and empowering them to improve their health without shame. However, our healthcare system has yet to embrace these medications as a new standard and ensure patients can access them without cost or coverage barriers. We must be open-minded enough to follow the science and proactive enough to ensure those who can benefit from GLP-1s can access them.
We would not leave treatments on the table for patients with cancer or hypertension; we shouldn’t do so for obesity. It is long past time to treat obesity with the seriousness it deserves and with the tools at our disposal.
Doctors, insurers and employers, policymakers, and pharmaceutical companies must treat GLP-1s as a standard part of obesity care. Doctors must move beyond prescribing diet and lifestyle changes. Insurers and employers must cover treatments for obesity the way they would for any other complex, chronic disease.
Federal legislators and regulators must remove regulatory and coverage barriers that prevent access to these new medications in public programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Pharmaceutical companies must continue to find ways to make GLP-1s more tolerable, including by making them available in pill form.
Patients are brave; they genuinely want to improve their health, and they should feel worthy of quality care. All those working to support patients, not just doctors, must align with our oath to act in patients’ interest and provide the best possible care. Together, we can rewrite the obesity treatment playbook and tackle the epidemic with urgency and the full force of the latest medical innovations.
