Need to Remove Existing Barriers for Effective Weight Loss? Study Provides Insights - Video

Expanding access to new, highly effective weight-loss medications could prevent more than 40,000 deaths a year in the United States, according to a new study led by researchers at Yale School of Public Health and the University of Florida. The findings highlight the critical need to remove existing barriers that are hindering people’s access to effective weight loss treatments and impeding public health efforts to address the national obesity crisis, the researchers said

Medications like glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, such as Ozempic and dual gastric inhibitory polypeptide and GLP-1 (GIP/GLP-1) receptor agonists, such as tirzepatide, have shown promise in clinical trials and are increasingly being used for weight management.

In conducting their study, the researchers aimed to quantify the potential mortality impact of increased access to these weight-loss drugs. They integrated data on mortality risk associated with different body mass index (BMI) categories, obesity prevalence, and the current limitations on drug access due to high costs and insurance restrictions.

The study highlights a critical disparity in drug access. Currently, the high cost of these medications, limits their availability.

Reference: Pandey A, Ye Y, Wells CR, Singer BH, Galvani AP. Estimating the lives that could be saved by expanded access to weight-loss drugs. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2024 Oct 22;121(43):e2412872121.