Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
American Heart Association Warns Of New 'CKM' Obesity-Linked Heart Disease
NBC News: New Type Of Heart Disease Identified Links Obesity, Diabetes And Kidney Disease
As more Americans are being diagnosed with multiple chronic health problems at younger ages, for the first time, the American Heart Association is identifying a new medical condition that reflects the strong links among obesity, diabetes and heart and kidney disease. According to an advisory released Monday, the goal in recognizing the condition — cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome, or CKM — is to get earlier diagnosis and treatment for people at high risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. (Carroll, 10/9)
On weight-loss drugs —
Stat: Judge Dismisses Novo Nordisk Lawsuit Over Compounded Versions Of Ozempic And Wegovy
In a setback for Novo Nordisk, a U.S. judge dismissed its lawsuit accusing a compound pharmacy of selling versions of its Wegovy and Ozempic medicines, which are widely prescribed for weight loss and have become franchise products for the drug company. (Silverman, 10/6)
Reuters: U.S. Employers Covering Weight-Loss Drugs Could Nearly Double In 2024 - Survey
The number of U.S. employers who cover obesity medications, including Wegovy from Novo Nordisk that belongs to a class of GLP-1 drugs, could nearly double next year, according to a survey. The survey of 502 employers by Accolade, a company that provides healthcare programs for employers, and research firm Savanta said 43% of the employers it polled could cover GLP-1 drugs in 2024 compared to 25% that cover them now. (10/10)
The New York Times: Her Insurance Refused to Pay for Wegovy, So She Sued
Jeannette Simonton was a textbook candidate for the obesity drug Wegovy when her doctor prescribed it to her in February. At 5 feet 2 inches and 228 pounds, she had a body mass index of nearly 42 — well above the cutoff U.S. regulators had approved for eligibility for the medication. She also had serious joint problems after decades of struggling with her weight. But her insurance refused to pay for the medication, citing a blanket ban on covering weight-loss drugs, according to a letter Ms. Simonton received in March from her benefits administrator. (Robbins, 10/10)
Reuters: Weight-Loss Drugs Fuel Boom For Firms That Fill Syringes
Contract drug manufacturers seeking to tap into the booming market for weight-loss drugs are investing billions of dollars to expand or build factories that fill the injection pens used to administer treatments like Novo Nordisk's Wegovy. Interviews with a dozen company executives, analysts and investors showed pharmaceutical services companies jostling to secure more of the specialist work of filling the syringes used in the pens, a process known as fill-finish. (Fick, 10/9)
The Wall Street Journal: The Company That Defined Dieting Is Sorry It Told Us to Have More Willpower
For decades, WeightWatchers told the world that weight loss came through sheer willpower—“choice, not chance,” as its founder, Jean Nidetch, said in the 1960s. Now, thanks to new drugs like Ozempic, Sistani is rejecting that blame-the-dieter approach in favor of the view that obesity is an illness—one her company can help cure. The promise that a doctor’s prescription can eliminate extra weight for good has touched off a seismic moment in global health, and compelled WeightWatchers to undergo its most radical change yet. (Schwartzel, 10/7)
The Washington Post: Weight Loss Drugs Like Ozempic Could Upend Industries Including Air Travel
Businesses are bracing for an explosion in the use of new weight loss drugs, with some investors betting that these medications could precipitate seismic shifts not only in how Americans eat but which clothes they buy and even how much they weigh down passenger airplanes. Some companies say they are already noticing a difference in how takers of these drugs shop. A Walmart executive told Bloomberg last week that the giant retailer found people taking GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy bought slightly less food than other customers. Shares of Mondelez International, maker of popular snacks like Oreos and Ritz crackers, fell 7.7% during the following two days. The Hershey Co. and PepsiCo also saw their stocks slide. (Gilbert and Reiley, 10/9)
