Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Preventive Task Force Urges More Intervention For Kids With High BMI
NPR: Prevention Task Force Recommends Intensive Counseling For Kids With Obesity
A panel of experts has updated their recommendations for doctors screening children for obesity. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now recommends intensive behavioral interventions for kids aged 6 and older with a high body mass index. These recommendations were published Tuesday in JAMA.The new advice replaces the task force’s 2017 guidance which recommended that primary care providers should simply screen children for obesity. (Noguchi and Wroth, 6/18)
In related news —
NBC News: Lack Of Sleep Linked To High Blood Pressure In Children And Teens, New Research Finds
Children and teenagers who regularly get too few hours of sleep may be at higher risk of developing high blood pressure, new research indicates. The findings may change how doctors talk with kids and their parents about hypertension. An analysis of data from more than 500 children and teens with hypertension revealed an association between shorter-than-recommended sleep times and high blood pressure, according to the study, published Wednesday in Pediatrics. (Carroll, 6/18)
More about weight loss drugs —
Bloomberg: Eli Lilly Broadens Crackdown on Fake and Compounded Zepbound
Eli Lilly & Co. broadened its effort to crack down on fake and off-brand versions of hit obesity drug Zepbound, saying it has filed more lawsuits against companies selling compounded versions of the treatment. The drugmaker filed a handful of new lawsuits on Thursday against medical spas, wellness centers and other businesses, claiming they had referred to their products using Lilly’s brand names of Mounjaro and Zepbound. Lilly doesn’t provide its drug ingredients to compounders, the company said in a letter to patients. (Kresge and Muller, 6/20)
Nature: Cheaper Versions Of Blockbuster Obesity Drugs Are Being Created In India And China
Blockbuster weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy could soon become a lot cheaper — and reach more people — thanks to Chinese and Indian pharmaceutical companies. A long queue of companies is developing copies of the complex biological drugs, and some are racing to create modified or improved versions to compete in the global market. “There is huge potential for companies from India, China, that can help create access to these drugs,” says Abhijit Zutshi, chief commercial officer of the pharmaceutical giant Biocon, headquartered in Bengaluru, India, who oversees its generics business and is based in Woodbridge, New Jersey. (Mallapaty, 6/19)
Axios: Sanders Hopes Pressure Will Lower Ozempic Price
Sen. Bernie Sanders is trying to use the bully pulpit to lower the price of wildly popular anti-obesity drugs the same way he helped push drugmakers to limit inhaler and insulin costs. But this bid could be much more of an uphill climb. (Sullivan, 6/20)
The New York Times: Doctors Test The Limits Of What Obesity Drugs Can Fix
Lesa Walton suffered for years with rheumatoid arthritis. “It was awful,” said Ms. Walton, 57, who lives in Wenatchee, Wash. “I kept getting sicker and sicker.” She also had high blood pressure, and she was obese. Doctors told her to diet and exercise, which she did, to no avail. Then she found a doctor who prescribed Wegovy, one of the new obesity drugs. Not only did she lose more than 50 pounds, she said; her arthritis cleared up, and she no longer needed pills to lower her blood pressure. (Kolata, 6/18)
The New York Times: South Africa Runs Out Of Insulin Pens As Global Supply Shifts To Weight-Loss Drugs
South Africa’s public health care system has run out of the human insulin pens that it provides to people with diabetes, as the pharmaceutical industry shifts production priorities to blockbuster weight-loss drugs that use a similar device for delivery. Novo Nordisk, the company that has supplied South Africa with human insulin in pens for a decade, opted not to renew its contract, which expired last month. No other company has bid on the contract — to supply 14 million pens for the next three years, at about $2 per pen. (Nolen, 6/19)
