Obesity And Malnutrition

We have a drug to reduce obesity and associated illness, and the leader of MAHA just isn’t into it.

The New York Times ran an article the other day on the clash between Robert Kennedy Jr. and Elon Musk over Ozempic and similar so-called GLP-1 drugs that help people lose weight; seeing dark forces at work, RFK Jr. is highly suspicious, and seeing revolutionary technological progress, Elon Musk is in favor.

The Biden administration is expanding coverage of anti-obesity drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy for people with Medicare and Medicaid through a new proposal from the Department of Health and Human Services, a White House official says. 

Medicare currently only covers these drugs for people who are diagnosed with diabetes or cardiovascular disease with obesity, or for people who are overweight, according to the official, who added that while some state Medicaid programs cover the GLP-1 medications for obesity, many do not. 

Millions of Americans with obesity could soon gain access to popular weight-loss drugs including Wegovy and Ozempic through Medicare and Medicaid under a new proposal from the Biden administration.

Announced Tuesday by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the rule aims to make these costly medications available to a broader population, sparking a contentious debate about its potential affect.

The drugs, heralded by some as miracle treatments, help patients lose 15 to 25 percent of their body weight by mimicking hormones that...

Millions of Americans with obesity would be eligible to have popular weight-loss drugs like Wegovy or Zepbound covered by Medicare or Medicaid under a new rule the Biden administration proposed Tuesday morning.

The costly proposal from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services immediately sets the stage for a showdown between the powerful pharmaceutical industry and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an outspoken opponent of the weight-loss drugs who, as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the agency, could block the measure.

For many U.S. parents seeking help for a child with obesity, the most widely-endorsed treatment is out of reach - and it's not the popular weight-loss drug Wegovy.

Leading medical groups recommend intensive behavioral counseling - 26 hours within one year - to teach children and their families practical ways to eat healthier and move more.

A small but rapidly growing number of U.S. adolescents began treatment with Novo Nordisk's <NOVOb.CO> weight-loss drug Wegovy last year, a powerful new tool to address record rates of pediatric obesity, according to data shared exclusively with Reuters.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned Wednesday that an online weight loss supplement labeled “tejocote root” was found to be substituted with a toxic plant.

The FDA tested nine samples labeled as tejocote, some sold on popular sites like Amazon and Etsy, and found them to contain yellow oleander, a poisonous plant native to Mexico and Central America.

Southwest Airlines is going viral for their company-wide “Customer of Size” policy, which allows overweight travelers to potentially get extra seats for free if they don’t fit.

The policy states that customers who “encroach upon any part of the neighboring seat(s)” may purchase however many extra seats they need. Those passengers can then request a refund after travel, according to their website.

Drugmaker Novo Nordisk paid U.S. medical professionals at least $25.8 million over a decade in fees and expenses related to its weight-loss drugs, a Reuters analysis found. It concentrated that money on an elite group of obesity specialists who advocate giving its powerful and expensive drugs to tens of millions of Americans.

A wild idea recently circulated about the future of aviation: If passengers lose weight via obesity drugs, airlines could potentially cut down on fuel costs. In September, analysts at Jefferies Bank estimated that in the “slimmer society” obesity drugs will create, United Airlines could save up to $80 million in jet fuel annually.