Weight Loss & Obesity News & Updates

February 8, 2024 — People who take weight loss drugs should not neglect diet and exercise. Here's what to know.

February 5, 2024 — People with obesity who took the weight loss drug Zepbound experienced a reduction in blood pressure similar to or better than results usually seen with traditional hypertension drugs, a new analysis shows.

January 25, 2024 — For many of the 42 million Americans with obesity, weight loss medications such as Wegovy, Saxenda, and the brand-new Zepbound can be a godsend, helping them lose the excess pounds they’ve struggled with for decades or a lifetime.

January 24, 2024 — An analysis of health records for people who lost weight while being prescribed drugs like Wegovy, Saxenda, or Ozempic showed that many maintained most of their weight loss or continued to shed pounds within the year after their prescription ended.

January 23, 2024 — Loneliness has been known to be a serious health problem, and a new report makes the case that the suffering is worse for people who are obese.

January 11, 2024 — The FDA said Thursday that a review of a class of popular diabetes and obesity drugs found no connection between the medications and a rise in suicidal thoughts. The drugs include Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro.

January 5, 2024 — People taking semaglutide – the active ingredient in the weight loss drug Wegovy and the type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – did not have an increase in suicidal thoughts, compared to people taking other drugs for those conditions, according to a study published in Nature Medicine.

January 4, 2024 — The FDA is formally looking into reports that some people who took popular diabetes and weight loss drugs had suicidal thoughts or two other health problems.

December 22, 2023 — The FDA says it has seized “thousands of units” of counterfeit Ozempic that are circulating while demand for the weight loss drug exceeds supply.

December 15, 2023 — A new way of looking at a misunderstood disease is revolutionizing treatments and transforming lives.

December 14, 2023 — New drugs being used for weight loss might bring results that are as temporary as they are dramatic, according to a study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

November 15, 2023 — German regulator BfArM is considering a halt on the export of Ozempic because high demand is creating a scarcity of the drug, Reuters reports.

November 8, 2023 — Suspected counterfeits of a popular weight loss drug are linked to the hospitalization of at least three people, federal data shows.

November 8, 2023 — The FDA on Wednesday approved an injection drug Zepbound for chronic weight management for adults with obesity or those who are overweight and have at least one weight-related condition, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

October 20, 2023 — Research published this week shows that fructose may be the central factor driving obesity because it triggers cravings for fatty foods and carbohydrates, while blocking the body’s ability to use stored energy from fat.

October 18, 2023 — Many women on oral contraceptives are unaware that drugs like Mounjaro may result in the unexpected: pregnancy.

October 17, 2023 — The discovery from UCLA could open the door to new treatments for obesity and type 2 diabetes.

October 16, 2023 — People at high risk of getting type 2 diabetes lost on average more than 18% of their weight when taking the weight loss drug tirzepatide, according to clinical trial results published over the weekend.

October 6, 2023 — Counterfeit versions of the weight loss drug Ozempic are showing up in a variety of schemes, and sometimes the fraudulent offers are extremely realistic, a health care trade group warned its members this week.

October 5, 2023 — People taking popular medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus for weight loss are at higher risk of potentially serious stomach and intestinal issues, compared to people taking a weight loss drug approved in 2014, a large study reveals.

September 28, 2023 — The FDA has received more than 8,500 reports of gastrointestinal issues among people taking medications like Ozempic and Wegovy, the latter of which is approved for weight loss.

September 22, 2023 — In 22 states across the nation, more than 1 in 3 adults have obesity, according to new data released Thursday by the CDC. That’s up from 19 states in 2021, and none a decade ago.

August 22, 2023 — Patients are willing to bet their health on Wegovy and Ozempic fakes while drugmaker Novo Nordisk struggles to meet demand.

August 15, 2023 — The results of a new poll could be a sign that the conditions of obesity and being overweight are increasingly being viewed as diseases. Reducing stigma is a critical step in creating a pathway for people to seek treatment.

August 10, 2023 — Novo Nordisk, manufacturer of the weight loss drug Wegovy, said Thursday that it will continue to restrict supplies of starter doses of the drug in the United States. This restriction will likely continue into next year.

August 8, 2023 — Study results show semaglutide for weight loss (Wegovy) cut problems in the heart and blood vessels in a 17,000-person trial, which should reframe the health benefit of this weight loss drug.

August 8, 2023 — Identifying specific genes adds to growing evidence that biology, in part, drives obesity. Researchers hope the findings will lead to effective treatments.

August 3, 2023 — A new lawsuit from a woman with type 2 diabetes alleges that the makers of the drugs Ozempic and Mounjaro did not provide adequate warnings for the severity of gastrointestinal problems caused by the popular medicines.

July 24, 2023 — People who watched a lot of television as a child often have health problems in adulthood, such as high blood pressure and obesity, says a study conducted over 50 years and published in the online journal Pediatrics.

July 17, 2023 — A medical examiner’s report points to small bowel obstruction as the cause of death, but was it caused by bariatric surgery years earlier?

July 12, 2023 — Most people using new, highly touted prescription drugs to lose weight, such as Wegovy, stop taking them after a year, a new report says. People who used the drugs had “a substantial increase in health care” costs over the year, says an analysis by Prime Therapeutics.

July 11, 2023 — The European Medicines Agency is investigating Ozempic and another drug that leads to weight loss amid fears that the medicines may increase the risk of suicide.

July 6, 2023 — New research takes aim at the long-standing measurement of health.

July 5, 2023 — It sounds simple, but the obesity crisis may be one of the most complicated medical problems humans have ever faced. Understanding why we gain weight in the first place may be the key to reclaiming our collective health.

July 5, 2023 — Obesity treatments are more advanced than ever, but the people who need them most can be reluctant to seek care, and may not get the most comprehensive care when they do come in. Here’s why – and what can change.

July 5, 2023 — Doctors and researchers have been trying to end the obesity epidemic for decades – and failed. Can a new set of effective drugs – Wegovy, Ozempic, and others to come – finally succeed?

June 26, 2023 — For people who are overweight or obese but are put off by popular weight loss drugs because they need to be injected, there was promising news Sunday out of the American Diabetes Association’s annual conference.

June 23, 2023 — If taking Ozempic or Rybelsus for type 2 diabetes, Wegovy for weight loss, or similar medications, doctors are debating how long before planned surgery you should stop taking the drug to be safe.

June 12, 2023 — Insurance companies are starting to send warning letters to doctors and health care providers suspected of a practice known as off-label prescribing for the drug Ozempic.

June 12, 2023 — A new study into how the brains of lean and obese people respond to nutrients may explain why it’s difficult for people to lose weight and keep it off.

June 12, 2023 — Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy can help some people lose weight, but there are still some potential side effects that need to be considered.

May 25, 2023 — Mayo Clinic researchers are working on saliva tests that may help figure out the type of obesity a person has and, based on the results, decide what may be the best course of action to treat it.

May 24, 2023 — Experts consider claims that new weight loss medications cause hair loss. They find that hair loss is unlikely and actually more common with bariatric surgery.

May 23, 2023 — In a trial of 667 people who were overweight or obese, those who took the daily semaglutide pill lost 17% of their body weight after 68 weeks.

May 19, 2023 — Semaglutide represents an effective treatment option for teens with obesity, with the potential to reduce BMI below the obesity threshold.

May 16, 2023 — One-tenth of parents have children who were overweight or obese, and over a quarter worry about their child’s weight, a new survey found.

May 12, 2023 — Adding obesity drugs to weight loss surgery helped patients lose more weight than using either option alone.

May 10, 2023 — A statement from the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology addresses weight bias and stigma from health care professionals as well as patients themselves.

May 5, 2023 — Novo Nordisk’s problems keeping up US supply of Wegovy for weight-loss is back after a brief hiatus, as the company says starter doses will again be in short supply through September.

May 5, 2023 — A growing number of people are turning to anti-obesity injections. According to a new survey from the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) and telehealth company Ro, interest in these treatments is soaring among people living with obesity, despite the lack of public awareness just a handful of months ago.