["OBE"]

Obesity is defined by excessive fat accumulation that may lead to complications including systemic inflammation, dyslipidemia, T2D, and CVD. In the US, obesity contributes to more adverse health effects and costs than either smoking or drinking. While diet, physical activity, and behavioral therapy remain cornerstones of weight management, weight loss achieved by lifestyle modifications alone is often limited and challenging to maintain. Pharmacotherapy is indicated as adjunct to diet and exercise in patients with BMI ≥27kg/m2 with a comorbidity or BMI ≥30kg/m2 for sustained weight reduction, but despite increased availability of GLP-1 based therapies, only 2-4% of patients diagnosed with overweight/obesity in the US (<1% globally) have been prescribed GLP-1 treatment, likely due to stigma, tolerability challenges, and limited reimbursement. As prices fall, both injectable and oral formulations become more commonplace, and more therapies reach the marketplace, uptake is expected to rise, accompanied by improvements in glycemic control and CV outcomes.