Challenges with Access to Effective Obesity MedicationsChallenges with Access to Effective Obesity Medications Dr. W. Timothy Garvey, associate director of the department of nutritional sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, highlights concerns regarding access to new obesity medications like semaglutide and tirzepatide amidst increased media attention. Media Impact While media coverage raises awareness about these therapies, it also leads to misuse by those who don’t require them for health reasons. This results in shortages, leaving patients with genuine medical needs without access to essential medications. Need for a National Dialogue Dr. Garvey emphasizes the need for a national dialogue to address the inequality in access to GLP-1 drugs. He calls for stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, policymakers, and pharmaceutical companies, to work together to find solutions. Addressing Cost Barriers Cost remains a significant barrier to access. The US pays significantly more for these drugs than other countries, burdening patients and the healthcare system as a whole. Overcoming Stigma Dr. Garvey points out the stigma associated with obesity that contributes to unequal access. Patients with obesity may face reluctance from healthcare providers to prescribe these medications, even when clinically indicated. Call for Collaboration Dr. Garvey stresses the importance of collaboration and good faith to find solutions that ensure fair and equal access to life-saving obesity medications for those who need them most. He believes that by addressing these challenges, society can improve health outcomes and reduce the burden of obesity-related diseases.
W. Timothy Garvey, MD, associate director of the department of nutritional sciences at the School of Health Professions at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, discusses the challenges with access to effective new obesity medications such as semaglutide and tirzepatide. While increased awareness of these therapies is helpful, media reporting has led to shortages as the medications are used by some who may not need them for health reasons. He is calling for a national dialogue to tackle inequality together, without blame, and ensure that anti-obesity medicines are as accessible as other life-saving treatments.
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Q: GLP-1 drugs have recently gained popularity due to reported use by celebrities. How might this media attention impact the perception and use of these medications for patients who need them for medical reasons beyond weight loss?
W. Timothy Garvey: Well, I think this is a double-edged sword in terms of the media presentation of the availability of these highly effective second-generation drugs for the disease of obesity. It increases awareness; it increases awareness of potential therapies that can truly benefit patients’ health and improve their quality of life. At the same time, they’re not really presented to people as therapies for a disease. It’s more of a cosmetic-related weight loss. This leads to people taking medications that they really don’t need, and we have shortages of these medications, so it just means that there are fewer medications available to patients who really need them. I mean, it’s not unusual for doctors to give patients some dose of semaglutide or tirzepatide. When it comes time to increase the dosage to the next level, or to continue with the next month’s dosage, the medications are simply not available, and then you are left with a dilemma about how to manage those patients (and ) what they do about it. It’s just not that ideal, and I think the way the media presents these medications and leads to medications getting into the hands of people who don’t really need them kind of accentuates that shortage. Now there was an Oscars ceremony. I think Jimmy Kimmel was the host, and he made a joke about Ozempic, and the whole audience laughed, which tells me that everyone who attended the Oscars was on Ozempic, and I imagine a lot of the people whose people really did I don’t need it for health reasons, it’s just an example.
Q: Regardless of recent media hype, what steps can be taken to ensure fair and equal access to GLP-1 drugs for patients eligible for the indications?
W. Timothy Garvey: We really need a national dialogue along these lines. (It is not) that there is a segment error. There are, if you like, a number of pillars in society with vested interests in the field of obesity that need to play a role in this. I think as a doctor this is simply an untenable situation. These medications are lifesaving. We know this from the SELECT study, and are we going to prevent patients from gaining access to life-saving medicines? So that’s what we do with statins? So are we going to take statins away from people or are we going to make it difficult for people to get statins? And the same principle, and right now people who could really benefit from these medications don’t have access to them. Part of the reason is certainly cost, and since the people who may need them the most are the individuals who cannot get these drugs. It’s also not fair that I think the US pays up to 15 times more than other westernized countries for this drug, and it’s not just higher costs to the patient; our entire society must bear those higher costs. So we really need to address and tackle all these inequalities seriously. I mean, again, life-saving medications that patients don’t have access to and shouldn’t be an acceptable situation for anyone. I don’t have the answers. I just know we need to talk about it and work together. Not necessarily by blaming each other, but by simply working together in good faith to find solutions.
