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FDA Approves Lilly's Zepbound (Tirzepatide) for Chronic Weight Management

investor.lilly.com

71–80 of 95 posts

Re: FDA Approves Lilly's Zepbound (Tirzepatide) for Chronic Weight Management

#71
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It should also be noted that during those original studies significant weight loss was observed, which is why doctor's were prescribing tirzepatide off-label. Also just like Ozempic/Wegovy, Mounjaro is still indicated for type 2 diabetes. Zepbound will be the weight loss drug.

Can people still get insurance to cover stuff like Ozempic (generic or otherwise) even if its technically prescribed off-label?

Depends upon the insurance.

The doctor can certainly prescribe it though.

Re: FDA Approves Lilly's Zepbound (Tirzepatide) for Chronic Weight Management

#72
post #69
post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hunger is caused by not enough glucagen-like peptides (GLP-1, etc) being distributed to the brain from the gut. Obesity is not so much a food "addiction" as it is the body's failure to properly regulate it's own fullness. I've heard this called "food noise" by those who are obese. GLP-1 agonists reduce the so called food noise -- that's all it does. In that light your argument is like trying to tell schizophrenics, "…

Fully agree with you. I think the unknown that still remains is why that noise is created. It must be related to modern food processing, besides the abundance of food.

I don't necessarily agree with that premise it's modern food processing.

The evolutionary human condition was primarily hunger. Animals fought over food. Humans fought, went to war over it. Nature has been that way for millions of years.

So now only in the past 100 years food has become abundant. Do you expect our evolution to change with it to be that quick too? That's really only 4 or 5 generations.

One data point here. In the 1700's, 1800's the rich were the ones that were fat, because they were the ones that had the abundance.

Re: FDA Approves Lilly's Zepbound (Tirzepatide) for Chronic Weight Management

#73
post #12

This is definitely a historic moment in US public health. Today we look at photos and marvel at how prevalent smoking was 50 years ago (in restaurants, in hospitals, in airplanes, etc.). 40 years from now people will look at photos from the last decade and be in disbelief at how widespread obesity was.

How? You give an obese person a pill and they shrink. They will go back to obese when they stop taking the pill and resume the diet and lifestyle that got them obese to begin with.

What we need is a radical change in the food we eat and how we live our lives. It's easier than ever to not move all day. Sugar in one form or another is our primary diet. These problems won't go away.

Re: FDA Approves Lilly's Zepbound (Tirzepatide) for Chronic Weight Management

#74
post #72
post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fully agree with you. I think the unknown that still remains is why that noise is created. It must be related to modern food processing, besides the abundance of food.

I don't necessarily agree with that premise it's modern food processing. The evolutionary human condition was primarily hunger. Animals fought over food. Humans fought, went to war over it. Nature has been that way for millions of years. So now only in the past 100 years food has become abundant. Do you expect our evolution to change with it to be that quick too? That's really only 4 or 5 generations. One data point…

That doesn’t explain the discrepancy between USA and other regions of the world where obesity rates are much lower but food is equally abundant.

Re: FDA Approves Lilly's Zepbound (Tirzepatide) for Chronic Weight Management

#75
post #12

This is definitely a historic moment in US public health. Today we look at photos and marvel at how prevalent smoking was 50 years ago (in restaurants, in hospitals, in airplanes, etc.). 40 years from now people will look at photos from the last decade and be in disbelief at how widespread obesity was.

How? You give an obese person a pill and they shrink. They will go back to obese when they stop taking the pill and resume the diet and lifestyle that got them obese to begin with. What we need is a radical change in the food we eat and how we live our lives. It's easier than ever to not move all day. Sugar in one form or another is our primary diet. These problems won't go away.

> What we need is a radical change in the food we eat and how we live our lives.

That for sure would obviate the need for such pharmaceutical countermeasures, but achieving such radical change would be very difficult and time consuming. I'm glad we have some options to improve the quality and quantity of peoples lives while we work on that.

Re: FDA Approves Lilly's Zepbound (Tirzepatide) for Chronic Weight Management

#76
post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can people still get insurance to cover stuff like Ozempic (generic or otherwise) even if its technically prescribed off-label?

Depends upon the insurance. The doctor can certainly prescribe it though.

Do you think there's a way to "compel" this availabillity by litigation via best practices or medical recognition of what the FDA recognizes as "Gold standard" for medications?

Re: FDA Approves Lilly's Zepbound (Tirzepatide) for Chronic Weight Management

#77
post #24
post #12

This is definitely a historic moment in US public health. Today we look at photos and marvel at how prevalent smoking was 50 years ago (in restaurants, in hospitals, in airplanes, etc.). 40 years from now people will look at photos from the last decade and be in disbelief at how widespread obesity was.

It also hopefully opens up the door to responsibly talk about how obesity will shorten your life significantly. There isn't a concept of "healthy obesity" when you look at your body's bloodwork. My buddy lost a friend who was only 38 due to complications from morbid obesity. It was tragic. Cheap, effective interventions like this are incredible for our future populace.

Sadly that "healthy obesity" or HAES (Healthy At Every Size) people are very much against this or any kind of weight loss. It kind of undermines their whole movement.

I want to point out, I disagree with the HAES people, you are not healthy at every size.. you're going to have some people who are more healthy than others regardless of some amount of weight... But not obesity, not that size.

Re: FDA Approves Lilly's Zepbound (Tirzepatide) for Chronic Weight Management

#78
post #12

This is definitely a historic moment in US public health. Today we look at photos and marvel at how prevalent smoking was 50 years ago (in restaurants, in hospitals, in airplanes, etc.). 40 years from now people will look at photos from the last decade and be in disbelief at how widespread obesity was.

How? You give an obese person a pill and they shrink. They will go back to obese when they stop taking the pill and resume the diet and lifestyle that got them obese to begin with. What we need is a radical change in the food we eat and how we live our lives. It's easier than ever to not move all day. Sugar in one form or another is our primary diet. These problems won't go away.

What I do hope these drugs do, is offer people ways to get themselves into healthier lives. One of the things I hear/read all the time is how "people just need to stop eating bad" or some such.. it's practically your comment here.

The issue with that thinking is it's super black and white, that willpower alone is the cure to weight loss.

So let's do a little thought experiment , what about all those naturally thin people, like really thin.. they can eat what they want and remain thin, find it hard to put on muscle. If it's really really hard for them to gain weight... Then isn't the inverse also true? Aren't there also people who are trying to do everything they can but for similar get inverted reasons just cannot lose weight?

The problem with relying on willpower alone is there's a finite amount of it.

Yes, for some people they have terrible willpower, they have terrible diets, and they do not work out. But they aren't the only ones. There's definitely others who are trying but failing... And you can only fail for so long before you give up.

So going back to my first point. I hope these drugs enable a new option, to get them past a certain point where they can lose weight without the failure... Begin to make better choices... Gain more confidence and willpower.

Re: FDA Approves Lilly's Zepbound (Tirzepatide) for Chronic Weight Management

#79
post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Obesity is being changed from a willpower problem to a chronic disease that is treatable It's absolutely a willpower problem. These medications won't fix that for you. You stop taking them and you will gain weight again.

Hunger is caused by not enough glucagen-like peptides (GLP-1, etc) being distributed to the brain from the gut. Obesity is not so much a food "addiction" as it is the body's failure to properly regulate it's own fullness. I've heard this called "food noise" by those who are obese. GLP-1 agonists reduce the so called food noise -- that's all it does. In that light your argument is like trying to tell schizophrenics, "…

I can speak to the food noise.

I hit my 30's, and became a dad, I lost my ability to run as much as I did. Now a decade later that's changed. But in that time I gained a lot of weight. I started running again. I'm a distance type of runner so I'm talking 6-15km a day, 6-7 days a week.

With that out of the way. After doing that for 6 months I was wondering WHY am I not losing weight? Like basically nothing. I counted every calorie, kept myself in a caloric deficit, used a TDEE spreadsheet to keep readjusting my daily caloric needs. Nothing was working.

Went to the doctor, he did blood work, it was all pretty much normal for someone obese. He asked me how hungry I am. I said I'm constantly hungry and it's just willpower alone that keeps me from eating, unless I had a drink, so I usually refused to drink.

I was put on Ozempic/Wegovy.

Pretty much two weeks later, I stopped thinking about food. Gone. Just gone. Before I would wake, and I'd be planning every meal.. when, what. How much, etc. If anything got in the way of a meal, I would be super irate. I was counting down seconds... Every single thought in my head was food.

Now gone.

I sometimes forget to eat.

So yeah. Food noise is real, and it suuuucks.

Side note: the weight loss helped my running a lot! And the weight loss seems to have stalled... But I don't care. I'm just happy to have this extra energy from not thinking about food every second of every day. :)

Re: FDA Approves Lilly's Zepbound (Tirzepatide) for Chronic Weight Management

#80
post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Obesity is being changed from a willpower problem to a chronic disease that is treatable It's absolutely a willpower problem. These medications won't fix that for you. You stop taking them and you will gain weight again.

Long-term success numbers on 10-year weight loss are abysmal. Everyone gains it back. Eating right, exercising, taking this medication - if you stop any of these, yes, you will gain back weight.

I'm on Wegovy, I'm told it will be for 2 years max... Then I'm weaned off it. My biggest fear is when I come off, the hunger and food noise returns.

I would happily continue to be on this med for the rest of my life, side effects and all.

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