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"Diabetes patients think people with obesity are stealing their drug, as it’s currently only approved for the treatment of T2D (though FDA approval for the trea

"Diabetes patients think people with obesity are stealing their drug, as it’s currently only approved for the treatment of T2D (though FDA approval for the treatment of obesity may come as soon as this summer.) People with obesity are angry that obesity isn’t recognized as a disease. And users who can’t afford it say they’ve been abandoned by Big Pharma." Always amazing when an article is verified in real time

bedast 4y ago
It's weird for anyone to "feel abandoned by Big Pharma" when you abused a coupon to get a drug for off-label use, and terms were changed to match its on-label use. Especially when there's versions of these drugs with on-label use for weight loss.
- somehnguy 4y ago
  Why should anyone need to use a coupon in the first place? Just charge a reasonable price, don’t make people jump through hoops for medicine.
  - bedast 4y ago
    Brand new drugs tend to take a while to get on insurance formularies. I believe Mounjaro is still missing in most formularies. Lilly wants people on their drug, not the competition.
    - somehnguy 4y ago
      So just yet another case of the American healthcare/insurance system being absolutely bottom tier in usability, profits for middlemen over all else.
      - spiralx 4y ago
        No, drug approval takes time everywhere with a health care system. Heck I've been on methylphenidate for my ADHD for almost 15 years now, and it's still off-label when prescribed to an adult in the UK according to the NICE.
      - bedast 4y ago
        This is not only an American issue. I've seen people in the UK struggle to get access to treatments and devices through the NHS. Canada tends to follow what the US is doing even though they have their more socialized system. It all tends to be a bit of a mess with brand new drugs and devices. And Mounjaro is new as of last year (approval less than a year ago?).
DangitBobby 4y ago
Did we read the same comment? > If you want a GLP-1 RA (this drug class) for weight loss, go get Wegovy or Saxenda, which are a version of these drugs approved for weight loss for those with a BMI over 30, or wait for the tirzepatide version. Leave the diabetes drugs alone. Definitely think it's forgiveable and even rational to be upset that droves of people are creating shortages of a medicine you need with off-label use, however legitimate.
- wonderwonder 4y ago
  I'm not saying that the feelings are unjustified. I just thought it was interesting to see the article confirmed so quickly. If I needed a medication intendeded for my illness and couldn't get it I would feel the same way.
HyperSane 4y ago
With very few exceptions obesity is simply the result of eating more calories than needed for a long time. Very obese people eat a LOT of food. 10,000 calories/day for years is not uncommon.
- galangalalgol 4y ago
  Thermodynamics obviously holds, but I'm unsure what you implication is. If it is that the obese should simply eat less, that doesn't seem terribly useful though it is completely true.
  - HyperSane 4y ago
    The implication is that obesity is not a disease, it is actually the human body working as intended by storing the excess energy as fat for future use.
- AdrianB1 4y ago
  A friend that is a doctor specialized in metabolic problems told me that around 5% of the cases of obesity have some medical cause, not eating too much. 5% is low, but it is a lot more than "very few exceptions". (Disclaimer: the number is for Europe, I have no idea what is in US)
  - HyperSane 4y ago
    All obesity is fundamentally caused by eating too much because fat contains energy that HAS to come from food.
    - swatcoder 4y ago
      Technically right is the most reliable kind of right, but in this case “too much” means that someone’s body responds differently than expected to the same amount of food. It’s true that the extra stored fat might must come from calories not used or excreted elsewhere, but that might be because their body is very poor at making immediate use of the calories as energy or is unusually efficient at storing energy that might otherwise be used. To put a number to it, a 2000 calorie diet as normally recommended may leave them depleted of energy and increasingly fat. It can take years to discover that kind of “outside the norm” issue, and obesity can easily set in before its recognized let alone addressed. And of course, once obesity does become a part of someone’s life, there’s a whole spiral of challenges that make it hard to overcome. Even moreso when your body doesn’t work normally.

bedast 4y ago

It's weird for anyone to "feel abandoned by Big Pharma" when you abused a coupon to get a drug for off-label use, and terms were changed to match its on-label use. Especially when there's versions of these drugs with on-label use for weight loss.

somehnguy 4y ago
Why should anyone need to use a coupon in the first place? Just charge a reasonable price, don’t make people jump through hoops for medicine.
- bedast 4y ago
  Brand new drugs tend to take a while to get on insurance formularies. I believe Mounjaro is still missing in most formularies. Lilly wants people on their drug, not the competition.
  - somehnguy 4y ago
    So just yet another case of the American healthcare/insurance system being absolutely bottom tier in usability, profits for middlemen over all else.
    - spiralx 4y ago
      No, drug approval takes time everywhere with a health care system. Heck I've been on methylphenidate for my ADHD for almost 15 years now, and it's still off-label when prescribed to an adult in the UK according to the NICE.
    - bedast 4y ago
      This is not only an American issue. I've seen people in the UK struggle to get access to treatments and devices through the NHS. Canada tends to follow what the US is doing even though they have their more socialized system. It all tends to be a bit of a mess with brand new drugs and devices. And Mounjaro is new as of last year (approval less than a year ago?).

DangitBobby 4y ago

Did we read the same comment? > If you want a GLP-1 RA (this drug class) for weight loss, go get Wegovy or Saxenda, which are a version of these drugs approved for weight loss for those with a BMI over 30, or wait for the tirzepatide version. Leave the diabetes drugs alone. Definitely think it's forgiveable and even rational to be upset that droves of people are creating shortages of a medicine you need with off-label use, however legitimate.

wonderwonder 4y ago
I'm not saying that the feelings are unjustified. I just thought it was interesting to see the article confirmed so quickly. If I needed a medication intendeded for my illness and couldn't get it I would feel the same way.

HyperSane 4y ago

With very few exceptions obesity is simply the result of eating more calories than needed for a long time. Very obese people eat a LOT of food. 10,000 calories/day for years is not uncommon.

galangalalgol 4y ago
Thermodynamics obviously holds, but I'm unsure what you implication is. If it is that the obese should simply eat less, that doesn't seem terribly useful though it is completely true.
- HyperSane 4y ago
  The implication is that obesity is not a disease, it is actually the human body working as intended by storing the excess energy as fat for future use.
AdrianB1 4y ago
A friend that is a doctor specialized in metabolic problems told me that around 5% of the cases of obesity have some medical cause, not eating too much. 5% is low, but it is a lot more than "very few exceptions". (Disclaimer: the number is for Europe, I have no idea what is in US)
- HyperSane 4y ago
  All obesity is fundamentally caused by eating too much because fat contains energy that HAS to come from food.
  - swatcoder 4y ago
    Technically right is the most reliable kind of right, but in this case “too much” means that someone’s body responds differently than expected to the same amount of food. It’s true that the extra stored fat might must come from calories not used or excreted elsewhere, but that might be because their body is very poor at making immediate use of the calories as energy or is unusually efficient at storing energy that might otherwise be used. To put a number to it, a 2000 calorie diet as normally recommended may leave them depleted of energy and increasingly fat. It can take years to discover that kind of “outside the norm” issue, and obesity can easily set in before its recognized let alone addressed. And of course, once obesity does become a part of someone’s life, there’s a whole spiral of challenges that make it hard to overcome. Even moreso when your body doesn’t work normally.