8
NEWS
Treating obesity as a disease
Doctors have long been reluctant to
treat obesity as a disease, arguing
that if the element of personal
responsibility is removed, people are
inclined to view their weight gain as
something they can do nothing about,
rather than pro-actively trying to
diet. Now Novo Nordisk is launching a
renewed drive to convince doctors to
chance their attitude which coincides
with a drive to raise interest in its
new Wegovy product, an injectable
form of semaglutide - found in
conjunction with diet and exercise,
to produce significant weight loss in
severely obese people. Semaglutide
acts like human glucagon-like
peptide-1 increasing insulin
secretion, and therefore increasing
sugar metabolism.
Novo Nordisk's report Levelling
Up Obesity Care, points out that
obesity affects more than one in four
adults in England and this number
is expected to rise to over one in
three by 2030. Obesity is not just a
chronic, relapsing and progressive
disease, it is also a gateway disease
linked to 200 serious and lifelimiting
health conditions, from
cancer and cardiovascular disease
to T2D and depression. Its impact
on individuals and families is
substantial, and its cost to
society in terms of healthcare
and lost productivity, amounts
to tens of billions.
The report points out that
specialist NHS obesity services
are only available in about
half the areas in the country
and even then people are
reluctant to access them
because of the guilt and
stigma associated with the condition,
meaning they suffer worse ill health
The healthcare professionals who
contributed to the report are calling
for a reformed approach to weight
management services is needed to
A step forward
Novo Nordisk has launched two smart pens in the UK,
the NovoPen® 6 and NovoPen Echo® Plus. This is the
first time that timing and dose measurement will be
automatically recorded by insulin pens. The innovation
offers the possibility of making life easier for thousands
of people who previously had to rely on their memory. It
comes with an app to transfer the data and will also be
good news for doctors who previously had no means of
tracking a link between insulin dose and outcomes, unless
people were very good about keeping a diary.
This report has been developed,
funded and distributed by Novo
Nordisk. The contents of this report
have been endorsed by Obesity UK
and All About Obesity.
ensure patients access the right care,
at the right time.
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