The meteoric rise of weight loss drugs means consumers’ nutritional needs are “shifting” which provides new opportunitiesfor food companies, Nestle CEO Mark Schneider told CNBC.
Investors were initially concerned about the popularity of GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy and Ozempic as it was assumed that people on the drugs would consume less food, Schneider told CNBC’s Silvia Amaro.
But that perspective has since changed, he said. “I think what since has emerged is that nutritional needs don’t go away. They’re just shifting. So, you know before, during, after GLP-1 therapy — consumers still have nutritional needs, but they may be different from someone who is not on a weight loss regimen.”
According to Schneider, consumers who are on weight loss medication simply have different nutritional needs. Users of the GLP-1 drugs need to focus more on protein intake to retain muscle mass and ensuring enough vitamins and micronutrients are consumed, he said.
This serves as an opportunity for Nestle to bring science to the table and then “work on what we call companion products, products that really then address some of the specific consumer needs during that treatment,” Schneider said.
Nestle is looking to capitalize on the popularity of the GLP-1 drugs with its “ambitious goal to push the healthier products,” the CEO said.
The GLP-1 drugs will “certainly be an interesting addition to all the other needs that we’re trying to meet in the food industry,” Schneider told CNBC, adding that even as the importance of the drugs grows, they will not become the sole focus for food and drink companies.
While GLP-1 users may look out for products that are tailored to their diet and impacts of the medication such as feeling satiety sooner than before, not all consumers will have the same goals.
“Remember, there’s going to be a lot of consumers out there that are not on an GLP-1 diet. And there is lots of situations where a snack and a chocolate product may still be of a lot of interest. So it doesn’t go away,” Schneider explained.
Consumers will also all be at different life stages, from infancy to the elderly, and therefore have different nutritional requirement that are met with different products, he added.
Even though long-term effects of GLP-1 weight loss treatments are still uncertain and concerns about side effects persist, Schneider said it is important to respond to them as a “major consumer trend.”
The Swiss food and beverage giant announced earlier this month that it was launching Vital Pursuit, a frozen food range that targets those taking GLP-1 drugs. Twelve products are set to hit supermarkets later this year, including pastas, pizzas, and sandwich melts. All meals will include at least one essential nutrient such as calcium or iron.
Foods that are traditionally not linked to weight loss like Pizza will be included to provide consumers with variety, Schneider told CNBC.
“But the most important part is all of them are going to be portion controlled,” he said. “Then the micronutrient status is very important. So we’re adding vitamins to be sure that all the central needs of these consumers are met.”
Nestle is also planning other “companion offerings” for consumers taking weight loss drugs, both in the U.S., where Vital Pursuit products will launch, and elsewhere, Schneider said.
“Some of these products will also make a lot of sense to consumers, if they’re not on a GLP-1 treatment, but another type of weight loss treatment, because the same fundamentals apply, and that is you want to be sure that you’re losing fat and not lean muscle mass and you want to be sure that you don’t develop any vitamin deficiencies,” Schneider said.
Editor’s Note: Katie Hurley, author of “No More Mean Girls: The Secret to Raising Strong, Confident and Compassionate Girls,” is a child and adolescent psychotherapist in Los Angeles. She specializes in work with tweens, teens and young adults.
CNN
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“I have a couple of spots for anyone who wants to lose 20 pounds by the holidays! No diets, exercise, or cravings!”
Ads for dieting and exercise programs like this started appearing in my social media feeds in early October 2022, often accompanied by photos of women pushing shopping carts full of Halloween candy intended to represent the weight they no longer carry with them.
Whether it’s intermittent fasting or “cheat” days, diet culture is spreading wildly, and spiking in particular among young women and girls, a population group who might be at particular risk of social pressures and misinformation.
“My mom is obsessed with (seeing) her Facebook friends losing tons of weight without dieting. Is this even real?” The question came from a teen girl who later revealed she was considering hiring a health coach to help her eat ‘healthier’ after watching her mom overhaul her diet. Sadly, the coaching she was falling victim to is part of a multilevel marketing brand that promotes quick weight loss through caloric restriction and buying costly meal replacements.
Is it real? Yes. Is it healthy? Not likely, especially for a growing teen.
Later that week, a different teen client asked about a clean eating movement she follows on Pinterest. She had read that a strict clean vegan diet is better for both her and the environment, and assumed this was true because the pinned article took her to a health coaching blog. It seemed legitimate. But a deep dive into the blogger’s credentials, however, showed that the clean eating practices they shared were not actually developed by a nutritionist.
And another teen, fresh off a week of engaging in the “what I eat in a day” challenge — a video trend across TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms where users document the food they consume in a particular timeframe — told me she decided to temporarily mute her social media accounts. Why? Because the time she’d spent limited her eating while pretending to feel full left her exhausted and unhappy. She had found the trend on TikTok and thought it might help her create healthier eating habits, but ended up becoming fixated on caloric intake instead. Still, she didn’t want her friends to see that the challenge actually made her feel terrible when she had spent a whole week promoting it.
During any given week, I field numerous questions from tweens and teens about the diet culture they encounter online, out in the world, and sometimes even in their own homes. But as we enter the winter holiday season, shame-based diet culture pressure, often wrapped up with toxic positivity to appear encouraging, increases.
“As we approach the holidays, diet culture is in the air as much as lights and music, and it’s certainly on social media,” said Dr. Hina Talib, an adolescent medicine specialist and associate professor of pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in The Bronx, New York. “It’s so pervasive that even if it’s not targeted (at) teens, they are absorbing it by scrolling through it or hearing parents talk about it.”
Social media isn’t the only place young people encounter harmful messaging about body image and weight loss. Teens are inundated with so-called ‘healthy eating’ content on TV and in popular culture, at school and while engaged in extracurricular or social activities, at home and in public spaces like malls or grocery stores — and even in restaurants.
Instead of learning how to eat to fuel their bodies and their brains, today’s teens are getting the message that “clean eating,” to give just one example of a potentially problematic dietary trend, results in a better body — and, by extension, increased happiness. Diets cutting out all carbohydrates, dairy products, gluten, and meat-based proteins are popular among teens. Yet this mindset can trigger food anxiety, obsessive checking of food labels and dangerous calorie restriction.
An obsessive focus on weight loss, toning muscles and improving overall looks actually runs contrary to what teens need to grow at a healthy pace.
“Teens and tweens are growing into their adult bodies, and that growth requires weight gain,” said Oona Hanson, a parent coach based in Los Angeles. “Weight gain is not only normal but essential for health during adolescence.”
The good news in all of this is that parents can take an active role in helping teens craft an emotionally healthier narrative around their eating habits. “Parents are often made to feel helpless in the face of TikTokers, peer pressure or wider diet culture, but it’s important to remember this: parents are influencers, too,” said Hanson. What we say and do matters to our teens.
Parents and caregivers can model a healthy relationship with food by enjoying a wide variety of foods and trying new recipes for family meals. During the holiday season, when many celebrations can involve gathering around the table, take the opportunity to model shared connections. “Holidays are a great time to remember that foods nourish us in ways that could never be captured on a nutrition label,” Hanson said.
Practice confronting unhealthy body talk
The holiday season is full of opportunities to gather with friends and loved ones to celebrate and make memories, but these moments can be anxiety-producing when nutrition shaming occurs.
When extended families gather for holiday celebrations, it’s common for people to comment on how others look or have changed since the last gathering. While this is usually done with good intentions, it can be awkward or upsetting to tweens and teens.
“For young people going through puberty or body changes, it’s normal to be self-conscious or self-critical. To have someone say, ‘you’ve developed’ isn’t a welcome part of conversations,” cautioned Talib.
Talib suggests practicing comebacks and topic changes ahead of time. Role play responses like, “We don’t talk about bodies,” or “We prefer to focus on all the things we’ve accomplished this year.” And be sure to check in and make space for your tween or teen to share and feelings of hurt and resentment over any such comments at an appropriate time.
Open and honest communication is always the gold standard in helping tweens and teens work through the messaging and behaviors they internalize. When families talk about what they see and hear online, on podcasts, on TV, and in print, they normalize the process of engaging in critical thinking — and it can be a really great shared connection between parents and teens.
“Teaching media literacy skills is a helpful way to frame the conversation,” says Talib. “Talk openly about it.”
She suggests asking the following questions when discussing people’s messaging around diet culture:
● Who are they?
● What do you think their angle is?
● What do you think their message is?
● Are they a medical professional or are they trying to sell you something?
● Are they promoting a fitness program or a supplement that they are marketing?
Talking to tweens and teens about this throughout the season — and at any time — brings a taboo topic to the forefront and makes it easier for your kids to share their inner thoughts with you.
Game-changing anti-obesity medications have posed nothing short of an existential crisis for Weight Watchers parent WW International since they arrived on the scene, but CEO Sima Sistani has been confronting this challenge head-on. Despite an 11% dive in the stock Friday, Morgan Stanley said it thinks the company “has gone through an incredible transformation over the past year,” and named the stock its top pick among small- and mid-cap internet stocks. “Sequence has quickly and profitably become one of the top players in the GLP-1 telehealth space while flipping WW’s GLP-1 bear case to a bull case,” analyst Lauren Schenk wrote in a research note Friday, referring to a telehealth platform WW agreed to buy in March. Sequence gives subscribers access to GLP-1 medications such as Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Ozempic. “With all eyes on the FDA upcoming action for [ Eli Lilly ‘s] Mounjaro/tirzepatide obesity label expansion (expected by [year-end]), there are catalysts that could unlock supply and help Sequence monetize the existing demand,” Schenk wrote. On Thursday, WW reported a deeper-than-expected decline in third-quarter revenue , and warned its annual sales would likely fall to the low-end of its forecasted range. Schenk said the concern about the drop in WW’s average revenue per user “seems overblown” and has created a buying opportunity for the stock. WW shares are up nearly 90% since the start of the year, but have dropped more than 30% over the past month. Schenk’s $13 price target implies the stock could rally 78% from Friday’s close. “We believe the lifetime value of [subscribers] acquired in 3Q was in line to better than expectations, but the cadence of recognizing that value is slightly longer,” she said. Stabilizing core business WW has been focused on stabilizing its core weight loss business. It is closing down its low-margin consumer products business, which sold snack bars, recipe books and other products. Also, during the latest quarter, more members took advantage of lower cost long-term memberships, which hurt revenue. Schenk said these steps are making the company’s marketing spending more efficient, which will help profits. Meanwhile, WW is working to develop Sequence after closing on the deal in April . At the end of the third quarter, it had 45,000 clinical subscribers. There has been huge interest in Novo and Lilly’s new class of appetite-suppressing weight loss drugs, which have proven to help patients shed pounds more quickly and easily. However, access to these drugs has been strained by several factors, including their high cost and limited supply. WW YTD mountain WW shares in 2023 Schenk said she was encouraged by the growth of Sequence subscribers despite the bottlenecks and thinks it bodes well for growth acceleration as shortages subside. This week, Lilly said it expected the Food and Drug Administration remained on track to approve tirzepatide for obesity by the end of the year. The company has been working aggressively to bulk up its manufacturing capacity , having seen the issues Novo Nordisk has had keeping its GLP-1 medications in stock. Since May, Novo has been restricting sales of the lower starting doses of Wegovy to ensure that patients already taking the drug have the supply they need to continue their treatment. Separately, Novo said this week it has been gaining ground in convincing insurance companies to cover the drug , which has a list price of around $1,350 per month. Both developments are a positive for WW’s Sequence business. Schenk estimates that around 6 million current or lapsed WW subscribers would qualify for treatment with obesity medication.
There are countless things about our homeland that Australians miss after moving abroad: the magnificent landscape, the laid-back lifestyle and that endless blue sky, to name a few.
But something as simple as a trip to the supermarket can leave us expats – according to some reports there are an estimated one million of us – feeling desperately homesick.
While some foods are the result of cultural influencessuch as the Chiko Roll,others are uniquely Aussie, like Golden Gaytime ice cream.
And who could forget the most famous of them all, Vegemite, which turns 100 on October 25.
According to the National Museum of Australia, it was invented by chemist CP Callister in Melbourne in 1923 when Australian food manufacturer Fred Walker asked him to create a product similar to British Marmite.
“During the Second World War, Vegemite captured the Australian market. Marmite was unobtainable and the Australian Army supplied Vegemite to its troops,” says the museum in a post highlighting defining symbols of Australia.
“In the 1950s and 60s, despite acquisition by the American company Kraft, Vegemite became a distinctively ‘Australian’ food. It featured in songs, on souvenirs and other popular culture ephemera. Vegemite returned to Australian ownership in 2017 when purchased by dairy company Bega.”
More on this famed brown spread below as we round up the A-Z of Aussie favorites:
Introduced in 1927, this simple dessert is an Australian classic.
Every Australian child grew up singing the famous 1930s jingle: “I like Aeroplane Jelly, Aeroplane Jelly for me!”
The brand’s “Bertie the Aeroplane” mascot was named after inventor Bert Appleroth – a Sydney tram driver who is said to have made the first batch in his bathtub.
Although now owned by an American company, Aeroplane Jelly has hardly changed since grandma was a girl.
Sure, there are plenty of brands of jelly available worldwide, but when it comes time to make a trifle or treat for the kids, Aussie parents can’t resist this familiar favorite.
An Australian variety of mango that isn’t grown anywhere else in the world, the Bowen is considered the best of the best.
It was first discovered in the northern Queensland town of Bowen, hence the name, but is also known as Kensington Pride.
Bigger and juicer than other varieties, Bowen mangoes account for 80% of mangoes produced in Australia. Some are exported but arguably not enough for the huge number of mango-loving expats.
To Aussies, mangoes are the taste of summer. No matter where we are in the world, the craving for a Bowen mango usually kicks in around Christmas.
This strange little deep-fried snack has been an Australian icon since 1950 when it was first sold by an enterprising boilermaker at football games.
Inspired by Chinese spring rolls, the exact recipe is a little unclear but the combination of meat, veg and some unknown spices hits the spot.
Best consumed with a couple of potato scallops and a soft drink, the Chiko Roll is the go-to for tradieson their lunch break or those 3 a.m. munchies on your way home from the pub.
And the only place to get them is a typical Aussie takeaway joint.
Dukkah – a humble blend of crushed Middle Eastern spices, herbs and nuts from Egypt – has been embraced by Australian foodies.
Its versatility is one of the reasons this condiment is so popular. Dukkah can be used as a garnish, a coating on a piece of meat or mixed with olive oil as a dip for bread.
A number of producers have given the basic dukkah recipe an Australian twist by adding native ingredients, such as lemon myrtle, macadamia nuts, wattleseed, saltbush and pepperleaf.
Expats can find many variations in Australian supermarkets and, fortunately, they’re often sold in packets small enough to sneak into a suitcase.
Australia is one of the few countries where it is considered perfectly acceptable to eat the coat of arms.
Exceptionally lean and gamey, emu and kangaroo tend to be popular among adventurous chefs in Australia.
But when living abroad, neither is easy to get your hands on.
A number of restaurants and specialty butchers offer native meats, but the expense involved in raising emus, in particular, means it’s harder to come by.
Thanks to the influx of Greek and Italian immigrants who brought “proper coffee” to Australia post WWII, we have become a nation of coffee snobs.
The flat white is almost Aussie enough to be called the national drink.
All over the world, café goers and baristas have been confounded as Aussie expats seek out their favorite brew abroad.
With less milk than a latte and without the froth of a cappuccino, the flat white requires special attention (it’s all in the pouring).
One of the first questions asked on expat forums: “Where can I get a decent flat white in this town?”
And it’s usually the first thing ordered at the airport café when back on home soil.
Ice creams feature highly on the most-wanted lists of expats, so it’s only natural we highlight them here.
Milky Paddle Pops and fruity Splice have been popular summer treats since the 1960s.
Likewise, Weis Bars have also been around for more than 60 years, and the mango and cream concoctions invoke memories of lazy summer afternoons.
But the number one, the crème de la crème, is the Golden Gaytime – a vanilla and toffee ice cream coated in chocolate and dipped in crunchy biscuit pieces that has inspired many a replica over the years.
While the burger itself is not an Australian invention, we have added some unconventional ingredients that make the Aussie version truly memorable.
Take the essentials – a beef patty, cheese, tomato, lettuce, grilled onions, tomato sauce (ketchup) – and add beetroot, pineapple, a fried egg and bacon, and you have yourself a massive mouthful.
A quick online search reveals variations that include pickled beetroot and spicy mayo, among others, but the classic Aussie burger celebrates simplicity.
It’s easy enough to replicate at home, but nothing beats the experience of ducking into the local milk-bar (café), or fish and chip shop, to enjoy a burger and a milkshake after a day at the beach.
The Iced VoVo – a biscuit covered in pink fondant, raspberry jam and shredded coconut – is a national treasure.
Produced by Arnott’s since the early 1900s, the iconic treat was mentioned by former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in his victory speech after the 2007 election, leading to a spike in sales.
“Friends, tomorrow, the work begins. You can have a strong cup of tea if you want, even an Iced VoVo on the way through. But the celebration stops there,” Rudd said.
Not often found for sale overseas, this sweet treat is one to enjoy with a cup of tea when you’re home visiting mum.
Ask any Australian expat what they miss most about ‘home’ and their list is sure to include at least one type of junk food – the absence of which is felt most keenly at kids’ birthday parties.
Allen’s Lollies (candy) have been around for decades and Minties, Fantales, Jaffas, Snakes and the Classic Party Mix remain as popular as ever.
The Aussie public doesn’t seem to mind that they are all owned by Nestlé, which is headquartered in Switzerland.
Fairy Bread – essentially white bread covered in butter and sprinkles – is another party staple that manages to be devoid of nutrition but highly nostalgic.
On return trips to Australia, expats are known to bulk-buy chocolate bars like Cadbury Cherry Ripes, Caramello Koalas and ever-popular Violet Crumbles.
When it comes to savory junk foods, Smith’s Chips, cheesy Twisties and Nobby’s nuts are synonymous with snacking – and nothing produced overseas comes close.
We tend to lump all Middle Eastern meat-and-pita combos under the heading of “kebab” and be done with it.
Of course, there are subtle differences between doner kebabs, shawarma, souvlaki, and gyros – in both ingredients and quality – depending on the source.
Connoisseurs agree that pork gyros (Greek flatbread filled with rotisserie-roasted meat) found in more legitimate venues around Australia are the best.
Consider the sauce dripping down the front of your shirt an essential part of the experience.
Proving that Aussies love anything with jam and coconut, the lamington is the country’s favorite cake.
Named after Lord Lamington, Queensland’s eighth governor, these delightful squares of sponge cake – dipped in chocolate and coated with coconut – have become nothing short of a culinary icon.
There are entire websites (and an Australian Lamington Appreciation Society) devoted to the origins of the lamington and how to make them. Achieving the right ratio of chocolate, jam and coconut is essential.
There are pies, and then there are Aussie meat pies.
Synonymous with afternoons at the football pitch, brands like Four ‘N Twenty and Vili’s have cornered the market for mass-produced pies.
Small local outfits (like the Bemboka Pie Shop and Harry’s Café de Wheels) are institutions in their own right.
Everyone has a favorite type, whether it’s shepherd’s pie, a floater with peas, cheese and bacon or straight-up meat.
The only requirement? The pie is served piping hot with tomato sauce … and eaten one-handed.
With Four ‘N Twenty now exporting to the United States and parts of Asia, some expats can get their pie fix without venturing too far.
Australia’s love affair with Asian food is no secret, and our northern neighbors strongly influence what we put on our plates.
Even Aussies living in Asia admit to craving “Aussie Chinese” or “Aussie Thai” – dishes that give a nod to the original but are not as authentic as the real thing. In fact, some would say they’re potentially even better.
We’d argue the fresh, high-quality produce and quality meats available in Australia bring out the best in Asian dishes.
It’s fair to say that oysters are an acquired taste, but for those with a penchant for the salty mollusks, Australia produces some of the best in the world.
You’ll find two main species in Aussie waters: rock oysters and Pacific.
As bivalves, oysters filter the water around them and their location dictates their flavor.
The pristine waters along Australia’s coastline provide the perfect conditions for oysters, and they rarely need any accompaniment.
There’s nothing quite like eating these slippery snacks straight off the rocks – export just doesn’t do them justice.
The origins of this meringue-based dessert are hotly contested.
Recent research suggests that the Pav didn’t come from the antipodes at all, but nevertheless it remains a firm favorite.
Meringue, cream and plenty of fruit are the key ingredients, though there are no hard and fast rules about what has to be included.
Expats living in tropical climes often bemoan how challenging it is to get a decent meringue, given humid weather can turn it soft and sticky, so Pavlova is a rare treat.
Q: Quandong and quince
Both the native quandong and the foreign quince lend themselves to some of our favorite condiments and desserts.
Similar to a wild peach, the quandong is incredibly versatile and nutritious and can be made into juice, jam, filling for pies or eaten raw.
The quince is a relative of the apple and pear, and while several varieties are grown commercially in Australia the fruit is best known as the star in Maggie Beer’s quince paste – the only way to eat soft cheese.
Bundaberg Rum, to be more specific. Or just Bundy, as it’s known to locals.
This Australian beverage was created way back in 1888 to deal with an oversupply of molasses in Queensland’s sugarcane region.
Producers believe that it’s the sugar, grown in volcanic soil, that gives Bundy its distinct, rich flavor.
The distillery produces 60,000 bottles a day and the factory was the subject of a National Geographic documentary in 2013.
To say this drop has cult status would be an understatement.
There are so many foods starting with S – smashed avocado, SAO biscuits, sausages – that could represent the land down under.
But Australia’s best produce comes from the sea and expats fondly reminisce about mornings spent at the fish markets picking up the catch of the day before special occasions.
While we’re known to “throw a shrimp on the barbie” there are some creatures that are far more popular.
Barramundi, Balmain or Moreton Bay bugs, abalone, and of course, prawns are just some of the native seafood worth queuing for.
Technically a junk food, Tim Tam biscuits are so famous, so overwhelmingly popular, that they deserve their own spot on this list.
The original Tim Tams are the best: A chocolate-coated sandwich of two malted chocolate biscuits with chocolate cream filling.
Arnott’s, the manufacturers, now export to more than 40 countries around the world, so you can get your fix whether you’re skiing the slopes of Niseko, in Japan, or catching rays on a Tahitian beach.
Uncle Tobys began producing oats way back in 1893. But it wasn’t until the 1970s, when convenience foods started hitting the shelves, that they developed their now famous muesli bars.
The ultimate lunchbox treat or after-school snack, kids had the luxury of choosing not only the flavor, but also the texture.
Many a playground war has been fought over which was best – crunchy or chewy. For the record, we’re firmly in the crunchy camp.
These days the range has grown to include yoghurt and choc-chip toppings. There’s even a lamington flavor.
No round-up of Aussie foods would be complete without this ubiquitous salty brown spread, which turns 100 on October 25.
Twenty million jars of Vegemite are sold each year – that’s one for every Australian citizen.
Now owned by Bega Cheese, there was great joy when the icon returned to Australian ownership several years ago.
No one else quite understands the appeal of our favorite toast topping.
For those living in countries where it’s not yet exported, Vegemite comes in massive 560 gram jars and travel-sized tubes.
While there are similar cereals available around the world, there’s nothing quite like “Australia’s favorite breakfast.”
These small biscuits made from wholegrain wheat are occasionally available in supermarkets overseas, but they generally sell out pretty quickly.
Aussie mums have been known to stock up on them on trips to the motherland.
Best eaten with a little bit of sugar, some chopped banana and a lot of milk, Weet-Bix is promoted as family-friendly health food. But we’d love them even if they weren’t good for us.
Another product of sunny Queensland, XXXX (pronounced four-ex) originated in Victoria in 1878 before moving north, where it is still produced today.
XXXX has endeared itself to Aussies as a great brew and a big supporter of sports and small communities.
It’s not widely available outside of Australia, but if you’re an expat in China or Dubai, you may be able to find it in a bar near you.
Small freshwater crustaceans, yabbies are similar to lobsters – both prized as delicacies.
They’re hardy little creatures, and if you grew up on a farm chances are you spent your summers fishing for yabbies in the local creek.
Yabbies have a lot of meat on them, mostly in the tail and claws, and it tastes sweet and succulent when cooked right.
Expats might find these clawed crustaceans in restaurants, but you’re unlikely to find them in your local supermarket.
The zucchini fritter is yet another delicious byproduct of immigration.
Depending on who you ask, they’re either Turkish and served with yogurt, or Greek, in which case they come with tzatziki.
Either way, olive oil should ooze out when you take a bite.
In some parts of Australia, you can find zucchini fritters at a local takeaway,next to the potato scallops and Chiko Rolls.
These fried pancakes may have more health benefits than your average fried snack, but they are no less delicious.
Two experts see major challenges facing the adoption of new obesity drugs.
Dr. Kavita Patel, a physician and NBC News medical contributor, believes fresh data from Novo Nordisk on Ozempic’s ability to delay the progression of chronic kidney disease is among the strongest supporting evidence for secondary uses of the drug.
However, she considers data supporting the use of obesity drugs for other conditions including Alzheimer’s and alcohol addiction as underdeveloped.
“Those trials … are nowhere near as robust as the data we have on [Novo Nordisk trial] FLOW, on sleep apnea, cardiovascular risks, on diabetes control — double-blind placebo, randomized controlled trials that are incredible,” she told CNBC’s “Fast Money” on Wednesday. “We have a long way to go for that. I’ve seen a lot of miracle drugs before.”
Novo Nordisk halted FLOW on Tuesday. According to the company’s press release, it happened more than a year after an interim analysis showed that Ozempic could treat chronic kidney disease in Type 2 diabetic patients.
As of Friday’s close, Novo Nordisk is up 9.82%since itsannouncement. Its obesity drug maker competitor Eli Lilly is up 5.16% in the same period.
Patel believes efficacy is just one of the major hurdles the medication needs to clear before it can be approved for uses outside of diabetes management.
“We know this drug works really well in diabetics. But there are so many barriers to getting there —including cost, adherence, prescriber rate,” said Patel, who also served as a White House Health Policy Director under President Obama.
Patients opting to use GLP-1 drugs — a group of medications initially designed to control diabetes — for weight management often must pay out-of-pocket.
“Right now, we are seeing active employers, entire states that are declining to cover on the weight loss indication,” Patel said.
If the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves Ozempic for use in Type 2 diabetics with chronic kidney disease, which Patel believes will happen, it could force the hand of insurance companies to expand their coverage of the drug.
“We’ll see a final package of data that will just be so compelling, that it would be wrong not to cover this, because it should be superior to what we have available to us,” she noted. “That is something that I think the insurance companies will have a difficult time [with].”
Mizuho Health Care Sector Strategist Jared Holz also expects challenges related to insurance coverage as more patients begin taking GLP-1 drugs, which could limit overall adoption.
“The payers, at some point, are going to be saying, ‘We get it, but we cannot pay for these at this volume without seeing the benefit, which may be 10 years from now, 20 years from now, 30.’ We have no idea when the offset is going to be,”he also told CNBC’s “Fast Money.”
Holz also pointed out the divide emerging in the health care sector between Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly and their pharmaceutical peers.
“We haven’t seen this kind of valuation disconnect between the peer group, maybe in the history of the sector,” he said.
The growth trend may not be sustainable for Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, based on current supply constraints that have left patients unable to secure dosages.
“The companies can’t make enough, I don’t think, to actually put out revenue that’s going to appease investors, given where the stocks are trading,” said Holz.
A Novo Nordisk spokesperson did not offer a comment due to the company’s quiet period ahead of earnings. Eli Lilly did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
You can’t deny the buzz. Credit Suisse analyst Trung Huynh has combed through social media and is impressed by the awareness — and demand — for GLP-1 medications such as Eli Lilly ‘s Mounjaro. “Although we caution posts may have responder bias, and comments are in the public domain and unconfirmed, nonetheless we have parsed through and curated an archive of the most interesting observations that provide an alternative perspective to traditional data, in our view,” Huynh said in a research note Thursday. Among those observations are reports of other potential benefits that patients taking Mounjaro, or tirzepatide, are seeing. To recap, Mounjaro has been approved as a treatment for type 2 diabetes, but the drug is expected to be cleared by the Food and Drug Administration, possibly by the end of this year, to treat obesity and overweight. Patients enrolled in Lilly’s studies have lost as much as 20% or more of their initial weight when taking the drug, topping results from other available medications. The company is also conducting several additional trials to explore the use of tirzepatide to treat other conditions like sleep apnea. Huynh reported seeing social media posts where people with sleep apnea said they were able to get better sleep quality or discontinue the use of a CPAP machine after losing weight on Mounjaro. Others taking the drug reported benefits such as a reduction in addiction behaviors such as smoking, drinking, gambling and shopping, among other things. “Although relatively unsurprising given the literature suggests GLP agonism suppresses hedonic food intake through the brain reward pathway, we are very interested in the potentially far-reaching effect beyond obesity and T2D,” Huynh said. He noted that other comments suggested uses for the drug to treat infertility and polycystic ovary syndrome, a condition that has a 50% to 60% overlap with obesity. Although Lilly hasn’t said it’s exploring this indication, Novo Nordisk — which has a rival GLP-1 medication, semaglutide — has registered a new study to evaluate this. The biggest point of caution is that social media chatter suggests that health insurance providers are becoming more restrictive with reimbursement. However, this may be a function of patients who are trying to use Mounjaro off-label for obesity, he said. GLP-1 medications carry hefty price tags. To assist with payments, Lilly is offering a $575 copay coupon that expires at the end of the year, Huynh said. Credit Suisse has an outperform rating on Lilly shares, with a $490 price target, which implies more than 9% upside from where Lilly shares closed Wednesday. LLY YTD mountain LLY in 2023 — CNBC’s Michael Bloom contributed reporting.
Adults in their 20s and 30s with mental disorders have a higher chance of having a heart attack or stroke, according to a new study.
The study published Monday in the European Journal of PreventiveCardiology looked at the health data of more than 6.5 million people through the Korean National Health Insurance Service database.
The people included in the newstudy ranged in age from 20 to 39 and underwent health examinations between 2009 and 2012. Their health was monitored until December 2018 for new onset heart attacks and stroke.
About 13% of participants had some type of mental disorder — which included insomnia, anxiety, depression, somatoform disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorder, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or a personality disorder, according to the study.
Those people younger than40 with a mental disorder were 58% more likely to have a heart attack and 42% more likely to have a stroke than those with no disorder, the study found.
“We have known for some time that mental health and physical health are linked, but what I find surprising about these findings is that these links were observable at such a young age,” said Dr. Katherine Ehrlich, an associate professor of behavioral and brain sciences at the University of Georgia. Ehrlich was not involved in the research.
Coronary arterial disease and heart attacks are rare before the age of 40, so a study as large as this onewas needed to see the relationship between mental health and such an unusual occurrence in young people, she said.
Ehrlich said she would like to know more about the physical activity and diets of the people involved to understand better if those factors have an influence on the relationship between mental health conditions and heart attack and stroke.
“For example, if you are chronically depressed, you may struggle to maintain a healthy diet and get adequate physical activity, which might in turn increase your risk for cardiac events over time,” she said.
But the increased risk could not be attributed to lifestyle differences alone, as the authors controlled for factors including age, sex, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, metabolic syndrome, chronic kidney disease, smoking, alcohol, physical activity and income, the study said.
That doesn’t mean lifestyle should be ignored, however, said study authorDr. Eue-Keun Choi, a professor of internal medicine at Seoul National University College of Medicine in South Korea.
“While lifestyle behaviours did not explain the excess cardiovascular risk, this does not mean that healthier habits would not improve prognosis,” Choi said in a statement. “Lifestyle modification should therefore be recommended to young adults with mental disorders to boost heart health.”
One in eight people between ages 20 and 39 studied had some sort of mental illness, meaning a substantial number of people could be predisposed to heart attack and stroke, study author Dr. Chan Soon Park, a researcher at Seoul National University Hospital in South Korea said in a statement.
That could point to a greater need for managing psychological conditions and monitoring heart health in those at risk, Park added.
“If we can reduce the number of people living with chronic mental illness, we may find secondary benefits in future years regarding the number of people managing cardiac-related conditions,” Ehrlich said.
It is important to note that the findings do not show that mental illness causes heart attacks or stroke, she added. But the research does indicate a risk factor to watch out for.
There may be benefit in preventive measures to minimize risks, Ehrlich said, which can include maintaining a healthy diet and incorporating physical activity.
Choi recommends that people with mental health conditions receive regular checkups as well.
These findings may also emphasize the importance of addressing loneliness, she added.
“Many individuals with mental illness suffer from social isolation and loneliness, and for years researchers have been sounding the alarm that loneliness is detrimental for physical health,” Ehrlich said.
“Efforts to improve social connectedness among young people may be critical to addressing the rising rates of cardiometabolic conditions in adulthood,” she added.
Advisers to the World Health Organization will consider next month whether to add liraglutide, the active ingredient in certain diabetes and obesity medications, to its list of essential medicines.
The list, which is updated every two years, includes medicines “that satisfy the priority health needs of the population,” WHO says. “They are intended to be available within the context of function health systems at all times, in adequate amounts in the appropriate dosage forms, of assured quality and at prices that individuals and the community can afford.”
The list is “a guide for the development and updating of national and institutional essential medicine lists to support the procurement and supply of medicines in the public sector, medicines reimbursement schemes, medicine donations, and local medicine production.”
The WHO Expert Committee on the Selection and Use of Essential Medicines is scheduled to meet April 24-28 to discuss revisions and updates involving dozens of medications. The request to add GLP-1 receptor agonists such as liraglutide came from four researchers at US institutions including Yale University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
These drugs mimic the effects of an appetite-regulating hormone, GLP-1, and stimulate the release of insulin. This helps lower blood sugar and slows the passage of food through the gut. Liraglutide was developed to treat diabetes but approved in the US as a weight-loss treatment in 2014; its more potent cousin, semaglutide, has been approved for diabetes since 2017 and as an obesity treatment in 2021.
The latter use has become well-known thanks to promotions from celebrities and on social media. It’s sold under the name Ozempic for diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss. Studies suggest that semaglutide may help people lose an average of 10% to 15% of their starting weight – significantly more than with other medications. But because of this high demand, some versions of the medication have been in shortage in the US since the middle of last year.
The US patent on liraglutide is set to expire this year, and drugmaker Novo Nordisk says generic versions could be available in June 2024.
The company has not been involved in the application to WHO, it said in a statement, but “we welcome the WHO review and look forward to the readout and decision.”
“At present, there are no medications included in the [Essential Medicines List] that specifically target weight loss for the global burden of obesity,” the researchers wrote in their request to WHO. “At this time, the EML includes mineral supplements for nutritional deficiencies yet it is also described that most of the population live in ‘countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight.’ “
WHO’s advisers will make recommendations on which drugs should be included in this year’s list, expected to come in September.
“This particular drug has a certain history, but the use of it probably has not been long enough to be able to see it on the Essential Medicines List,” Dr. Francesco Blanca, WHO director for nutrition and food safety, said at a briefing Wednesday. “There’s also issues related to the cost of the treatment. At the same time, WHO is looking at the use of drugs to reduce weight excess in the context of a systematic review for guidelines for children and adolescents. So we believe that it is a work in progress, but we’ll see what the Essential Medicines List committee is going to conclude.”
