Charleston Reporter

The upsides and downsides of blockbuster weight loss drugs

With another blockbuster weight loss medication poised to come on the market this year, the director of the Medical University of South Carolina’s Weight Management Center sat down with MUSC Catalyst News to talk about:

• The remarkable percentage of pounds dropped by people using the new weight loss drug tirzepatide in clinical trials.
• Other drugs already on the market, Wegovy and Saxenda, that have made a splash.
• How their popularity is causing medication supply shortages for people with Type 2 diabetes.
• Who qualifies for the prescription weight loss medications.
• Their side effects and costs.

That’s a lot of ground to cover, but Patrick O’Neil, Ph.D., is more than up to the task. In addition to leading the Weight Management Center in the MUSC Health and Wellness Institute in Mount Pleasant, he’s a professor in the College of Medicine at MUSC and a former president of The Obesity Society. O’Neil also studies and leads clinical trials on medications and treatments designed to help people manage their weight – including one drug discussed in this article.

Original source can be found here