Latest news with #obesitytreatment
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Weight loss surgery tourism needs urgent regulation, say UK experts
A booming trade in medical tourism for weight loss surgery is placing patients at risk and needs urgent regulation, experts have warned. Despite the growing popularity of injections such as Mounjaro to treat obesity, the number of patients travelling to other countries for surgery is increasing, the latest analysis suggests. And, with the wider medical tourism industry set to be worth about £300bn annually, with anticipated year-on-year growth of 25%, international regulation is urgently needed, according to a commentary in the journal BMJ Global Health. 'We are seeing this ongoing increase, linked to the globalisation of healthcare and long wait lists,' said Dr Jessica McGirr of the University of Medicine and Health Sciences in Dublin and Imperial College London, adding that many are being marketed bariatric surgery through 'before and after' images on TikTok and Instagram. 'Incorrectly, surgery is often marketed from an aesthetic point of view,' McGirr said. 'This is complex surgery for treatment of a chronic disease with potentially significant health complications.' Lengthy NHS waiting lists, typically two years or more from referral, the unaffordable cost of private surgery in the UK and the increasing number of people living with obesity have led to more patients seeking bariatric surgery abroad. The out-of-pocket cost for bariatric surgery done privately in the UK is about £10,000-£15,000, but £2,500-£4,500 in countries such as Turkey, the commentary estimates. However, medical tourism packages rarely cover continued care in the case of complications or long-term nutritional or psychological support. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion 'If you just look at the statistics, there are nearly 4 million people in the UK who meet the Nice criteria for surgery, but we only do around 5,000 cases each year,' said Ahmed Ahmed, a consultant bariatric surgeon at Imperial College healthcare NHS trust and the president of the British Obesity & Metabolic Specialist Society. 'I certainly don't blame the patients. They recognise they have a disease.' 'I don't even blame the surgeons abroad,' Ahmed added. 'They see a gap in the market and they're exploiting it. They're able to supply surgery at a much cheaper price. What I don't like is when we see patients with problems from poorly conducted surgery. That upsets me a lot.' The BMJ commentary calls for the urgent creation of international quality standards for weight loss surgery, including an accreditation process that patients can use to choose high-quality providers abroad. This, McGirr suggested, could be funded by providers. 'There will be resistance to regulating the industry,' she said. 'Undoubtedly, not all centres would seek accreditation or regulation.' Procedures include gastric sleeve surgery, in which the size of the stomach is decreased by more than 70%, and gastric band surgery, which narrows the intestine. Both aim to restrict eating by making a person feel full, leading to a reduction in appetite. Botched surgery can lead to infections, surgical leaks, internal hernias and, in the worst cases, be fatal. Foreign Office figures from March 2024 revealed that at least 28 British people had died since 2019 due to complications from elective medical procedures performed in Turkey, many of which are thought to have been bariatric surgery. Last month, a doctor told the inquest of a 40-year-old British woman who died following weight loss surgery in Turkey in 2024 that he had dealt with more than 100 other patients suffering complications after undergoing similar procedures abroad. However, Ahmed said he had observed a decrease in patients attending A&E with acute complications in the last two years, which he puts down to people choosing to privately fund obesity drug treatments rather than surgery.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Wave Life Sciences Unveils Promising Preclinical Data for Obesity Treatment WVE-007 at ADA Scientific Sessions
Wave Life Sciences Ltd. (NASDAQ:WVE) is one of the best low priced pharma stocks to buy now. From June 20 to 23, Wave Life Sciences presented preclinical data for WVE-007, which is its investigational GalNAc-siRNA targeting INHBE mRNA, at the American Diabetes Association's 85th Annual Scientific Sessions in Chicago. The oral presentation was delivered on June 21 and highlighted WVE-007 as a potential novel and distinct obesity treatment designed to induce healthy weight loss by reducing fat while preserving muscle mass. WVE-007 functions by silencing INHBE mRNA, which in turn reduces the production of Activin E protein. Activin E is a lipolysis suppressor that is upregulated in obesity. By inhibiting Activin E, WVE-007 promotes lipolysis, or fat breakdown. A biotechnology laboratory filled with computers and equipment to support research. Human genetics provides strong support for INHBE as a therapeutic target. Individuals with a protective loss-of-function variant in one copy of the INHBE gene exhibit a healthier cardiometabolic profile, which includes less abdominal fat, lower triglycerides, and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes/T2D and cardiovascular disease/CAD. These individuals also show favorable associations with liver traits, such as reductions in cT1 (reflecting liver inflammation and fibrosis) and ALT (reflecting liver damage), without impacting liver fat. Wave Life Sciences Ltd. (NASDAQ:WVE) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that designs, develops, and commercializes ribonucleic acid/RNA medicines through PRISM, which is a discovery and drug development platform. While we acknowledge the potential of WVE as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the . READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Reuters
5 days ago
- Health
- Reuters
Kailera touts late-stage win for weight-loss drug in China
July 15 (Reuters) - U.S.-based Kailera Therapeutics and Chinese firm Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals' ( opens new tab experimental weight-loss drug has helped overweight patients lose up to 17.7% of body weight in a late-stage study in China, the companies said on Tuesday. Up to 88% of participants who received the drug, known as KAI-9531 outside China, lost at least 5% of their weight after 48 weeks compared to placebo, meeting the study's main goals. The data comes at a time when U.S. drugmakers are increasingly looking to China to secure the rights to promising drug candidates at a lower cost and access important early data that could pave the way for global trials. "As we think about commercial opportunity, this is a really good first look as to what we think we're going to be able to leverage in terms of (obesity treatment) marketplace going forward," Kailera CEO Ron Renaud said. The startup was launched last year with a rare $400 million early-stage funding and four obesity drug candidates licensed from Hengrui, in a move to grab a slice of the obesity treatment market primed to be worth $150 billion by the end of the decade. KAI-9531, administered as a weekly injection, belongs to a the GLP-1 class of treatments that include Eli Lilly's (LLY.N), opens new tab Zepbound and Novo Nordisk's ( opens new tab Wegovy. The drugs work by helping control blood sugar levels and triggering a feeling of fullness. "Where we're really focused is where weight loss matters most, which is in people living with higher BMIs (body mass index)," Chief Commercial Officer Jamie Coleman said. "Today's a lot of clinical need on the table for people who need to lose more than 20% (of weight)." In the study that included 567 participants, a six-milligram dose of the drug led to an average weight loss of 17.7% compared to placebo. The companies said the side effects were mild to moderate and gastrointestinal-related, consistent with similar treatments. Hengrui plans to seek regulatory approval in China, while Kailera will pursue global trials with higher doses and extended treatment durations. Earlier this year, an eight-milligram dose of the drug led to an average weight loss of 22.8% in a mid-stage trial.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wall Street Bets Big on Eli Lilly: New Drugs Could Drive 300% EPS Growth
July 11 -Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) drew attention on Friday after JPMorgan reiterated its bullish stance on the stock, raising its price target to $1,100 and citing strong momentum in the company's obesity treatment portfolio Analyst Chris Schott pointed to continued strength in sales of Mounjaro and Zepbound, with the latter accounting for roughly 75% of new treatment starts despite its removal from CVS Health's (CVS) preferred drug list. JPMorgan said Eli Lilly is enrolling about 500,000 new obesity drug patients per month, and maintains more than 60% share in the category. The brokerage sees long-term growth potential driven by next-gen drugs, including orforglipron, a pill-based GLP-1 treatment in development, and the late-stage candidate retatrutide, referred to as Triple G. Patent coverage into the 2030s reduces risk of near-term exclusivity losses, the note said, adding that earnings could surpass $55 per share by 2030, up from $13 in 2023. Strong pipeline momentum and durable patent coverage continue to bolster investor confidence. Based on the one year price targets offered by 26 analysts, the average target price for Eli Lilly and Co is $967.78 with a high estimate of $1190.00 and a low estimate of $675.00. The average target implies a upside of +22.40% from the current price of $790.65. Based on GuruFocus estimates, the estimated GF Value for Eli Lilly and Co in one year is $1218.37, suggesting a upside of +54.10% from the current price of $790.65. Gf value is Gurufocus' estimate of the fair value that the stock should be traded at. It is calculated based on the historical multiples the stock has traded at previously, as well as past business growth and the future estimates of the business' performance. For deeper insights, visit the forecast page. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wall Street Bets Big on Eli Lilly: New Drugs Could Drive 300% EPS Growth
July 11 -Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) drew attention on Friday after JPMorgan reiterated its bullish stance on the stock, raising its price target to $1,100 and citing strong momentum in the company's obesity treatment portfolio Analyst Chris Schott pointed to continued strength in sales of Mounjaro and Zepbound, with the latter accounting for roughly 75% of new treatment starts despite its removal from CVS Health's (CVS) preferred drug list. JPMorgan said Eli Lilly is enrolling about 500,000 new obesity drug patients per month, and maintains more than 60% share in the category. The brokerage sees long-term growth potential driven by next-gen drugs, including orforglipron, a pill-based GLP-1 treatment in development, and the late-stage candidate retatrutide, referred to as Triple G. Patent coverage into the 2030s reduces risk of near-term exclusivity losses, the note said, adding that earnings could surpass $55 per share by 2030, up from $13 in 2023. Strong pipeline momentum and durable patent coverage continue to bolster investor confidence. Based on the one year price targets offered by 26 analysts, the average target price for Eli Lilly and Co is $967.78 with a high estimate of $1190.00 and a low estimate of $675.00. The average target implies a upside of +22.40% from the current price of $790.65. Based on GuruFocus estimates, the estimated GF Value for Eli Lilly and Co in one year is $1218.37, suggesting a upside of +54.10% from the current price of $790.65. Gf value is Gurufocus' estimate of the fair value that the stock should be traded at. It is calculated based on the historical multiples the stock has traded at previously, as well as past business growth and the future estimates of the business' performance. For deeper insights, visit the forecast page. This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
