# We Know Where New Weight Loss Drugs Came From, but Not Why They Work  ## Metadata - Author:: [[Gina Kolata]] - Full Title:: We Know Where New Weight Loss Drugs Came From, but Not Why They Work - Category: #articles - URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/17/health/weight-loss-drugs-obesity-ozempic-wegovy.html?unlocked_article_code=xV9BHgQ5jT0XzkDdxSopD1DrmDnn4qwjmwDOjJbCB_CerPKovFOwUdshjCQZl9PRFkbLHoGVVyMDfqVfoTZBY_6GWmlnt_jhe4alVhwJ9E9LmKTfsbqfDTUGnah_jaEsUsn6xBKyC-x0RuXQG_PZ1abKFLM3uBnJMzamSveIAEthSq5YCG8_Mua9XHff2yjLdxuk5bbJNS4H2ycpNOzVqDdKzYD3I_VCcWcSz3D2sR9M-qdrFGX56EYV6sbRKL5OO-cbu2Od6LQIvkLT1fePFgTMitIHJjRU90p5ErrZV6VRVmdv3gZrqr7_EOF5UqzqLmPsL-E9fOm7Gy4ZA-BM6z3sNaz_tVvZ_7MvyUR-JFYf&smid=url-share ## Highlights > Obesity affects [nearly 42 percent](https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html) of American adults, and yet, Dr. Engel said, “we have been powerless.” Research into potential medical treatments for the condition led to failures. Drug companies lost interest, with many executives thinking — like most doctors and members of the public — that obesity was a moral failing and not a chronic disease. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01h9691cvdk6km8m8dsd3fqgx2)) > Although the drugs seem safe, obesity medicine specialists call for caution because — like drugs for high cholesterol levels or high blood pressure — the obesity drugs must be taken indefinitely or patients will regain the weight they lost. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01h9692fsz3xgrkz0rna1e9b0h)) > But, she added, obesity itself is associated with a long list of grave medical problems, including diabetes, liver disease, heart disease, cancers, sleep apnea and joint pain. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01h9692w7cs1s3jktr6qtbqgcv)) > And [results from a clinical trial](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/08/08/2720343/0/en/Novo-Nordisk-A-S-Semaglutide-2-4-mg-reduces-the-risk-of-major-adverse-cardiovascular-events-by-20-in-adults-with-overweight-or-obesity-in-the-SELECT-trial.html) reported last week indicate that Wegovy can do more than help people lose weight — it also can protect against cardiac complications, like heart attacks and strokes. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01h9693r8spczkd0kq5ch9abcq)) > And, while the stigma of obesity and the cultural stereotype that obese people aren’t trying hard enough to lose weight endures, some experts are optimistic. Now, they say, patients no longer have to blame themselves or feel like failures when they can’t lose weight. > “The era of ‘just go out and diet and exercise’ is now gone,’” said Dr. Rudolph Leibel, a professor of diabetes research at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. “Now clinicians have tools to address obesity.” ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01h9699vd5nq5aa24vq5jspdp1))