Northwestern University medical and health economist experts are available to speak to media in response to today's news that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Eli Lilly and Company's obesity-management drug tirzepatide (sold as Zepbound).
While the approval of the drug marks a "step forward," getting this class of drugs to the right patients who need them continues to be the challenge, the experts say. Additionally, the cost of the drugs and the current supply shortage could exacerbate health disparities. Lastly, there can be dangerous side effects for people who don't need to be taking them, the experts say.
"It was approved for the treatment of obesity or overweight with weight-related medical problems; it was not approved for weight loss," said Northwestern Medicine physician Dr. Robert Kushner, who co-authored a study on tirzepatide that was published last month in Nature Medicine. "We are trying to change the conversation around obesity to get away from just weight loss."
The experts:
- Health economist Lindsay Allen, assistant professor of emergency medicine at the Buehler Center for Health Policy and Economics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
- Northwestern Medicine preventive cardiologist Sadiya Khan, the Magerstadt Professor of Cardiovascular Epidemiology and associate professor of medicine (cardiology) and preventive medicine (epidemiology) at Feinberg.
- Robert Kushner, professor of medicine (endocrinology and medical education) at Feinberg.
- Northwestern Medicine cardiologist Sanjiv J. Shah is the Neil J. Stone professor of cardiology at Feinberg and director of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine's Center for Deep Phenotyping and Precision Therapeutics.
