Startup Noom says it helps members lose weight by tracking meals and promoting healthy habits. Now, the company is going one step further and launching a program that can prescribe a new generation of popular weight-loss drugs.
the most recent company Announcing the launch of Noom Meda new program aimed at helping certain members lose weight with the help of anti-obesity drugs like Wegovy.
“We’ve always looked at weight as a proxy for treating other chronic conditions,” says Linda Anegawa, chief physician at Noom and board-certified member of the Board of Medicine in Obesity Medicine and Internal Medicine. says. She said the program’s telemedicine services and personalized tools “should really help people achieve lasting weight loss and improved health.”
It’s the latest sign that a new generation of medicines is changing the way the diet industry operates. WeightWatchers announced in March that it would allow members to request weight loss pills, and Jenny Craig confirmed it earlier this month. go out of business The competition from weight loss drugs is intensifying.
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How does Noom Med work?
Noom Med users first undergo a clinical examination and health assessment by a doctor or nurse. The results enable clinicians to create care plans that are aligned with their health goals.
Through the program, medically qualified users can receive prescriptions for GLP-1 agonists and other anti-obesity drugs, a group of drugs such as Mounjaro, Wegovy, and Ozempic that amplify the natural signals between the stomach and brain that indicate satiety. are eligible to receive .
Noom CEO Saeju Jeong said the goal is to help patients avoid chronic diseases, extend their lifespan and “increase their ability to enjoy life” through weight loss. According to a news release on Wednesday.
How much does Noom Med cost?
Noom Med memberships are $49/month and are only available to Noom Weight members.
Noom Weight members should start with a 4-month subscription prepaid at $169 as an auto-renewing plan, or about $42 per month. Subsequent subscription plans Plans range from $70 monthly auto-renewing to $209 yearly auto-renewing plans.
Noom’s membership fee does not include GLP-1 drugs, which can cost over $1,000 per month. While this drug is usually covered by insurance for diabetics, the same is not true for people using injections to lose weight.
Pharmaceutical companies are lobbying insurance companies such as Medicare to pay for weight-loss drugs.
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Who is Noom Med for?
Noom Med is available to Noom Weight members with a BMI of 30 or higher, or members with a BMI of 27 or higher if they have a weight-related medical condition such as type 2 diabetes.
According to BMI criteriabelow 18.5 is considered underweight, 18.5 to 25 is normal weight, 25 to 30 is overweight, and over 30 is obese.
But Anegawa acknowledges that BMI “is not a perfect barometer of someone’s health” because it does not distinguish between muscle and fat. can produce distorted results. That’s why Noom has members take metabolic blood tests and have face-to-face video conferences with clinicians before they qualify for medication.
“All of these different things help us to develop a proper individualized treatment plan and to make sure that if drugs are used, they are used properly and safely,” Anegawa said. . “Not everyone with a high BMI needs medication, nor does they necessarily need to lose weight.”
What medications does Noom prescribe?
Anekawa said Noom Med offers a variety of weight-loss drugs, including GLP-1 drugs.
The GLP-1 drug class includes Ozempic and Mounjaro, prescribed to treat diabetes, and Wegovy, made by Novo Nordisk, which is approved to treat weight loss. This drug is administered by weekly self-injection.
Novo Nordisk said it was again having trouble keeping Wegoby in stock after spending much of last year fixing supply problems. The company has stopped advertising the drug and will not be able to meet the demand. Escalating dose, The initial low dose starts at 0.25 milligrams to minimize side effects. Patients are gradually increased to a maintenance dose of 2.4 mg.
“We expect many patients will have difficulty filling Wegovy prescriptions at these doses through September 2023,” Alison Schneider, the company’s director of media relations and problem management, said in an email. Stated.
When Novo Nordisk implemented a similar policy last year aimed at preventing new patients from starting treatment, some patients simply started on higher doses and experienced nausea, vomiting and other gastrointestinal problems. There was a risk of side effects of
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“We understand how frustrating this situation is for the communities we serve and appreciate your patience as we continue to meet the tremendous demand for Wegovy.” wrote Schneider. “Please know that our commitment to the obese community is long-term and we are investing heavily to build our capacity to meet this growing demand.”
Demand for Wegovy is soaring, with a 568% increase in the number of filled prescriptions in the first four months of 2023 compared to the same period last year, according to prescription savings service SingleCare.
Novo Nordisk again this week Released in tablet form The same drug found in Wegovy, commonly called semaglutide, can be compared to weekly injections and can reduce body weight by 15%.Journal JAMA Network Open published a study This week showed that Pfizer’s experimental twice-daily tablets, which also act on GLP-1, can safely cause significant weight loss in people with type 2 diabetes.
Do Weight Loss Medications Work?
This new class of drugs, originally developed for the treatment of diabetes, has been shown to be effective enough to reduce excess weight by 15% to 20%. greatly improve health problems such as diabetes and heart problems.
However, there are concerns that they could become a problem in the long term.
Common side effects include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and constipation.One real-world study found that nearly half of people who were using previous-generation GLP-1 drugs for diabetes quit within a year Meanwhile, approximately 4% of clinical trial participants stopped taking Wegovy due to side effects.
So far, studies have followed users for only two years, so it’s unclear whether the drug can sustain weight loss in the long term, or whether additional side effects develop later. Doctors say patients are likely to regain the weight they lost once they stop taking the drug.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration also warns These drugs have a small risk of serious side effects, but may increase the risk of thyroid cancer, acute pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, hypoglycemia, kidney damage, damage to the retina of the eye, and suicidal thoughts and actions. .
Doctors say users should continue to exercise and eat well to improve their health.
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Health Benefits of Weight Loss?
significant weight loss, commonly associated with improved health.
“Even a weight loss of as little as 5% to 10% can have significant health benefits,” said Laura Montour, co-director of the Center for Weight Loss and Metabolic Surgery at the University of Washington School of Medicine. “So these drugs are game-changing.”
But health experts also point out that a high BMI does not mean that a person is inherently unhealthy. Example: Thin people can have high blood pressure, but many people who are medically considered obese do not have high blood pressure.
It is not yet clear whether weight-loss drugs improve patients’ well-being, and studies suggest that cycles of losing and gaining weight are more likely to cause health harm than gaining extra pounds. increase.
