Latest news with #AngelaFitch
Boston Globe
11-05-2025
- Health
- Boston Globe
Zepbound beats Wegovy for weight loss in first head-to-head trial of blockbuster drugs
Advertisement 'Two drugs together can produce better weight loss,' said Aronne, who led the study and presented the findings Sunday at the European Congress on Obesity in Spain. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up While tirzepatide won out in what Aronne said many view as 'a drag race of efficacy,' both are important tools for treating obesity, which affects about 40% of American adults. 'The point of these medications is to improve health,' he said. 'The majority of people won't need the most effective medication.' The trial included 751 people from across the U.S. who were overweight or had obesity and at least one other weight-related health problem, but not diabetes. Participants received weekly injections of the highest tolerated doses of Zepbound, either 10 milligrams or 15 milligrams, or Wegovy, 1.7 milligrams or 2.4 milligrams. Advertisement By the end of the trial, those who took Zepbound lost about 20% of their body weight on average, compared with a nearly 14% loss for those who took Wegovy. The tirzepatide group trimmed about 7 inches (17.8 centimeters) from their waist circumference, compared to about 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) with semaglutide. In addition, nearly 32% of people taking Zepbound lost at least a quarter of their body weight, compared to about 16% of those taking Wegovy, the study found. Weight loss was about 6% lower in men than in women in both groups, the authors noted. As participants in both groups lost more weight, they saw improvements in health markers such as blood pressure, blood fat and blood sugar levels. More than three-quarters of patients taking both drugs reported at least one side effect, mostly mild to moderate gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, constipation, diarrhea and vomiting. About 6% of participants taking Zepbound left the trial because of adverse events, compared with 8% of those taking semaglutide. The GLP-1 drugs have become increasingly popular, with at least 1 in 8 U.S. adults reporting their use, according to a 2024 survey by KFF, a independent health policy research organization. Zepbound generated $4.9 billion in global sales last year. Wegovy brought in nearly $8.8 billion (58.2 billlion Danish kroner). Access and affordability have limited wider use of the drugs. Tirzepatide and semaglutide were removed recently from a list of drug shortages by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Both manufacturers recently released programs that cut costs to about $500 per month or less, depending on the dose. Other factors can affect access. This week, CVS Health said Wegovy will become the preferred option on its standard formulary, or list of covered drugs, as of July 1. Zepbound will be excluded. Advertisement It's important to have a range of drugs to treat a disease as widespread as obesity in the U.S., said Dr. Angela Fitch, chief medical officer of knownwell, an obesity care company. Wegovy has been found to cut the risk of serious heart problems by 20%, she noted. A drug may work well for one patient, but not for others. 'We're going to need to use them all just because we have so many patients who need treatment,' she added. AP Health Writer Tom Murphy in Indianapolis contributed to this report.
Business Wire
01-05-2025
- Health
- Business Wire
seca Launches mBCA Alpha to Further Integrate Body Composition Screening into Primary Care
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- seca, the global leader in medical measuring and weighing, today announced the latest addition to its line of advanced body composition analyzers, mBCA Alpha (Alpha), a compact, portable scanner specifically designed for use in a primary care setting. This new product further enhances seca's transformation from a measuring and weighing company to a modern technology-first solutions partner, making body composition screenings more accessible to all providers–not just specialists. Utilizing validated bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), Alpha delivers a complete picture of a patient's body composition in just 24 seconds. seca's Alpha will assist providers in monitoring and flagging health measures such as early signs of excess adiposity, age-related muscle decline, and the total body impact of medications such as GLP-1s. The Alpha scanner is powered by the company's proprietary Analytics 125 platform, granting healthcare providers access to cloud-based reporting, seca's Treatment Tracker, and an app for patients that enables real-time data access. Before the launch of a solution tailored to primary care providers, teams were forced to rely on methods like weight and body mass indexing (BMI) to understand their patients' risk for chronic conditions like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and metabolic syndrome, which been criticized as an outdated, misleading, and even racially biased method of measuring health. Alpha's integration of body composition into primary care allows providers to gather more accurate and previously inaccessible insights into body fat, muscle mass, and visceral fat. This enables care teams to make more data-driven diagnoses, treatment, and long-term health monitoring decisions. 'We are witnessing a clinical transformation as clinicians and patients realize that BMI is no longer enough,' said Nina Crowley, PhD, RD, Director of Clinical Education and Partnerships at seca. 'As the industry shifts toward embracing a longitudinal care model that prioritizes precision, personalization, and prevention, we must ensure teams have innovative solutions that allow them to succeed in the care of their patients. Alpha was built to reflect how today's clinicians work–quickly, accurately, and intuitively.' Alpha and the rest of seca's bioimpedance technology solutions are among the most clinically validated in the world, with 97 percent correlation to a whole-body MRI and 98 percent agreement with the gold-standard 4-compartment model for fat mass. By building its solutions on a foundation of scientific rigor, seca ensures that providers make decisions based on the highest-quality data available. 'As a primary care clinician and obesity medicine specialist, I'm a firm believer in the impact regular body composition screenings can have on patient care,' said Dr. Angela Fitch, Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of knownwell, a primary care company that uses seca's body composition scan for patients at its Boston and Dallas clinics. 'Rather than reference an outdated measurement like BMI, enabling patients to access body composition scans at their primary care appointments can help them engage in more meaningful conversations with their clinicians about their health goals and appropriate next steps to achieve them, resulting in better treatment outcomes.' The launch of Alpha follows the company's introduction of Treatment Tracker, an industry-first solution that integrates a patient's treatment plan with their body composition results on a single platform to monitor clinical interventions, visualize changes, and modify treatment plans in real-time. For more information about seca and its suite of body composition solutions transforming care, please visit About seca seca, the global leader in medical body composition and weighing solutions, empowers healthcare providers with advanced technology that goes beyond weight and BMI to support comprehensive obesity care. With over 185 years of German engineering, seca sets the standard for precision, innovation, and reliability in medical measurement. Trusted worldwide in obesity medicine, bariatrics, and metabolic health, seca's scientifically validated body composition analyzers provide clinicians with key insights into fat mass, muscle mass, and hydration—helping optimize patient outcomes. seca's solutions integrate seamlessly into clinical workflows, ensuring accurate, data-driven care.
