The New England Journal of Medicine recently published the results of the SELECT Study, giving valuable insights into the complex disease of obesity. The study shows Semaglutide can help prevent heart problems like cardiovascular deaths, strokes and heart attacks in people with obesity.

In response, the country’s leading obesity expert organizations, the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC), the Obesity Medicine Association (OMA), The Obesity Society (TOS), the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), and the STOP Obesity Alliance (STOP), join together to issue the following statement:

“The findings of this scholarly work underscore the importance of recognizing obesity as a chronic and treatable disease and the effects of Semaglutide (Wegovy) in preventing cardiovascular deaths, strokes, and heart attacks in people with obesity.

The results of the SELECT Study not only emphasize the imperative of adopting a comprehensive and personalized approach to obesity care, but the results additionally highlight the need for healthcare professionals, policymakers, and the broader community to implement evidence-based interventions to address obesity. Working together, we seek to develop better standards for obesity care to positively affect individuals impacted by this chronic and relapsing disease.”

The findings from the SELECT Study strongly emphasize the medical advantages of treating obesity, leading to significant implications for health policy. OAC President and CEO Joe Nadglowski said, “These results make it clear that policymakers, insurers, employers, and pharmaceutical companies have a duty to guarantee equitable access to obesity care. Because we now know that these medicines are not only life-changing. They are life-saving.”

We can no longer allow excuses for not allowing people to access treatment that will give them a chance at a healthier, longer life. We must work together to create better standards for caring for people with obesity and make a positive impact on those dealing with the disease.