Nikhil V. Dhurandhar, PhD on Obesity

Obesity is already taking a toll on our society, both on personal and economic levels. More than one-third (about 35.7%) of American adults are affected by obesity, a serious disease that is tied to more than 30 other health conditions, including heart disease and cancer. Many of these comorbid conditions require regular doctor’s visits, multiple medications for treatment, and hospitalizations, contributing approximately $190 billion per year to healthcare costs in the United States. This includes direct costs like preventive health care, diagnostic tests and treatment services, as well as indirect costs that affect employers, like absenteeism and lack of productivity.
The high costs related to obesity continue to increase. In a 2010 report, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that nearly 20 percent of the increase in U.S. health care spending from 1987 to 2007 was due to obesity. And, according to a Harvard University study, if the trend continues, obesity-related medical costs in the U.S. could increase by between $43 billion and $66 billion per year through 2030. This is an unsustainable upward trend in medical expenses related to a treatable, and sometimes preventable disease. Action is desperately needed to prevent a continued increase in spending on comorbid conditions by treating obesity first, as advocated in the new pharmacological guideline for obesity treatment.
Today, healthcare providers have very few tools for obesity treatment, particularly when compare...

Source: PHRMA - January 21, 2015 Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Emily Source Type: news