Description

Poorer health outcomes among individuals with overweight and obesity are made more likely and are being exacerbated by their experiencing weight-related stigma in healthcare settings, resulting in shorter office visits, less likelihood of preventive health screening, and fewer appropriate medical treatments.

In this audio activity, Dr. Robert Kushner and Dr. Pamela Kushner review some of the potential biases that healthcare providers may unknowingly harbor related to obesity, and how these perceptions can negatively impact patient care. The faculty provide practical strategies that clinicians can implement to improve communication with their patients with obesity, and discuss methods for keeping patients engaged in obesity care over the long-term.

This activity is designed for primary care providers (MDs/DOs, PAs, NPs), endocrinologists, cardiologists, dieticians/nutritionist, pharmacists, and other members of the multidisciplinary obesity care team.

This activity is supported by an educational grant from Novo Nordisk.

At the conclusion of this activity, participants should be better able to:

• Implement practical interventions to destigmatize obesity, surmount barriers to maintenance of weight loss over the long term, and enhance patient engagement

Faculty

Pamela Kushner, MD, FAAFP
Clinical Professor
University of California at Irvine
Irvine, CA

Dr. Pamela Kushner is a consultant for Abbott, Intuity Medical, Inc., and Phathom Pharmaceuticals and is speaker and consultant for AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly and Company, GSK, and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Robert F. Kushner, MD, MS, FACP, DABOM
Professor, Departments of Medicine and Medical Education
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Director, Center for Lifestyle Medicine, Northwestern Medicine
Chicago, IL

Dr. Robert Kushner is on the advisory board of Novo Nordisk and WW International, Inc., is a consultant for Pfizer Inc. and Altimmune, and has received research funding from Epitomee Medical.

All of the relevant financial relationships listed for these individuals have been mitigated.

Description

In June 2021, the FDA approved a once-weekly, subcutaneous formulation of the GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide for chronic weight management in adults who are overweight or obese and have at least one weight-related comorbidity, making it the first new anti-obesity drug approved in the U.S. since 2014. While pharmacotherapy is an important tool for obesity management, these modalities must be appropriately used, based on the available evidence, established indications, and guidelines for therapeutic outcomes assessment.

In this audio activity, Dr. Pamela Kushner and Dr. Ken Fujioka discuss appropriate obesity treatment goals individualized to the needs of each patient and review the reasons that patients frequently regain weight lost via lifestyle interventions. The faculty take a closer look at the spectrum of available pharmacologic options for obesity treatment and discuss how some of these agents directly target the pathophysiology that underlies the disease, resulting in meaningful weight loss.

This activity is designed for primary care providers (MDs/DOs, PAs, NPs), endocrinologists, cardiologists, dieticians/nutritionist, pharmacists, and other members of the multidisciplinary obesity care team.

This activity is supported by an educational grant from Novo Nordisk.

At the conclusion of this activity, participants should be better able to:

• Describe the underlying pathophysiology of obesity and metabolic adaptations to weight loss
• Apply the most recent evidence-based guidelines for the identification and individualized treatment of obesity in adults and other populations
• Review efficacy, safety, and tolerability data for the full array of available and emerging pharmacotherapies to achieve and maintain clinically meaningful long-term weight loss

Faculty

Pamela Kushner, MD, FAAFP
Clinical Professor
University of California at Irvine
Irvine, CA

Dr. Kushner is a consultant for Abbott, Intuity Medical, Inc., and Phathom Pharmaceuticals and is speaker and consultant for AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly and Company, GSK, and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Ken Fujioka, MD
Director Nutrition and Metabolic Research
Scripps Clinic
Division of Diabetes and Endocrine
San Diego, CA

Dr. Fujioka is a consultant for Novo Nordisk, Gelesis, Nalpropion Pharmaceuticals LLC, Amgen Inc., KVK Tech, Inc, Phenomix Sciences, LLC, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Takeda Pharmaceuticals. He is also on the speakers’ bureaus of Novo Nordisk, Nalpropion, Rhythm, and Takeda.

All of the relevant financial relationships listed for these individuals have been mitigated.

Despite widespread awareness of the potential long-term health consequences of obesity, this chronic disease is not often managed with the determination and urgency that it requires. Poor health outcomes among obese individuals are often exacerbated by weight-related stigma in healthcare settings, as well as lack of knowledge about the safety and efficacy of novel therapeutic options.

This audio activity discusses the importance of early and sustained interventions for patients with obesity, as well as updated guidelines for identification and long-term management. The expert faculty review common obesity comorbidities as well as novel strategies to help patients overcome the metabolic adaptations that make it challenging to keep weight off with lifestyle interventions alone.

This activity is designed for primary care providers (MDs/DOs, PAs, NPs), endocrinologists, cardiologists, dieticians/nutritionist, pharmacists, and other members of the multidisciplinary obesity care team.

This activity is supported by an educational grant from Novo Nordisk.

At the conclusion of this activity, participants should be better able to:

• Describe the underlying pathophysiology of obesity and metabolic adaptations to weight loss
• Apply the most recent evidence-based guidelines for the identification and individualized treatment of obesity in adults and other populations

Faculty

Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH
Executive Director of Interventional Cardiovascular Programs
Brigham and Women’s Hospital Heart & Vascular Center
Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA

Dr. Bhatt has received researching funding from Abbott, Afimmune Limited, Amarin Pharma, Inc., Amgen Inc., AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Bristol Myers Squibb, Cardax Inc., CellProthera, Cereno Scientific, Chiesi USA, Inc., CSL Behring LLC, Eisai, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Ethicon Inc., Faraday Pharmaceuticals, Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc., Forest Laboratories Inc., Fractyl Health, Inc., Garmin International, Inc., HLS Therapeutics, Inc., Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Ischemix, Inc., Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Medtronic PLC, MyoKardia Inc., NirvaMed, Inc., Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., Novo Nordisk, Owkin, Inc., Pfizer Inc., PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals, PLx Pharma Inc., Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Roche Diagnostics Corp. (F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd), Sanofi, Stasys Medical, Synaptic, The Medicines Company, and 89bio, Inc.

Robert F. Kushner, MD, MS, FACP, DABOM
Professor, Departments of Medicine and Medical Education
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Director, Center for Lifestyle Medicine, Northwestern Medicine
Chicago, IL

Dr. Kushner is on the advisory board of Novo Nordisk and WW International, Inc., is a consultant for Pfizer Inc. and Altimmune, and has received research funding from Epitomee Medical.

All of the relevant financial relationships listed for these individuals has been mitigated.

Hypersensitivity reactions to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are some of the most common drug reactions encountered in clinical practice. This program presents a practical approach to the evaluation and treatment of patients with NSAID allergies.

This activity is designed for Allergists/Immunologists, as well as internists and primary care clinicians.

This activity is not commercially supported.

At the conclusion of this activity, participants should be better able to:

Recognize and differentiate between the four common types of acute NSAID-induced reactions

Describe the diagnostic evaluation for NSAID-induced reactions

Assess the safety of selective COX-2 inhibitors in patients reporting NSAID allergy

Discuss the role, safety, and efficacy of aspirin desensitization in patients with significant underlying pulmonary and cardiovascular disease

Explain the current understanding of the mechanisms of NSAID-induced reactions

Speaker

Katherine Cahill, MD

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Medical Director of Clinical Asthma Research

Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Nashville, TN

Dr. Cahill serves as an advisor for AstraZeneca, Blueprint Medicines Corporation, Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., and Sanofi. She is also a consultant for Ribon Therapeutics, Inc., Third Harmonic Bio, Inc., and Verantos, Inc.

All of the relevant financial relationships listed for this individual have been mitigated.