ObesityWeek 2022 is the largest international conference on obesity, with over 100 sessions, and coincides with the 40th anniversary of the Obesity Society. Being held Nov. 1-4, it is a hybrid meeting that participants can attend onsite in sunny San Diego or virtually.
“The meeting offers a wide perspective, from basic science, all the way to public policy on studies of treatment and prevention of obesity,” program planning chair for ObesityWeek, Kelly C. Allison, PhD, said in an interview.
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The Presidential Plenary session on Nov. 1 will kick off the meeting with “a series of 10-minute rapid talks on cutting-edge topics in the field,” noted Dr. Allison, who is also director, Center for Weight and Eating Disorders, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and professor of psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, both in Philadelphia.
Among others, Ania M. Jastreboff, MD, PhD, will speak about “New developments in anti-obesity pharmacotherapy,” and Theodore K. Kyle, RPh, MBA, will discuss “Reducing barriers to treatment: Insurance coverage.”
“We’re seeing some pretty effective antiobesity medication, but still they are not being covered by many insurances,” said Dr. Allison. Some clinicians might be hesitant to prescribe antiobesity medications, remembering older drugs that were pulled from the market for health concerns, and some patients may also have concerns, she speculated. There is a need for greater education about the current antiobesity drugs.
In his presidential address, Dan Bessesen, MD, professor of medicine at the University of Colorado at Denver, Aurora, will discuss “Regulation of body weight and adaptive responses to weight loss.”
Pediatric obesity is a major focus of this year›s conference too, Allison noted.
At 8 a.m on Nov. 3, The Obesity Society, the World Obesity Federation, the European Association for the Study of Obesity, and Obesity Canada will present a joint symposium, “International innovations in pediatric obesity,” with speakers from Canada, Australia, and Ireland discussing ongoing paradigm shifts in the prevention and treatment of pediatric obesity.
Two hours later, at a joint symposium by the American Academy of Pediatrics/The Obesity Society, attendees will get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the new AAP Obesity Clinical Practice Guideline for children and adolescents with obesity.
The conference tracks reflect the broad scope of this event: Track 1: Metabolism and Integrative Physiology; Track 2: Neuroscience; Track 3: Interventional and Clinical Studies; Track 4: Population Health; Track 5: Clinical/Professional Practice; Track 6: Policy/Public Health, and a subtrack: Eradicating Treatment Barriers.
Dr. Allison highlighted the following oral presentations and posters about antiobesity drugs:
- “Once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide 2.4 mg in adolescents with overweight or obesity,” with an extended Q&A session, Nov. 2.
- “Clinical outcomes with medication use in tertiary pediatric weight management program,” by Enayet and colleagues. Poster 030.
- “The metabolically healthy obese paradigm and liver fat content in the Fels longitudinal study,” by Garza and colleagues Oral 055, Nov. 2.
- “Phase 3 clinical trial of metformin for treatment of COVID-19 in adults with overweight and obesity,” by Bramante and colleagues. Oral 067, Nov. 3. This trial was published in the (N Engl J Med. 2022;387:599-610).
- “Glucagon/GLP-1 receptor dual agonist BI 456906 reduces bodyweight in patients with type 2 diabetes,” by Rosenstock and colleagues. Oral-063, Nov. 3.
- “A randomized controlled trial of naltrexone and bupropion and behavior therapy for binge-eating disorder,” by Grilo and colleagues. Oral 066, Nov. 3.