Pivotal Obesity Trials in 2024: A Conversation with Donna Ryan, MD

"The big news in obesity medicine in 2024 was not so much about weight loss as it was about disease modification."

Several groundbreaking clinical trials in obesity medicine were published in 2024. Which ones stood out? That is a question Patient Care Online asked Donna Ryan, MD, professor emerita at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, LA, and past president of The Obesity Society.

"The big news in obesity medicine in 2024 was not so much about weight loss as it was about disease modification," Dr Ryan told Patient Care. Above, Dr Ryan highlights additional findings from the SELECT clinical trial that showed semaglutide slowed progression of chronic kidney disease and improved cardiovascular health. Dr Ryan also discusses the SUMMIT trial which demonstrated tirzepatide’s ability to reduce hospitalizations and improve symptoms in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.