• Indiana: Last week, Eli Lilly announced that its experimental oral GLP-1 medication, orforglipron, led to an average weight loss of 12.4% or 27.3 pounds in a Phase 3 clinical trial. The clinical trial included 3,127 adults who were either obese or overweight with a weight-related medical problem and lasted 72 weeks. Almost 55% of patients who took a 36 mg dose of orforglipron experienced at least 10% weight loss, and 36% of patients lost at least 15% of their body weight. According to ABC News, these results were meaningful but not as high as some injectable GLP-1 medications. Based on the results, Eli Lilly said it plans to submit orforglipron for regulatory approval by the end of 2025. "With orforglipron, we're working to transform obesity care by introducing a potential once-daily oral therapy that could support early intervention and long-term disease management, while offering a convenient alternative to injectable treatments," said Kenneth Custer, EVP and president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health. (Twenter, Becker's Hospital Review, 8/7; Yu, ABC News, 8/7)
• Louisiana: Planned Parenthood announced that it will close its two clinics in Louisiana on Sept. 30 as the organization faces funding challenges due to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. A provision in the tax and spending law bars nonprofit organizations that offer abortions and received over $800,000 in federal funding in 2023 from receiving Medicaid payments for one year. According to The Hill, the provision primarily targets Planned Parenthood, with the organization saying that up to 200 clinics in 24 states are now at risk of closing. "This is not a decision we wanted to make; it is one we were forced into by political warfare. Anti-reproductive health lawmakers obsessed with power and control have spent decades fighting the concept that people deserve to control their own bodies," said Melaney Linton, president of Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast. She added that the closures in Louisiana are a "direct result of relentless political assaults." (O'Connell-Domenech, The Hill, 8/6)
• New York: Last week, the New York City Health Department reported that there have been almost 70 cases of Legionnaires' disease in the central Harlem area of the city, including three deaths. According to CDC, Legionnaires' disease is a serious form of pneumonia and is caused by Legionella bacteria, which grows in warm water. Although Legionella bacteria is usually harmless, it can become a health hazard when it grows in HVAC systems or cooling towers. Currently, city officials believe that the likely source of the outbreak is bacteria in cooling towers in the central Harlem area, which spray mist. "[Re]mediation required by the Department has been completed for the 11 cooling towers with initial positive screening results" for a form of bacteria that causes Legionnaires' disease, the officials said. Michelle Morse, the city's acting health commissioner, said that while Legionnaires' disease can be treated effectively if caught early, people who are at high risk, including those over 50, smokers, or people with chronic lung conditions, "should be especially mindful of their symptoms and seek care as soon as symptoms begin." (Lotz, Axios, 8/5)

Healthcare’s approach to weight management and obesity care is rapidly evolving. To meet the present moment, stakeholders need to understand the landscape, manage new innovations, and prepare for care transformation.