KSHB: Are Weight-Loss Drugs the Future of Medicine? Here's What KC-Area Experts Had to Say

A new class of drugs have taken over the market: some treat type 2 diabetes, and some focus on weight loss. Semaglutide (commonly known as Ozempic or Wegovy) and Tirzepatide (commonly known as Mounjauro or Zepbound) can cost more than $1,000 a month.

Yet many of the patients who would benefit most from these drugs can’t get them because of cost or supply issues.

KSHB talked Dr. Mikhail Kosiborod, cardiologist and vice president of research at Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute who has been studying the drugs, and one of his patients, Jacque Long, about the impact of these new medications for those who need it most.

Related Content

Apr. 10, 2024

U.S. News & World Report: Wegovy Helps Those With Both Diabetes, Heart Failure: Study
For people struggling with both diabetes and a common type of heart failure, the weight-loss drug Wegovy may do more for their health than help them shed pounds, new research suggests.
Apr. 8, 2024

MEDIA COVERAGE: Obesity Medication Proves Effective in Treating Patients with Obesity-Related Heart Failure and Type 2 Diabetes
A new study led by Dr. Mikhail Kosiborod found patients with obesity-related heart failure and type 2 diabetes had significant improvement in symptoms and physical limitations when taking semaglutide.
Apr. 8, 2024

CNN: Weight-Loss Drug Wegovy Offers Benefits for People with Diabetes and Common Form of Heart Failure, Study Finds
The popular weight loss drug Wegovy seems to provide more health benefits for people who have diabetes and a common kind of heart failure than just helping take off the pounds, according to the results from the STEP HFpEF DM trial.