About the Event
GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound can help people lose significant amounts of weight and are on pace to become the largest blockbuster drugs in history. Yet the drugs also have important side effects, many people stop taking them within 12 months, and weight is often subsequently regained. The drugs are also costly—up to $10,000 per year, per patient. This briefing will review the pros and cons of GLP-1 drugs and discuss how combining these agents with effective lifestyle interventions, such as Food is Medicine programs, may produce optimal benefits, reduce side effects, increase access, and help control healthcare spending. Expert panelists will speak about these topics and share clinical, research, and policy implications.
Special thanks to Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis and Senator Cory Booker for supporting this event.
Date: Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Times (panel content will be identical at both briefings):
9:00-10:00am ET, Rayburn House Building, Room 2060 (in-person only)
12:00-1:00pm ET, Hart Senate Building, Room 902 (in-person or livestream)
Registration and Resources
Opening Remarks From Congressional Leaders (Invited)
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- Representatives Vern Buchanan (R-FL) and Jim McGovern (D-MA) – 9:00am briefing
- Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) – 12:00pm briefing
Speakers
Danielle Nierenberg
President and Founder, Food Tank (Moderator)
Pat Gleason
Assistant Vice President, Health Outcomes, Prime Therapeutics
Alka Gupta
CEO and Co-Founder, Bluerock Care; Clinical Assistant Professor, George Washington University
Steven B. Heymsfield
Professor and Director, Body Composition-Metabolism Lab, Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Phyllis Ruth Jackson
Student, Trinity Washington University;
Patient who uses a GLP-1 drug
Dariush Mozaffarian
Director, Food is Medicine Institute, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University