Virtual weight loss companies raise alarms

As telehealth companies prescribing novel weight loss drugs proliferate, experts are increasingly worried that a rise in direct-to-consumer platforms could harm patients. That’s partly because even companies that pair prescriptions with coaching aren’t equipped to offer long-term care, which could put chronic disease patients at risk. Experts say good weight loss support is hard to come by, and more access could be very beneficial to patients. But they also warn some of these companies may be less focused on patients and more focused on churning out prescriptions to turn a profit.

“The world of obesity and weight loss treatments and products have forever been a wild west,” said Scott Kahan, director of a weight management clinic in Washington, D.C. “While there’s a legitimate core of the field, far more that surrounds it is bogus and nonsense and predatory. And a lot of these telehealth companies, from what I’ve seen, are sort of toeing the line between them.” - Katie Palmer @ STAT has the full story