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Eli Lilly releases data for a new weight-loss drug to tackle obesity : Shots - Health News : NPR

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This drug is a true gamechanger

In the SURMOUNT-1 study, people who took the highest dose of tirzepatide, most of whom had a BMI of about 30 or higher but did not have diabetes, lost about 21% of their body weight during the 72 week study. As researchers point out, for people who have bariatric surgery, typical weight loss is about 25% to 30% of their weight, one or two years after the surgery. In the tirzepatide study, 36% of people taking the highest dose lost 25% or more of their body weight.

this is comparable to bariatric surgery

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As NPR has reported, when patients can't afford to stay on obesity medications, they are likely to gain much of the weight back.

If I were Eli Lilly and Company, I would invest into food science, trying to make as many different hyperpalatable foods aimed at teenagers and young adults as possible. The more people have BMI of 30 by the time they are 30, the bigger the market for their drug is. Imagine the government first handing out food stamps to poor Americans, then paying for their obesity treatment via Medicaid.

I'd guess that if the drugs are really effective and the collective societal BMI starts going down, it eventually creates a feedback cycle where obesity generally becomes less and less acceptable and thus there's going to be less people having BMI 30 by 30.

i doubt it. type 2 diabetes can be attenuated with diet modification yet society tolerates it. Down Syndrome is tolerated even though it can be prevented with prenatal screening.

Down Syndrome is tolerated even though it can be prevented with prenatal screening.

Statements like this really make you appreciate how hard AI alignment will be. We can't even get humans to reliably differentiate between "prevent illness" and "kill sick people and replace them with healthy people".

Alignment is easy. Agreement is hard. The Bailey is «aligning the AI to the generic mode of operation where it makes sure the user's intent is understood correctly and does not go all monkey's paw». The Motte is «having the AI align the future to your preference, very much not obliging the user when the instruction is against my preferences».

This is the general problem of politics.