Beverly G. Tchang, MD
@BevTchangMD
#Endocrinologist. Passionate about #obesity as a medical disease and a social misunderstanding. Tweets are my own. | #health #medtwitter #weightloss #medicine |
Try this #AccessToCare strategy for #Obesity #Medicine #Zepbound: 1️⃣Patients need to have tried semaglutide before. Document clinical inefficacy or intolerance 2️⃣Submit Zepbound rx and trigger prior auth. When asked, "Can patient take Mounjaro or other tirzepatide?" ➡️ Yes!…
In anticipation of formulary changes come July 1, 2025, which may affect patients' access to #Zepbound if they have CVS Caremark as a #PBM, @tristateobesity society has created a form for #patients to fill out that will auto-email them a draft Letter of Medical Necessity (LOMN)…
A first move by a state to crack down on the vertical integration monopoly of @cvspharmacy @CVSHealth and #PBM CVS Caremark 👉@SarahHuckabee governor of Arkansas passes Act 624 which prohibits pharmacies from being PBMs newsweek.com/cvs-arkansas-p…
Access to injectable semaglutide for #India is a pivotal moment in #obesity care, which has only had access to oral semaglutide, tirzepatide (just recently), and grey market #Ozempic so far. If your patients are switching from Rybelsus, I often transition from 14 mg to sema 1.0…
For patient safety, clinicians in the U.S. should have the option to prescribe multi dose injectors for tirzepatide and semaglutide. Why do other countries have these options but the U.S. only has the autoinjectors? @novonordiskus @EliLillyandCo
Slower, flexible titration of semaglutide in 104 people with #T2D studied over 26 weeks improved adherence and reduced adverse events without compromising efficacy diabetesjournals.org/care/article/d…
The hospitality and work ethic of India is incomparable. I am thankful for the invitation to present on #obesity and #CVD alongside esteemed colleagues @AskDrShashank @drmohanv at the 12th annual Dr. Mohan’s International #Diabetes Conference 🙏 With over 250 million adults in…
Sharing with permission: Patient had well-controlled #diabetes on tirzepatide—we were able to stop her insulins!—but then developed uncontrolled diabetes when insurance stopped covering the medication, and now requests a bariatric surgery referral because she doesn’t want to…
If you’re in Delhi, Chennai, or Mumbai in the next 4 days, say 👋! I’m doing 6 lectures in 3 cities on the cardiometabolic data for semaglutide, focusing on SELECT and SCORE 👉 nejm.org/doi/full/10.10… 👉 novonordisk.ca/content/dam/nn…
Most people don’t realize this: the net price (what manufacturers actually take home) for many on-formulary GLP-1s in the U.S. is now approaching the prices paid in other developed countries. And yet, thanks to the PBM racket—and the army of middlemen taking their cut—the list…
Hi @MattLesser , this was a fantastic #interview on your efforts to reform prescription drug costs Clarifying Q: You stated that the Prescription Drug Task Force bill requires #PBMs to act in the best interest of the "customer"-- 👉Is that the patient? 👉Or the "health…
INTERVIEW: The Man Behind State-Made #Ozempic Legislation x.com/i/broadcasts/1…
ICYMI: The EMA has suggested to add NAION to the label for semaglutide #Ozempic But American professional societies think this is an overreach 👉 aao.org/newsroom/news-… TriNetX data found no association: ajo.com/article/S0002-… A meta-analysis of RCTs found no association:…
To reemphasize, human studies have not found a meaningful difference in how our bodies handle fructose vs sucrose 👉 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33684506/ 👉 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26338891/ However, short term studies don’t inform us on long term effects. Such as: what happens to #health next when…
So do health impacts differ? Beyond this small chemical difference, these sugar types are essentially treated the same by our bodies, and each provide ~4 calories per gram. Most studies show no difference in weight and health outcomes between the 2 in humans. 4/
Such an important topic to face head on I’m on both sides of the tension as an advisor to Lilly/Novo and Ro And I’m sure Dr. Saunders will moderate this panel from the evidence based, clinician’s lens as she always has: 👉 Scalability and personalization are a false dichotomy…
The Obesity Society will host a hybrid congressional briefing to spotlight the growing public health threats posed by illegal and mass-compounded GLP-1s. The panel will feature clinical, legal, and regulatory experts discussing the scope of the issue and potential solutions.…
😮 Wow. Connecticut just passed a law effectively pursuing “eminent domain” of #GLP1s 👉finance.yahoo.com/news/connectic… “The new law calls for the Commissioner of Social Services to petition the US Health and Human Services Department (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to exercise…
We've been slowly uptitrating Ozempic by using "clicks" for a while knowing it would improve tolerability. Great to see we now have data to back this method up!
Slower, flexible titration of semaglutide in 104 people with #T2D studied over 26 weeks improved adherence and reduced adverse events without compromising efficacy diabetesjournals.org/care/article/d…
Yes, #GLP1s may ⬆️testosterone levels, likely through #weightloss: healthline.com/health-news/gl… @Healthline
Many moons ago, @KevinH_PhD and I talked about a book we both wished existed. No fads, no weight loss hacks—just the nutrition and metabolism science. I’m thrilled to announce that we wrote it! Out September 23 @Avery_Books & available now for pre-order. penguinrandomhouse.com/books/671334/f…
Sharing with permission: "#Zepbound has made my #weight slash food relationships 'low drama'" I love making weight maintenance low maintenance. #obesity #medicine #weightmanagement #weightloss
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) has long been an important treatment option for women to alleviate symptoms of menopause, among other potential health benefits. Over the last two decades, however, HRT has been surrounded by confusing narratives about potential risks. We're…
I can't tell you how excited I am about this #PBM Reform
Today, I introduced the Bipartisan Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) Reform Act. For decades, PBMs have been STEALING patients’ hope and health. As a pharmacist, I’ve seen firsthand the heartbreaking impact of PBMs— forcing families to choose between groceries and medicine. It’s…