In clinical trials, most participants taking Wegovy or Mounjaro to treat obesity lost an average of 15% to 22% of their body weight — up to 50 pounds or more in many cases. But roughly 10% to 15% of patients in those trials were "nonresponders" who lost less than 5% of their body weight. Now that millions of people have used the drugs, several obesity experts told The Associated Press that perhaps 20% of patients — as many as 1 in 5 — may not respond well to the medications. It's a little-known consequence of the obesity drug boom, according to doctors who caution eager patients not to expect one-size-fits-all results.
AdventHealth has signed a definitive agreement to purchase ShorePoint Health Port Charlotte and certain assets of ShorePoint Health Punta Gorda from affiliates of Community Health Systems, Inc. The transaction also includes related businesses, including physician clinic operations, outpatient services and ShorePoint Health Emergency Department in Cape Coral. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2025.
President-elect Donald J. Trump's eclectic roster of figures to lead federal health agencies is almost complete — and with it, his vision for a sweeping overhaul is coming into focus. Mr. Trump's choices have varying backgrounds and public health views. But they have all pushed back against COVID policies or supported ideas that are outside the medical mainstream, including an opposition to vaccines. Together, they are a clear repudiation of business as usual.
Emerson and Leominster hospitals are now struggling with an influx of patients as Steward's collapse and the closure of its hospitals continues to send shockwaves through already overburdened emergency departments. In September, four hospitals closest to Nashoba and Carney Hospital in Dorchester, the other closed facility, saw the largest increases in ER patients statewide compared to the same month in 2023, according to a Boston Globe analysis of statewide hospital data. Leominster hospital, which is owned by UMass Memorial Health, reported a 20% increase, more than any other hospital in Massachusetts. Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital, about five miles northwest of Carney, in Jamaica Plain, reported a 14% increase.
Makary has long advocated for reforms to the health care system and gained prominence during the pandemic for his criticisms of parts of the federal response. He has recently been supportive of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination to become HHS secretary.