News Release

NIDDK media availability: Obesity pharmacotherapy

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NIH/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

WHAT: This week's issue of The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) has two articles and an editorial on obesity pharmacotherapy. One of the studies, supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), shows that a weight-loss medication works best in conjunction with a lifestyle modification program of diet, exercise, and behavioral therapy.

"Randomized Trial of Lifestyle Modification and Pharmacotherapy for Obesity" by Thomas A. Wadden, Ph.D., et al., from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, will appear in the November 17 issue of the NEJM.

WHO: Susan Yanovski, M.D., director of the Obesity and Eating Disorders Program for the NIDDK, is author of the accompanying editorial in the NEJM, "Pharmacotherapy for Obesity: Promise and Uncertainty." Dr. Yanovski is available to speak to members of the press and can comment on the two studies and the general topic of overweight and obesity.

CONTACT: To schedule interviews, contact the NIDDK Communications Office at 301-496-3583. Interviews will take place after 1:00 pm, Eastern, on Friday, November 11, 2005.

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The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) – The Nation's Medical Research Agency. The NIH includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The NIH is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov


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