When it comes to whether Medicare Part D should cover the new anti-obesity drugs, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and lawmakers may be caught between the math and public pressure.

Epitomee Medical Ltd submitted its application to the U.S. FDA for 510k regulatory clearance for its swallowable weight loss capsule. It joins a host of companies offering solutions to the global obesity crisis.

Wegovy (semaglutide) has racked up another indication. The U.S. FDA approved the injectable for reducing risk of major adverse cardiovascular events such as death, heart attack or stroke and for long-term weight management. The approval expands the drug’s potential. The mighty glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist from Novo Nordisk A/S was already approved for those age 12 and older who are obese and for some overweight adults with weight-related problems.

Roche AG debuted a new continuous glucose monitor (CGM) at the Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes conference in Florence, Italy, last week, but how appealing users will find it remains unclear – as is the market opportunity given the entrenched position of Abbott Laboratories and Dexcom Inc.

Reports of the death of the market for continuous glucose monitors in individuals with type 2 diabetes are greatly exaggerated, Abbott Laboratories studies show. Far from being unnecessary given the enthusiastic uptake of GLP-1 drugs, the devices significantly improve blood glucose control regardless of the drug used, duration of SLP-1 therapy or use of insulin, presentations at the International Conference on Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes in Florence, Italy, demonstrated.

Phase I data of oral amycretin, a co-agonist of GLP-1 and amylin receptors from Novo Nordisk A/S, showed a 13.1% reduction in body weight at 12 weeks vs. 1.1% for placebo, pushing shares of the Bagsvaerd, Denmark-based company to their highest levels to date.

Osang Healthcare Co. Ltd. is attempting a second listing on the Kosdaq market with an IPO, planned sometime in March, to fund the company’s growth beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

The enticing prospect – and proven worth – of dually agonizing the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptors gained more evidence in a big way from Viking Therapeutics Inc. with VK-2735 in a phase II weight loss study. Shares of San Diego-based Viking Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) closed Feb. 27 at $85.05, up $46.57, or 121%, as investors learned that the drug achieved the primary and all secondary endpoints in the phase II study called Venture, with significant body-weight drops at all doses compared to placebo.