WeightWatchers is now prescribing weight loss drugs

Plus more health news | Email not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( [Health Matters]( [WeightWatchers launches new clinic for weight loss drugs]( By Alice Park Senior Health Correspondent If there’s one thing WeightWatchers is known for, it’s the social resources it provides around dieting, complete with nutritional education and community support groups. For decades, the company focused on helping people lose weight by educating them about food, eating triggers, and more. Now, for the first time, the company is expanding that approach to include weight loss drugs. Since the spring, when WeightWatchers acquired the digital health company Sequence, the program has provided members access to doctors who can prescribe weight loss drugs like buproprion, as well as the latest that have swept social media: Wegovy and Zepbound. Earlier today, the company formally launched WeightWatchers Clinic, its telehealth service that connects members with health care providers who will first determine if they qualify for a weight loss medication, and then figure out which one is right for them and help them navigate getting coverage through their insurance if applicable. “We are no longer a consumer retail brand; we are a digital health company,” WeightWatchers CEO Sima Sistani told me about its evolving mission. WeightWatchers is also adding a program designed to help those on Wegovy and Zepbound get the nutrition they need: for example, the protein necessary to maintain healthy muscle mass (since the drugs are so effective at reducing appetite that some patients don't eat enough). Sistani says adding weight loss medications reflects the shifting way the medical community is starting to manage overweight and obesity: as a chronic medical condition that is best treated with a combination of biological methods like medications, and behavioral changes like the nutritional and psychosocial skills for which WeightWatchers has long been known. [READ THE REST]( Share This Story What Else to Read [Teens Are Taking More Reliable Birth Control]( By Haley Weiss The rate at which teenage girls used IUDs and hormonal implants more than tripled throughout the 2010s. [Read More »]( [6 Ways to Give Better Gifts—Based on Science]( By Angela Haupt Embrace the sentimental, opt for experiences over things, and don't overdo the personalization. [Read More »]( [Why Rewatching Your Favorite TV Show Is Good for You]( By Anna Goldfarb Rewatching TV shows helps people unwind and provides a sense of comfort, research finds. [Read More »]( [6 Healthy Ways to Deal With Anger]( By Angela Haupt Focus on relaxing instead of venting, keep an anger log, and know when to seek professional help. [Read More »]( [The Truth About Fasting and Type 2 Diabetes]( By Markham Heid With expert oversight, the eating plan can be safe for some, but there are risks to keep in mind. [Read More »]( ONE LAST READ [Turning hair loss into financial gain]( The line between community and advertising is being blurred on TikTok as popular hair-loss influencers cash in big on sponsorships. Can their content find a base in honesty and science, Callie Holtermann asks in the New York Times, or is a deeply personal insecurity being exploited? [Read More »]( If you were forwarded this and want to sign up to receive it daily, [click here](. Today's newsletter was written by Alice Park and Haley Weiss, and edited by Angela Haupt. [Want more from TIME? Sign up for our other newsletters.]( [Subscribe to TIME]( TIME may receive compensation for some links to products and services in this email. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Connect with TIME via [Facebook]( | [Twitter]( | [Newsletters]( [UNSUBSCRIBE]( [PRIVACY POLICY]( [YOUR CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS]( TIME Customer Service, P.O. Box 37508, Boone, IA 50037-0508 Questions? Contact health@time.com Copyright © 2023 TIME USA, LLC. All rights reserved.