New Era of Obesity Drug Development

There has never been a more exciting and promising time in pharmacological research related to obesity drugs. It is now broadly accepted that obesity is not just a lack of willpower but a complex chronic disease with increased morbidity and mortality that can be managed with the right treatment.

Over the past decade or so, gut hormone-based drug development targeting obesity and type 2 diabetes indications and combinations of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1) with other gut hormones (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), glucagon and amylin) as dual or triple agonists or other complementary mode of action have increased rapidly.

Semaglutide and, most recently, tirzepatide have demonstrated that a two-digit weight loss at one year is achievable and the Phase II data with retatrutide suggest that 100 percent of patients can now achieve the 5 percent weight loss that was targeted in the past. The next stage in obesity research needs to bring affordable and accessible drugs that can lead to selective fat loss, preservation of lean body mass and long-term weight maintenance. As with many other chronic diseases, combination therapies with complementary modes of action will be required to successfully treat patients with obesity.

Register for this webinar today to understand the latest advancements related to obesity pharmacotherapy.

Speakers

Dr. Eric Ravussin, PhD, Boyd Professor, Douglas L. Gordon Chair in Diabetes and Metabolism, Pennington Biomedical Research Center-LSU System, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Dr. Eric Ravussin is a Boyd Professor at Louisiana State University. He received his PhD in human physiology at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. Dr. Ravussin is an internationally recognized Translational Investigator in obesity and diabetes research. His research now focuses on the molecular basis of obesity and its co-morbidities.

His studies are aimed at understanding the molecular mechanisms that determine the inter-individual variability in energy expenditure, fat oxidation and energy balance in response to caloric restriction, increased or decreased physical activity, overfeeding or physiological conditions such as puberty, pregnancy or menopause as well as pharmacological treatment.

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His latest research is in the field of aging with an emphasis on the impact of caloric restriction on human biomarkers of aging and longevity.

Dr. Ravussin has published more than 700 peer-reviewed manuscripts in the field of obesity, type 2 diabetes and aging. He has an h index of >124 and has mentored more than 60 postdoctoral fellows. Dr. Ravussin has been the recipient of multiple international awards and just ended his 10-year commitment as Editor-in-Chief of Obesity since 2012.

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Message Presenter

Dr. Claudia Filozof, Vice President and Therapeutic Area Head in Obesity, MASH and Liver Indications, Fortrea

Dr. Claudia Filozof is Vice President and Therapeutic Area Head in Obesity, MASH and Hepatology indications. She is board certified in Nutrition and Metabolism. Her expertise is broad and ranges from clinical trials and drug development to Global medical affairs, across multiple therapy areas, with main focus in Metabolics, including Obesity, Diabetes, dyslipidemias, Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASD) and multiple hepatology indications and rare diseases.

Dr. Filozof lead development programs in T2DM, obesity, severe high triglycerides and metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Her interest in obesity and related metabolic conditions triggered her interest in MASLD/ MASH 13 years ago; during all these last years, she has been very active with the scientific community in this indication and published 6 review articles in drug development in MASLD.

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In her academic period she was Vice President of the Argentinean Society of Obesity, Editor –in-chief of the Argentinean Obesity Journal, Professor and Director of the Post Graduate Course in Obesity at John F Kennedy University, Board member of the international journal: Obesity Reviews for several years, member of the World Obesity Federation award committee for 2 consecutive periods and member of the first WHO Task Force in Obesity. She completed her PhD in energy expenditure, fat oxidation, body composition and cytokines in post obesity.

Dr. Filozof joined Fortrea (previously Covance/Labcorp) 10 years ago and has been consulting with several sponsor with strategic study design, helping them to generate high quality data in the most efficient way.

She also brings experience in innovative study design and has chaired the multi-functional innovative study design working group at Fortrea for the last 3 years.

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Dr. Peter Alfinito, PhD, Executive Director, Operational Strategy & Planning, Fortrea

Dr. Peter Alfinito, PhD, is an Executive Director, Operational Strategy & Planning of CVMER (cardiovascular, metabolic, endocrine and renal) at Fortrea. Dr. Alfinito has more than 24 years of experience in academic research, large pharma drug discovery and clinical development, including nine years of specific cardiometabolic focus in the CRO industry.

Dr. Alfinito supports global clinical operational strategies and shares study planning expertise across Phases Ib-IV trials. He is specialized in the design and implementation of strategies to mitigate risk in late-phase studies, IIb-III, and is internationally recognized with more than 50 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Alfinito has PhD in Biomedical Sciences from Rutgers University and a BA in Chemistry from Swarthmore College.

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