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Disease
Areas of Focus
 Obesity
Obesity
has become a global epidemic. Of the more than 1 billion adults
who are overweight, at least 300 million of them are clinically
obese.1 In the United States alone, 66.3 percent of
non-institutionalized adults 20 or older are overweight, and
32 percent are obese.2 As
a result, obesity is adding substantially to the burden of chronic
disease
and disability in the United States and around the world. Specifically,
obesity increases the risk for chronic diseases such as type
2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke,
and some forms of cancer.1
Unfortunately,
most people being treated for obesity through diet and exercise
do not achieve long-term
weight reduction. In addition,
many patients being treated with drugs either do not reach and
maintain their weight-loss goals or are unable to tolerate drug
therapy. Consequently, Bristol-Myers Squibb has made obesity
a key research and development target and is focusing on discovering
and producing drug treatments to help stem the obesity epidemic.
Back
to Disease Areas
1. ”Obesity and Overweight Fact Sheet,” Global
Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, The World Health
Organization,
2006. 2. “Obesity and Overweight Fact Sheet: Obesity Trends,” The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006. |
