How Does the US Stray From the Globe on Obesity?
As obesity prevalence continues to rise, the US remains a leader in clinical research and drug development, yet it stands apart in key ways from its global counterparts.
Novotech’s “Obesity: Global Clinical Trial Landscape (2025)” report detailed how the US is a leading country in adult overweight and obesity prevalence, and how its landscape diverges from international trends in 5 important areas, from disease burden to investment patterns. Since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a global epidemic in 1997, obesity has been on the rise. Global prevalence has doubled among adults and quadrupled among adolescents, with 1 in 8 people living with obesity in 2022.
“Obesity, once a concern primarily for high-income countries, now significantly impacts middle-income nations,” the report said. “It has surpassed the prevalence of underweight individuals across all regions except South-East Asia, driving a sharp increase in chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Addressing obesity is now a global public health priority.”
Excerpted from AJMC
