Author name: John LaRosa

4/22/2015 — Novo Nordisk A/S  launched its obesity drug Saxenda in the U.S., at a substantial price tag of $1,068 per month, according to a report by Reuters. The drug will enter an already crowded weight loss market, face physicians as well as patients who don’t really see obesity as a disease, at a premium […]

April 20, 2015 – Marketdata Enterprises has released its new 13th edition report: “The U.S. Weight Loss & Diet Control Market”, a 435-page in-depth analysis with 35 competitor profiles and 160+ tables. The $65 bill. U.S. weight loss market is in transition and is moving to toward medical programs and non-traditional retail outlets. Obamacare is

April 6, 2015 — The company announced a massive board overhaul. CEO Michael MacDonald acknowledged that activists did play a part in shaping the changes at Medifast. Eight people will leave the company’s board as the body shrinks from 12 people to nine. Activists, including Glenn W. Welling of California-based Engaged Capital LLC, sped the

March 12, 2015 — According to a press release…For the 4th quarter 2014, Medifast net revenue fell 11% to $62.3 million from net revenue of $70.3 million in Q4 2013. As a result of the closure and sale of the Medifast Corporate Weight Control Centers, the Company re-evaluated its segment reporting and will no longer

March 3, 2015 – According to Dawn Zier, President and CEO: “I am pleased we have delivered six consecutive quarters of year-over-year revenue growth. Our strong results for fiscal 2014 demonstrate the successful execution of our turnaround plan as well as our ability to be nimble and proactively address evolving customer needs. We’re attracting new

Feb. 26, 2015 – The news was not good, again. Total year 2014 sales of $1.479 billion.  Fiscal 2014 revenues decreased 14.2% versus the prior year. This decrease was primarily driven by lower revenues in North America. Online revenues (WW.com subscribers) of $437 mill. (-16.7%) Planned $100 million cost reductions (staff layoffs). Expected 2015 revenues

Feb. 24, 2015 — According to a news release, all Humana members in qualified employer-sponsored health plans now have free and discounted access to Weight Watchers through an integrated wellness program built into their health plan, giving Humana members a proven  approach to change their lifestyle and improve their health. This new program integrates Weight

“The U.S. Weight Loss Market: 2015 Status Report & Forecast” — January 2015, 64 pp.  Price: $595 —    This new report presents a wrap-up of 2014 performance for the U.S. weight loss market and an outlook for the 2015 “diet season”. The value of the market actually declined by 1.1% to $59.8 billion, largely as

We are sorry to inform readers that we have had to postpone the weight loss conference that was scheduled for March 13-14 in Orlando, due to insufficient registrations. We may try again later this year or next.

Dr. Phil McGraw’s new book, The 20/20 Diet, is on the top of the bestseller list as of the first week of Feb. 2015. Dr. Phil’s no nonsense style addresses various weight loss roadblocks by applying the latest research and theories that have emerged since his last bestseller on the same topic, The Ultimate Weight