18 May 2026 - Two-thirds of Australian adults are overweight and many are at risk of heart failure. This plan could help get patients the care they need.

Pressure to subsidise new weight-loss medications through the PBS is set to intensify, with Australia’s first clinical consensus statement on obesity and cardiovascular disease recommending the drugs be used for more patients.

On Monday, the Heart Foundation is releasing the consensus statement at the World Health Assembly in Geneva with hopes the document will help to guide clinicians on how to reduce obesity in people either with established heart disease or those who are at a risk of developing it.

The statement recommends patient care be focused on four key pillars: nutrition, physical activity, clarity on weight-loss drugs, and when and how to recommend weight-loss surgery.

Read The Australian article