I receive emails, whitepapers, and research reports almost daily about the obesity market. It’s undeniably the hot space in pharma right now, but the outsized market potential is also drawing in players from digital health providers to consumer services to AI startups, and even personal genetics companies—yes, 23andMe, I’m talking about you. Yet, hardly anyone mentions patient needs in this chronic disease, except for the worldwide trend to more and more obesity cases.

In the rush to innovate and bring new products and services to market, are we forgetting the most important element—the patients themselves?