Two years and more than a million prescriptions after Wegovy first went on sale, there’s one taboo question for some doctors who prescribe the hit obesity drug: When can patients stop taking it?

The new medicine by Novo Nordisk A/S and others in the same class can melt away pounds that diet and exercise don’t budge. But it doesn’t change the underlying issues that drive metabolism, leaving newly lean people wondering whether they will need to bear the expense and the side effects of the drugs for decades or risk relapse.

Ozempic and similar drugs are transforming the world’s understanding of obesity. It isn’t so much about willpower: It’s about biology. 

The success of the powerful new class of diabetes and weight-loss drugs shows how important chemistry is to determining a person’s weight. The brain is the body’s chief chemist, regulating appetite and making it difficult for many people to shed pounds and keep them off. The brain determines how much fat it wants people to carry, according to years of research bolstered by the new drugs. 

More than 40 percent of Americans are obese, and two-thirds are overweight. It’s time for leaders to address the problem.

The United States military has a big problem -- it has failed to meet its targets for recruiting new soldiers for several years. In the Army’s own words, this is the “most challenging labor market since the inception of the all-volunteer force.” This chilling news comes at the same time America faces growing challenges abroad, including the rising threat of war with China and ongoing security concerns over Russia’s war against Ukraine.