March 19, 2025

Are there better alternatives to Ozempic with Sami Inkinen, CEO of Virta Health

43 minutes

This week on Second Opinion, we're featuring Christina Farr, Ash Zenooz, and Luba Greenwood's conversation with Sami Inkinen, CEO of Virta Health. They discuss the company's mission to reverse type 2 diabetes and obesity through personalized nutrition and intensive telemedicine.

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LINKS:

Virta Health: https://www.virtahealth.com/

PHTI: https://phti.org/

Caroline Pearson on Second Opinion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbo3T654g6c

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FOLLOW:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/samiinkinen/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lubagreenwood/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashzenooz/

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EPISODE:

Sami Inkinen is an "accidental healthcare entrepreneur" who founded Virta Health after discovering he was pre-diabetic despite being a world championship triathlete.

Sami's key insight was that "you cannot outrun a bad diet" – excessive processed carbohydrates lead to insulin resistance regardless of exercise level.

Virta Health's mission is to reverse type 2 diabetes and obesity in 1 billion people through nutrition, lifestyle changes, and telemedicine support.

Virta spent five years running clinical trials that demonstrated they could reverse type 2 diabetes and deliver sustained weight loss (13% at one and two years).

They highly individualize treatment plans based on each person's circumstances, whether they're eating from a casino, a 7-Eleven, or McDonald's.

Unlike traditional quarterly doctor visits, Virta provides 2-3 interactions daily, monitoring biomarkers and adjusting in near real-time.

Their approach doesn't rely on willpower – patients eat to satiety, which is key to long-term success.

Patients typically get free access to Virta, with employers or health plans paying because Virta saves them about $600/month per patient.

The Peterson Health Technology Institute found Virta was the only digital diabetes program that actually worked.

Sami believes the ideal obesity treatment combines nutrition (as first-line defense) with GLP-1 drugs when necessary, not an either/or approach.

Virta employs full-time doctors and coaches who form long-term relationships with patients, empowered by software and AI.

The company is focusing on scaling their current services, becoming profitable in 2025, and potentially becoming a public company.

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By Christina Farr, Luba Greenwood, Ash Zenooz

4.9

1515 ratings