Tuesday, September 1 – There is no link between the widely used diabetes and obesity medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists and increased suicidal thoughts, depression or other serious psychiatric harm, based on an integrative review of current scientific evidence conducted by researchers at New Mexico State University and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Tuesday, September 1 – (MedPage Today) — Use of GLP-1 receptor agonists was associated with increased cumulative gallbladder and biliary events in youths, according to a retrospective analysis of TriNetX data.
Among over 37,000 adolescents and young adults with overweight…

Tuesday, September 1 – (MedPage Today) — Recent studies suggest that people with type 2 diabetes on GLP-1 receptor agonists were less likely to develop tuberculosis (TB) or be hospitalized or die from infections.
In an international study of more than 7 million people…

Tuesday, September 1 – Since the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act requires the U.S. FDA to maintain an updated list of prescription drugs that are in shortage, does the FDA have to go through months of a notice-and-comment rulemaking before it can remove a drug from the list when the agency determines it’s no longer in short supply? The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit danced around that question even as it upheld a lower court’s summary judgment shutting down compounders’ challenges to the FDA removing Eli Lilly and Co.’s and Novo Nordisk A/S’ popular GLP-1 drugs from the shortage list in October 2024.

Tuesday, September 1 – Another hospital system sues CVS Health, how Medicaid cuts will change everything, and more

Sunday, August 30 – Despite the president’s comments, patients say these medications have been life-changing, and their effectiveness cannot be ignored.

Saturday, August 29 – (MedPage Today) — Nearly half of adults who started semaglutide (Wegovy) for obesity management stopped treatment within a year, a Danish cohort study showed.
Among 157,822 first-time semaglutide initiators without diabetes, 49% discontinued…

Saturday, August 29 – With the approval, Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro becomes the first dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist indicated to lower the risk of heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death in adults with type 2 diabetes.

Saturday, August 29 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration did not unlawfully remove blockbuster GLP-1 medications made by Eli Lilly & Co. and Novo Nordisk from the national drug shortage list, the Fifth Circuit ruled Thursday, handing a loss to compounding pharmacies that produce copycat doses of the drugs.

Saturday, August 29 – Kentucky has one of the highest childhood obesity rates in the country, and the health consequences carry forward throughout life. That’s one of the reasons researchers at the University of Kentucky are leading a groundbreaking clinical trial to determine whether medical intervention can reverse the early signs of heart disease in children struggling with severe obesity.

Thursday, August 27 – Can GLP-1s really help treate PMOS (Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome)? Experts answer 3 key questions.

Saturday, August 29 – (MedPage Today) — Starting a GLP-1 receptor agonist was associated with significantly lower risks of death and cardiovascular events in adults with serious mental illness (SMI), a target trial emulation showed.
Among 195,184 propensity score…

Saturday, August 29 – (MedPage Today) — The use of GLP-1 receptor agonists was linked to improved remission rates in patients with ulcerative colitis, a retrospective cohort study suggested.
Among 300 patients with ulcerative colitis, use of liraglutide (Victoza…

Saturday, August 29 – About 1 in 5 American adults have taken a GLP-1 medication, and most of them, including those with health insurance, say the drugs are difficult to afford. Federal law has long barred Medicare from covering drugs prescribed solely for weight loss, which is why the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program made a big splash when it launched in July.

Saturday, August 29 – (MedPage Today) — Note that some links may require registration or subscription.
Country music superstar Dolly Parton, 80, died Tuesday after a brief battle with an undisclosed type of cancer, according to her family. She had also been dealing…

Saturday, August 29 – Obesity and eating disorders have traditionally been treated as separate areas of health care—but the rapid rise of GLP-1 medicines is increasingly bringing the two together. Adelaide University researchers say the growing use of medicines such as Ozempic and Mounjaro is highlighting an underrecognized overlap between the conditions—and raising important questions about who could benefit and who may be at risk.

Wednesday, August 26 – (MedPage Today) — People who took “gray market” compounded retatrutide, an investigational triple hormone receptor agonist, achieved less weight loss with up to 12 months of treatment than clinical trial participants, a preprint study suggested…

Wednesday, August 26 – A pharmacy asked a Texas federal judge to toss claims brought by Novo Nordisk Inc. accusing the pharmacy of illicitly compounding a lucrative weight-loss drug called semaglutide, saying Novo Nordisk’s complaint amounts to a grievance list against the compounding industry.

Wednesday, August 26 – (MedPage Today) — In January, Jeff La Marca got a prescription for the popular weight loss drug tirzepatide (Zepbound). But he couldn’t afford the $750 monthly price tag.
Then Medicare launched an 18-month pilot program that offers GLP-1 medications…

Wednesday, August 26 – Discussing people’s bodies can be fraught. We asked eating disorder experts how to do so – or not – responsiblyIn the age of Ozempic and people being open about plastic surgery, discussion about people’s bodies is rife. At the same time, nobody seems quite sure how to talk about them, as shown by recent coverage of celebrities like Ariana Grande.It is a fraught topic. We asked eating disorder experts for guidelines to follow when talking about other people’s bodies, and how to do so without doing harm. Continue reading…

Wednesday, August 26 – The new Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program promises eligible beneficiaries access to popular weight loss drugs for as little as $50 a month. But for some, having the very medical conditions these drugs are approved to treat means they don’t qualify for the discount.

Tuesday, August 25 – Roche, through its subsidiary Genentech, will gain access to the investigational asset HM17321, which is designed to not only elicit weight loss but also improve lean mass.

Monday, August 24 – For people living with diabetes, managing blood sugar can mean constantly watching the clock, keeping meals and medications on schedule and staying alert to changes in glucose levels. While little can be done about timed meals, researchers have developed a biological system that detects rising blood sugar levels and automatically responds by releasing medication to bring glucose back down.

Saturday, August 22 – The Phase 3 study is evaluating two doses of Novo’s Wegovy pill in people with obesity or overweight in combination with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.

Saturday, August 22 – Ozempic may work in the brain in almost the opposite way scientists expected, activating hunger-linked neurons that appear essential for sustaining fat loss. The surprising discovery in mice could reveal new targets for developing even more effective obesity drugs.

Friday, August 21 – (MedPage Today) — GLP-1 Use in IBD

Friday, August 21 – (MedPage Today) — A Chicago man was charged with a scheme to impersonate doctors to obtain unauthorized GLP-1 medications on behalf of individuals who paid him, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said.
A pair of shareholder groups are suing UnitedHealth…

Thursday, August 20 – Medicare launched a pilot program that could streamline the process to get GLP-1s, with some seniors paying just $50 a month. But many people with the most serious illnesses won’t get that discount.

Thursday, August 20 – As Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk race for share, surveys show affordability and prescribing preferences may help decide the winners.

Wednesday, August 19 – (MedPage Today) — Experts suggested that GLP-1 agonists may reduce the effectiveness of birth control pills. (The Hill)
A phase III trial of avexitide, a first-in-class GLP-1 receptor antagonist, met its primary endpoint of reducing low blood…

Wednesday, August 19 – With a Phase 3 trial showing a reduction of serious and severe hypoglycemic episodes in patients who have undergone weight loss surgery, Amylyx Pharmaceuticals plans to file for approval this year. If granted market entry, avexitide could hit peak sales of $1.7 billion worldwide, analysts estimate.

Saturday, August 15 – GLP-1 receptor agonists and dual agonists have transformed the treatment of obesity and other metabolic diseases, and a new editorial co-authored by Dr. Steven Heymsfield of LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center and Dr. Adam Gilden of the University of Colorado examines what scientists are learning as these medications reach millions of people.

Friday, August 14 – Studies show that GLP-1 medications may have positive effects on mental health. Image Credit: Delmaine Donson/Getty

GLP-1 medications are associated with a lower risk of worsening anxiety and depression. 

GLP-1 drugs may help reduce key symptoms of binge eating disorder and “food noise.” 

Other surprising mental health benefits of GLP-1s include reduced impulsivity and violent behaviors. 

Friday, August 14 – New research shows that using a GLP-1 before bariatric surgery may not increase weight loss. coldsnowstorm · E+/Getty

A new study found that using GLP-1 medications, such as Ozempic or Wegovy, before bariatric surgery was not associated with greater weight loss 12 months after the procedure.

Researchers also found no significant differences in diabetes control, postoperative complications, length of hospital stay, or emergency department visits.

Friday, August 14 – A review titled “Integrating Precision Nutrition with GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Therapy: Mechanisms, Clinical Outcomes, and Pharmacoeconomic Implications” examines the biological mechanisms of nutrition, body composition, gut microbiome, inflammation, metabolism and genetics to develop individualized recommendations for optimal treatment with GLP-1 drugs.

Friday, August 14 – (MedPage Today) — Bariatric surgery patients who took GLP-1 medications prior to surgery lost the same amount of weight after 1 year as individuals unexposed to the blockbuster class of drugs, a retrospective review indicated.
Among 383 patients…