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Pharmaceutical
Why GLP-1 link to breast cancer survival may be too good to be true
Much-hyped research linking GLP-1 drugs with a significant reduction in death risk after breast cancer diagnosis is unpackedDr F Perry Wilson, from the Yale...
Anti-depressants in pregnancy not tied to autism/ADHD – Hong Kong analysis
In an analysis of more than half a million pregnancies, there was no indication that taking anti-depressants during pregnancy increased the risk of children...
Integrated Health Hub launched by Dis-Chem
As part of a broader strategy to boost what it’s described as an integrated healthcare ecosystem, and to slash costs and improved care access,...
Aspirin can cut cancer risk – evidence unravels the mystery of why
The 4 000-year-old drug, commonly used to treat pain, prevents certain tumours from forming and spreading across the body, findings that are already changing...
Five common medications that may lead to hearing loss
Medicine side effects that usually spring to mind include nausea, fatigue or dizziness, but there’s a lesser-known risk – hearing loss – which can...
New blood-thinner cuts TIA risk – global trial
Findings from a large phase 3 trial have indicated that the investigational drug asundexian could slash the risk of recurrent ischaemic stroke in those...
Novel HIV combo pill gets FDA nod
Merck has received FDA approval for its Idvynso, a combination regimen that brings its novel islatravir to market for the first time, offering an alternative...
Massive eye drop recall in US raises questions
A California company has recalled more than 3.1m bottles of lubricating eye drops because it had not properly tested, and thus could not prove,...
Twice-yearly jab may change high BP treatment – eight-country trial
A long-lasting approach could make it easier for patients with high blood pressure to keep their condition under control – and ditch daily pills...
GLP-1 drugs – how real are the risks?
The expanding use of GLP-1 receptor agonists (RAs) requires careful evaluation of efficacy, tolerability, and safety across diverse populations, particularly because adverse effects and...
Supplier still selling expired medicines to Malawi state facilities
Despite a recommendation to revoke its licence, one of Malawi’s largest pharmaceutical suppliers that was shut down for supplying state hospitals with faulty antibiotics...
Alzheimer’s drug benefits review sparks debate
A storm has erupted after a recent Cochrane review suggested that drugs intended to slow Alzheimer’s disease progression “make no meaningful difference to patients” and...
FDA approves first Farxiga generics for type 2 diabetes
The first generic of dapagliflozin (Farxiga) tablets for adults with type 2 diabetes has been given the green light by the US Food &...
Early days, but South Africans warm to GLP-1 drugs
South Africans are taking to GLP-1 weight loss drugs like ducks to water, with a recent study revealing that one in 20 people is...
Danish study provides further assurance about Tylenol and autism
A large study by researchers from Denmark has again confirmed that taking acetaminophen – known in the US as Tylenol and paracetamol in South...
Why some people don’t shed kilos with GLP-1 drugs – US study
Two genes involved in gut hormones that influence appetite and digestion may be a factor in how people respond to weight loss drugs, according...
Weekly hormone jab boosts growth of small-for-age children – US study
Most children born small for gestational age (SGA) experience catch-up growth in the first few years of life. However, at least 10% do not,...
Certain seniors can drop thyroid meds – Dutch study
An open-label prospective study by Netherlands researchers found that a quarter of older adults on hypothyroidism medication were able to wean off the drug...
Fed-up SA drugmakers want nominal medicine price rise justified
The national Department of Health has been asked to explain how it devised this year’s minimal 1.47% increase for private sector medicine sales, with...
Pregnant women ignore experts, swayed by Trump’s autism theories
Despite the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the American Academy of Paediatrics emphasising that the science does not clearly tie Tylenol use...
FDA approves Lilly’s weight-loss pill in just 50 days
The FDA has expedited approval for Eli Lilly’s new weight-loss pill, which works like widely used injectable medications to mimic a natural hormone that...
FDA wants drug pulled, warns of fatal liver injuries
Eight deaths and dozens of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) cases have been linked to a medication the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) wants...
Eli Lilly to withdraw some insulin products from Europe
Eli Lilly is scaling back its insulin footprint in Europe, with plans to discontinue a swathe of products for “commercial reasons”, while increasingly leaning...
Weight-loss treatment on brink of another dramatic shift
Just 10 weeks after approval from the US Food and Drug Administration, the Wegovy weight-loss pill is now estimated to be part of the daily...
Ozempic goes generic for billions of people worldwide
Novo Nordisk is on the verge of losing patent protection for its blockbuster weight loss drug in India, China and several other nations, opening...
Victory for cancer victims as court allows generic medication
The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has ruled that the generic prostate cancer medication Enzutrix will remain available at an affordable price, following a...
Nursing staff accused of 'over-diagnosing' patients schizophrenic
Some nursing home staff in the United States are over-diagnosing their dementia patients with schizophrenia so they can prescribe antipsychotics and make them easier...
Weight-gain fears after stopping Ozempic unfounded – Cleveland Clinic study
Stopping popular weight-loss injections like Ozempic or Mounjaro might not trigger the dramatic kilogram-laden rebound many fear, according to a study of nearly 8...
Optimism that new drug could end sleeping sickness
Sleeping sickness is a notorious disease – a single bite from a tsetse fly carrying the parasite is all it takes to infect someone....
Guaranteed orders vital for anti-HIV jab production – Aspen
The country’s largest generic manufacturer, Aspen Pharmacare, has warned that local drugmakers will need guaranteed demand to produce Gilead’s twice-year HIV prevention shot lenacapavir,...
Non-hormonal drug for hot flushes now offered by NHS England
A non-hormonal drug for treating hot flushes and night sweats during menopause is now available on the NHS in England when HRT (hormone replacement...
Common drug class may increase heart disease risk – Swedish study
People who use drugs with anticholinergic effects, including certain anti-depressants, drugs for urinary incontinence and common antihistamines, could have a higher risk of developing...
Wegovy may have highest risk of blinding condition – Canadian study
The obesity drug semaglutide (Wegovy) conferred a significantly higher risk of ischaemic optic neuropathy (ION) than any other GLP-1 agonist, including semaglutide for diabetes...
Hospitals botching pain management – South African study
Most patients do not receive important pain treatment during and after surgery, reports GroundUp, with a recent local study – published in Lancet Africa...
Lilly warns of potentially toxic compounded tirzepatide
In an open letter last week, Eli Lilly warned that compounded versions of tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) containing vitamin B12 could pose a potential safety...
Rise in AMR threatens to outpace research and drug development
In the five years since the Access to Medicines Foundation released its last antimicrobial resistance benchmark, the pipeline for new projects in development has...
Dentists still prescribe risky ‘black box warning’ antibiotic
American dentists wrote more than 2.3m prescriptions last year for an antibiotic called clindamycin, whose label has carried a black box warning for more than four...
SA leading the charge for made-in-Africa anti-HIV jab
South Africa’s National Aids Council (Sanac) has asked local drug companies to submit applications by 7 April to make generic versions of the anti-HIV...
Cancer drug pulled from market over safety concerns
The cancer drug tazemetostat (Tazverik) is being voluntarily withdrawn in the United States and all other markets over concerns about secondary cancers, pharmaceutical company...
Higher risk of osteoporosis and gout with GLP drugs – US study
A large analysis has suggested that popular weight loss drugs may carry an increased risk to bone health, and conditions like osteoporosis, reports NBC...