Ozempic

Game-changing GLP-1 agonist drugs are a step closer to being available in oral pill form, with AstraZeneca revealing "encouraging data" from the Phase I safety and tolerability trial of its once-daily obesity and diabetes drug AZD5004.

The race is on to deliver the first once-a-day weight-loss pill that would be both cheaper and less invasive than the current injectable drugs, with strong results from Terns following those from competitors Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Roche and Structure.

A new study has found a link between the popular drug Ozempic and suicidal thoughts. While the researchers cannot establish causation, they say the link needs to be investigated further so that people can be informed of the potential risks.

Not all fiber is created equal, and one particular type – which is most highly concentrated in common breakfast oats – may trigger the same beneficial metabolic functions that GLP-1 agonists like Ozempic do, without the price tag or side-effects.

People living with diabetes might have a new hope. Scientists have tested a new drug therapy in diabetic mice, and found that it boosted insulin-producing cells by 700% over three months, effectively reversing their disease.

Being prescribed semaglutide for diabetes or weight management is associated with an increased risk, up to seven times, of developing a relatively rare form of untreatable blindness, sometimes referred to as an 'eye stroke,' a new study has found.

Semaglutide, better known as Ozempic and Wegovy, has added another string to its therapeutic bow. A recent international clinical trial found that it significantly reduced the risk of kidney failure and death in type 2 diabetics with chronic kidney disease.

The current breakthrough weight-loss drugs are only the beginning, according to Danish researchers hard at work on a new treatment that targets the brain's natural plasticity, which could offset bad side effects and provide more long-term benefits.

Amid ongoing global shortages of semaglutide, the active ingredient in medical sensations Ozempic and Wegovy, researchers have uncovered a way to make 10 times more of the stuff, producing a therapeutically similar version of the in-demand drug.

Next-gen anti-obesity drugs like injectable liraglutide, sold as Saxenda, deliver impressive results in the first 12 months. New research looks into what happens to those results once treatment stops.

In yet another surprise attribute of the new class of obesity drugs, scientists have found that GLP-1 receptor agonists can also subdue brain inflammation, giving them a potential ‘superpower’ in the fight against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

New research found that patients taking the weight-loss and diabetes drug semaglutide had significantly reduced symptoms of alcohol use disorder. Larger studies are currently underway to see whether the drug is an effective treatment for addiction.