Liver cirrhosis, caused by long-term liver damage, is estimated to affect around 100 million people worldwide Researchers from University College London (UCL) have invented and tested innovative carbon beads that could help restore a healthy gut microbiome as well as reduce the progression of liver disease. The study, published in Gut and funded via the EU’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, demonstrated that the CARBALIVE beads had a positive impact on gut health, liver, kidney and brain function in animal models. Estimated to affect around 100 million people worldwide, liver cirrhosis is caused by long-term liver damage, including alcohol, liver infections such as hepatitis B or C and obesity. In collaboration with Yaqrit, a UCL spinout, UCL researchers developed small oral carbon beads with a microscopic physical structure to absorb both large and small molecules in the gut. The “carbon beads… are swallowed and passed through the body unaltered” ...
The FDA has approved Madrigal Pharmaceuticals drug Rezdiffra as a treatment for the fatty liver disease NASH (also called MASH). It’s the first treatment for the chronic condition, which has been growing in prevalence. By FRANK VINLUAN A chronic metabolic disease in which fat buildup leads to worsening liver function that can ultimately require an organ transplant now has its first FDA-approved therapy, a once-daily pill developed by Madrigal Pharmaceuticals. The FDA decision Thursday is for adults with noncirrhotic non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH. The approval specifically covers those who have reached the point of moderate-to-advanced liver scarring, which is also called fibrosis. The Conshohocken, Pennsylvania-based company’s drug, known in development as resmetirom, will be marketed under the brand name Rezdiffra. “We’ve had patients waiting and waiting for something that could impact underlying fibrosis in the setting of NASH, and this truly represents a milestone achievement that frankly I, and many ...
Mike Hollan The medical side of the market is growing while the commercial side seems to be struggling. A new study reveals just how strong of a year 2023 was for the weight loss drug industry. Anti-obesity medications (AOMs) have seen a surge in popularity over the past year. This is due to a variety of factors, including the increase in demand for drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic. The two drugs became so popular in 2023 that Wegovy’s developer Novo Nordisk had to temporarily limit the supply of lower, beginner doses of the medication. While it’s clear that AOMs had a good year in 2023, a new report details the heights of that success. According to a study conducted Marketdata LLC and published in Research and Markets, the weight loss market in 2023 rose to a historic peak. In a press release,1 Research and Markets explains that the boom in ...
The neurodevelopmental condition affects up to four in 100 children A new study led by researchers at University College London (UCL) and other collaborators has revealed that adults who experienced amblyopia as children are more likely to experience serious diseases in adulthood. Published in eClinicalMedicine, the study was funded by the Medical Research Council, the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the Ulverscroft Foundation. Affecting up to four in 100 children, amblyopia, otherwise known as a ‘lazy eye,’ is a neurodevelopmental condition where the vision in one eye does not develop properly, caused by a breakdown in how the brain and eye work together. Carried out alongside seven other collaborators, including King’s College London, the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre and Great Ormond Street Hospital, researchers analysed more than 126,000 people aged 40 to 69 years from the UK Biobank cohort who had an ocular examination. Out of ...
NANJING, China and GAITHURSBURG, Md., Feb. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — TransThera, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to innovating differentiated drugs globally, today announced the initiation of IND-enabling studies for TT-02332, a potent, selective and highly CNS-penetrating NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor. The NLRP3 inflammasome is a pivotal component of the human innate immune system. Aberrant activation of NLRP3 is strongly linked with a variety of inflammatory disorders, including obesity, neurodegenerative diseases, NASH, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), dermatitis, and atherosclerosis. “Immuno-inflammation is one of TransThera’s key therapeutic areas of interest. Over the past three years, we have achieved breakthroughs with the NLRP3 inhibitor program.” said Jennifer Sheng, Vice President of Biology at TransThera. “Our clinical candidate compound TT-02332 is a highly potent NLRP3 inhibitor that has shown promising efficacy in a number of disease-relevant in vivo animal models. The compound exhibits desirable pharmacokinetic/ pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) properties, suitable for once-daily dosing. TT-02332 demonstrates an ...
The report includes five recommendations for the government to address these issues The Academy of Medical Sciences has published a new report that highlights evidence of declining health among children under five years in the UK and has called on policymakers to take urgent action. The new report highlights that children’s health has been overlooked in policy, the health service and research from pre-conception through pregnancy to the first five years of life. Written by several child health experts, the new report, Prioritising Early Childhood to Promote the Nation’s Health, Well-being and Prosperity, warns the UK government of major health issues including infant mortality, obesity and tooth decay and highlights the economic prosperity of children’s health, which is estimated to cost at least £16bn a year. According to the report, which involved perspectives from parents and carers, infant survival rates are worse than in 60% of similar countries and, between ...
Don Tracy, Associate Editor Early-stage trial results indicate that NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors were able to achieve nearly the same weight loss as Wegovy while also reducing inflammatory biomarkers linked to heart disease. Results from an early-stage study found that a novel therapy for Parkinson disease produced nearly the same weight loss effect as the blockbuster GLP-1 receptor agonist Wegovy (semaglutide), while also lowering inflammatory biomarkers associated with heart disease. In a study published by The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, researchers for NodThera, a clinical-stage biotech developing brain-penetrant NLRP3 inhibitors to treat chronic inflammatory diseases, aimed to discover the efficacy of the investigational NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors NT-0249 and NT-0796 in reversing obesity-related complications. They focused on systemic inflammation and astrogliosis in the hypothalamus. To find a sufficient answer, the study relied on diet-induced obesity (DIO) mouse models treated with NT-0249 and NT-0796 to assess their impact on obesity reversal. ...
Novo Holdings, the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s holding and investment company, declared plans for a $16.5bn acquisition of Catalent as the company expands its manufacturing capabilities. In the merger, Novo Holdings will receive all outstanding shares of Catalent for $63.50 per share in cash. This price reflects a premium of 39.1% to the closing price of Catalent’s common stock on 28 August 2023. This date was the contract development and manufacturing organisation’s (CDMO) last trading day before announcing Catalent’s new strategic and operational review committee, which assessed the company’s business strategy and operations. The Catalent board unanimously advised Catalent stockholders to complete the merger. In a 5 February press release, Novo expressed plans to complete the deal towards the end of this year, dependent on closing conditions, which include gaining approval from Catalent’s stockholders and securing necessary regulatory approvals. Novo is flush with cash these days as is evident in Novo ...
Mike Hollan The shake is designed to work with regular dieters and those taking weight loss medications. Abbott announced the launch of a new brand of protein shakes named Protality. While there are plenty of protein shakes on the market, these particular shakes are designed to be used by people taking weight loss drugs. Over the past year, weigh loss or anti-obesity drugs have seen an increase in popularity and awareness. Often times, people using these medications will note a loss of appetite, which obviously goes hand-in-hand with weight loss. Unfortunately, not all of that weight loss is necessarily good. Typically, when people lose weight, they lose a combination of both muscle and fat. While fat burning is generally desired, muscle loss is not. According to Abbott’s press release, 11-50% of the weight lost by dieters can be made up of muscle. To avoid this, dieters should increase the amount ...
Drug shortages are continuing to persist in the UK affecting patients with different conditions, including those with type-2 diabetes who are on GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs). Earlier this month, NHS England issued a National Patient Safety Alert regarding the shortage of GLP-1Ras. This was following a similar one issued in July 2023, which stated and that supplies were unlikely to stabilise sufficiently to meet market demand until at least mid-2024. In response to the January alert, the Diabetes UK issued a statement saying such shortages were being seen globally due to an increase in off-label use of semaglutide for weight loss. The alert issued actions to be taken by healthcare workers, such as only prescribing GLP-1 RAs for their licensed indications, and prescribing Rybelsus, another form of the GLP1RA semaglutide, for new treatment initiations and for those patients who can be switched from AstraZeneca’s Byetta (exenatide) and Novo Nordisk’s ...
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