Sanofi has said it will cut the US list price of its most widely prescribed insulin by 78%, following similar moves by Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly earlier this month. The changes will come into effect in January 2024 and will also include a $35 price cap on the same insulin, Lantus (insulin glargine injection), for those with commercial insurance. Around 8.4 million of the 37 million people in the US with diabetes use insulin, but the rising cost of the lifesaving medicine has been a pressing concern for many patients. Sanofi, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly produce over 90% of the US insulin supply and have come under recent fire over the rising costs of their products. In January, California attorney general Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against the three drugmakers and leading pharmacy benefit managers for allegedly using their market power to overcharge patients for insulin. Other states ...
Unhealthy food cravings in adulthood can be traced all the way back to fetal development, according to new research from Rutgers University. The study, published this week in Molecular Metabolism, shows that exposure to excess calories while in the womb can alter one’s brain and spur adult overeating. The researchers made the connection by studying 6 pregnant mice, then their combined litters of nearly 50 mice pups through adulthood. They began by letting 3 mice become obese on unlimited high-fat foods during pregnancy and breastfeeding, while keeping the other 3 pregnant mice slim from a diet of healthy food. The team found that the mice pups born to the obese mothers overate more than the mice pups born to the lean mothers when given access to unhealthy chow. The findings suggest that children who are born to mothers who were overweight during pregnancy and nursing may similarly struggle later in life to moderate ...
‘Long-tailed macaques at risk of being killed, or laundered or re-trafficked if returned to Cambodia, animal welfare groups say’ More than a thousand Cambodian monkeys at the center of a US government investigation into wildlife trafficking are at risk of being killed or returned to their country of origin, laundered and re-trafficked, animal welfare groups say. The monkeys’ plight first came to light last year when the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) asked the animal rights organization Peta about finding a sanctuary for 360 monkeys. Born Free USA, and the US Department of Justice (DoJ) later joined the discussions and the number of monkeys increased to over 1,000 as talks progressed. Last week, however, discussions stalled when Peta learned on 13 March that the monkeys would instead be flown out of the US. Under US law the monkeys can only return to their country of origin, Cambodia, said Dr Lisa Jones-Engel of Peta, ...
Researchers from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have found that a combination of two drugs may be effective in treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer and accounts for approximately 85% of all lung cancer cases. The study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, involved analyzing data from over 1,000 patients with NSCLC. The researchers identified a group of genes that were associated with resistance to immunotherapy, a type of cancer treatment that uses the body’s immune system to fight cancer cells. The researchers then tested a combination of two drugs, a checkpoint inhibitor and a targeted therapy, in mouse models of NSCLC. The checkpoint inhibitor works by releasing the brakes on the immune system, allowing it to attack cancer cells. The targeted therapy works by inhibiting a protein that is overexpressed in many types of cancer ...
A new study has found that virtual reality therapy may be an effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a mental health condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event, such as military combat, sexual assault, or a natural disaster. Symptoms of PTSD can include flashbacks, nightmares, and anxiety. The study, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, involved 103 military veterans with PTSD. The veterans were randomly assigned to receive either virtual reality therapy or traditional therapy, which involved talk therapy and other forms of therapy. The virtual reality therapy involved wearing a headset that displayed virtual environments related to the veterans’ traumatic experiences. The veterans were able to interact with the virtual environments and practice coping strategies to manage their symptoms. The researchers found that the veterans who received virtual reality therapy had greater reductions in PTSD symptoms than those who received ...
Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley have used CRISPR gene-editing technology to cure sickle cell disease in mice. Sickle cell disease is a genetic blood disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. The disease is caused by a mutation in the HBB gene, which produces an abnormal form of hemoglobin that causes red blood cells to become misshapen and break down easily. Using CRISPR, the researchers were able to correct the HBB gene in mice with sickle cell disease. The corrected gene produced normal hemoglobin, which prevented the misshapen red blood cells from forming. The mice were cured of the disease and showed no signs of sickle cell-related symptoms. The researchers say that the same approach could be used to cure sickle cell disease in humans. While more research is needed before clinical trials can begin, this is a promising development in the field of gene therapy. ...
Some compounding pharmacies are offering what they say are generic versions of the drugs, which have soared in popularity for weight loss. When Robin Langois, 58, was prescribed the weight-loss drug Wegovy last year, she couldn’t afford the high price tag after her insurance wouldn’t cover it. But she later discovered on TikTok that people could get their hands on what appeared to be the drug’s active ingredient, semaglutide, from compounding pharmacies for a fraction of the price. Langois, of Tucson, Arizona, said she was initially hesitant, because of safety concerns, but she eventually found a telehealth provider to write her a prescription. “I’m not 100% sure it’s what I’m getting,” Langois said. She noted, however, that she’s experienced feelings of fullness and weight loss, as well as nausea, a common side effect of the drug. “It’s working like it should,” she said. Either due to cost or ongoing shortages, ...
The Financial Times reported that UBS has agreed to buy the bank for more than $2 billion, a substantial increase from the initial $1 billion offer it reported earlier Sunday. UBS agreed to buy its embattled rival Credit Suisse for $3.2 billion Sunday, with Swiss regulators playing a key part in the deal as governments looked to stem a contagion threatening the global banking system. “With the takeover of Credit Suisse by UBS, a solution has been found to secure financial stability and protect the Swiss economy in this exceptional situation,” read a statement from the Swiss National Bank, which noted the central bank worked with the Swiss government and the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority to bring about the combination of the country’s two largest banks. The terms of the deal will see Credit Suisse shareholders receive 1 UBS share for every 22.48 Credit Suisse shares they hold. “This ...
Researchers just announced a plan to eventually create “organoid intelligence,” or OI. They plan to grow clumps of brain cells called organoids and create technology that would allow us to turn those clumps of cells into powerful and efficient computers. The technology is only in its infancy, but it has implications for everything from computer memory to neurological diagnostics. The human brain is a wonderful and complicated organ. Despite decades of study and scientific progress, there’s still a lot we don’t know about how it works and why it behaves the way it does. But we know it’s powerful. It might not be as quick to solve complex equations as a computer, but it’s wildly more energy-efficient and significantly better at both learning and memory. And recently, researchers have been looking into how combine a brain and a computer, giving us the power of a human mind at our fingertips. ...
A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology has shown promising results for a new type of cancer therapy. The therapy, known as a targeted therapy, uses drugs that specifically target the genetic mutations that drive the growth of cancer cells. Traditional cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy are often associated with serious side effects because they damage healthy cells along with cancer cells. Targeted therapies, on the other hand, are designed to be more precise and have fewer side effects. The new study focused on a targeted therapy called larotrectinib, which is designed to treat cancers that have a specific genetic mutation called NTRK fusion. NTRK fusion is a rare but important genetic alteration that is found in a variety of cancers, including certain types of lung, colon, and breast cancer. The study included 55 patients with NTRK fusion-positive cancer who were treated with larotrectinib. The ...
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