Monday, March 6, 2023
The Washington Post:Diabetes And Obesity Rising In Young Americans, Study Finds
Diabetes and obesity are rising among young adults in the United States, an alarming development that puts them at higher risk for heart disease, according to a study of 13,000 people between 20 and 44 years old. The authors of the study, published Sunday in a major medical journal, warn the trends could have major public health implications: a rising generation dying prematurely of heart attacks, strokes and other complications. And Black and Hispanic people, particularly Mexican Americans, would bear the brunt. (Nirappil, 3/5)
The prevalence of diabetes climbed from 3% to 4.1%; obesity shot up from 32.7% to 40.9%, based on the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Sunday, which uses data from 2009 to 2020. (Bowman, 3/6)
In related news about diabetes and obesity drugs
Stat:The Obesity Revolution: New Weight Loss Drugs Change The Narrative
A two-part message is permeating the halls of medicine and the fabric of society, sliding into medical school lectures, pediatricians offices, happy hours and social feeds: Obesity is a chronic biological disease and its treatable with a new class of medications. (Chen and Herper, 3/5)
The Wall Street Journal:New Diabetes Drugs Like Ozempic Are Changing How Patients Are Treated
The way doctors treat diabetes is changing. For years, people with Type 2 diabetes who needed to take drugs to lower their blood-sugar levels started with an old medicine called metformin. New guidelines now recommend patients can start with one of the newer diabetes medicines, which can also reduce weight and protect the heart and kidney. The shift could help the many people with diabetes who are also dealing with conditions like hypertension, kidney disease and obesity, while still tackling the high blood sugar that is a hallmark of their diabetes. (Perez-Castells, 3/5)
CBS News:Ozempic-Like Weight Loss Drug Wegovy Coming To The U.K. Market, And It Will Cost A Fraction Of What Americans Pay
NICE said the list price of Wegovy in 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg and 1.0 mg doses was 73.25 pounds (about $88) per pack of four pre-filled injection pens, but that if it becomes available on the NHS, it will either be free or cost patients the standard prescription fee of about $10 per order, depending on the cost structure. In the U.S. the same pack of four Wegovy injection pens has a list price of $1,349, but some health insurance plans will cover at least some of that cost. (Ott, 3/3)
ABC News:Eating Disorder Experts Are Worried About Ozempic
The popularity around weight loss drugs like Ozempic is worrying eating disorder experts, who say the conversation risks making recovery harder and could put others at risk of developing disorders. "My fear is that there is now a belief that anyone can and should achieve a certain body shape and size with the help of these medications, so there's going to be an even greater drive towards a certain body type," said Tracy Richmond, director of the eating disorder program at Boston Children's Hospital. (Wetsman, 3/6)
USA Today:Is There An Alternative To Statins For High Cholesterol? Bempedoic Acid Just Passed A Key Test
More than a quarter of Americans over 40 take medications to lower their cholesterol, most of them statins. But not everyone can tolerate statins or wants to. Now a new study confirms that bempedoic acid, approved in 2020, not only lowers cholesterol, but also reduces the risk for heart attack and stroke. (Weintraub, 3/4)
AP:Can't Take Statins? New Pill Cuts Cholesterol, Heart Attacks
In a major study, a different kind of cholesterol-lowering drug named Nexletol reduced the risk of heart attacks and some other cardiovascular problems in people who cant tolerate statins, researchers reported Saturday. Doctors already prescribe the drug, known chemically as bempedoic acid, to be used together with a statin to help certain high-risk patients further lower their cholesterol. The new study tested Nexletol without the statin combination -- and offers the first evidence that it also reduces the risk of cholesterol-caused health problems. (Neergaard, 3/4)
Stat:After Its Drug Was Shown To Prevent Heart Attacks, Whats Next For Esperion?
On Saturday a new study showed that Nexletol, the cholesterol-lowering medicine made by Esperion Therapeutics, prevented heart attacks among people who cannot or will not take potent cholesterol-lowering statins. The question now is whether those benefits are going to be enough to make sales of Nexletol take off. They have been basically dead in the water since the oral medicine was approved three years ago. (Herper, 3/6)
In other news about heart health
CNN:'Keto-Like' Diet May Be Associated With Heart Disease, According To New Research
A low-carb, high-fat keto-like diet may be linked to higher levels of bad cholesterol and double the risk of cardiovascular events such as blocked arteries, heart attacks and strokes, according to new research. Our study found that regular consumption of a self-reported diet low in carbohydrates and high in fat was associated with increased levels of LDL cholesterol or bad cholesterol and a higher risk of heart disease, lead study author Dr. Iulia Iatan with the Healthy Heart Program Prevention Clinic, St. Pauls Hospital and University of British Columbias Centre for Heart Lung Innovation in Vancouver, Canada, said in a news release. (Hassan and LaMotte, 3/6)
The New York Times:New Treatment Could Help Fix The Hearts Forgotten Valve
For the first time, patients with damaged tricuspid valves in their hearts might have a safe treatment that actually helps. More than 1 million mostly older Americans have seriously leaking tricuspids, a valve on the right side of the heart that lets deoxygenated blood flow between the right atrium and the right ventricle. When the valve leaks, blood flows backward. As a result, fluid accumulates in vital organs while legs and feet get swollen. The eventual outcome is heart failure. (Kolata, 3/4)
The New York Times:Lesion Removed During Bidens Physical Was Cancerous
President Biden had a cancerous lesion removed from his chest during his physical last month, the presidents doctor said Friday. The existence of the lesion was included in the summary of Mr. Bidens physical at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in mid-February. On Friday, Dr. Kevin C. OConnor, the presidents longtime physician, said a biopsy confirmed that it was basal cell carcinoma, a common and relatively unaggressive form of skin cancer. (Rogers, 3/3)
Politico:Biopsy Found Bidens Skin Lesion Was A Common Skin Cancer, White House Doctor Says
In a memo on Friday, the presidents doctor noted that basal cell lesions do not tend to spread or metastasize, as other serious skin cancers do. During Bidens physical last month, the area of the skin on his chest was removed via electrodesiccation and curettage, a common skin cancer treatment that involves scraping and removin
Monday, March 6, 2023 at 1:46 pm