Ozempic Back on Shelves; More Positive Fezolinetant Data; Caffeine Cuts Fat?

After major shortages of semaglutide (Ozempic), the 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, and 1 mg doses are back on shelves. The 2 mg dose still has limited availability until the end of March. (Reuters)

Prenatal exposure to phentermine-topiramate (Qsymia) under the drug's risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) program was significantly lower compared with other anti-obesity medications, but pregnancy testing and contraceptive use was still "inadequate," said researchers in Annals of Internal Medicine.

According to interim results of Altimmune's phase II MOMENTUM trial, the investigational obesity agent pemvidutide -- a GLP-1/glucagon dual receptor agonist -- helped users achieve an average 10.7% weight loss with the 2.4 mg dose, but most of the 24% of patients who stopped treatment discontinued due to adverse gastrointestinal events.

On average, Americans walked 575 fewer steps per day after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this reduced step count wasn't linked with obesity or diabetes rates. (JAMA Network Open).

The once-daily, non-hormonal treatment fezolinetant (30 mg and 45 mg) significantly reduced the frequency and severity of menopause-related moderate-to-severe vasomotor symptoms, according to the phase III SKYLIGHT-1 trial published in The Lancet. These findings mirror that of the phase III SKYLIGHT-2 trial presented at ENDO 2022.

In British Columbia, Canada, the doubling of gestational diabetes diagnoses from 2005 to 2019 -- jumping from 7.2% to 14.7% -- were largely due to changes in screening. "We need to make sure that any increase in diagnosis is truly beneficial to both patients and the health care system," study author Elizabeth Nethery, PhD, of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, said in a statement. (CMAJ)

A Mendelian randomization study suggested higher plasma caffeine concentrations may directly reduce body mass index and type 2 diabetes risk. (BMJ Medicine)

Prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) among kids with type 2 diabetes rose from 1% within the first 2.5 years after their diabetes diagnosis to 28% at more than 5 years after diagnosis, according to a meta-analysis of 27 studies. "Annual screening with fundus photography beginning at diagnosis offers the best assessment method for early detection of DR in pediatric patients," said researchers in JAMA Network Open.

Assuming a judge signs off on the deal, Merck and Mylan Pharmaceuticals (now a part of Viatris), have reached a settlement over a patent lawsuit for the diabetes drugs sitagliptin (Januvia) and sitagliptin/metformin (Janumet). (Endpoints News)

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