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Children With High BMIs Should Not Use Obesity Medications Like WeGovy, U.S. Doctors Warn
With weight-loss drugs like WeGovy and Ozempic dominating many of today’s consumer healthcare conversations, there’s a mounting concern for a particularly vulnerable group: children.
Pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have been running clinical trials on children with obesity who are as young as 6 to understand how this class of drugs, called GLP-1s, could affect their health, Business Insider’s Hilary Brueck previously reported.
In January 2023, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended that healthcare providers offer weight-loss medications, in addition to lifestyle adjustments, to treat obesity in children 12 and older. However, not all health professionals agree with the AAP’s recommendation.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force — a panel of more than a dozen doctors and public health experts from various academic institutions — issued a statement pushing for drug-free weight-loss interventions for children who are 6 and older on Tuesday. This class of drugs has its limitations. Many GLP-1 users have reported weight gain after ceasing GLP-1 use, while others have mentioned side effects like diarrhea, “paralyzed” stomachs, hair loss, and nausea.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force voiced concern for these potential side effects in children, as well as an excessive focus on weight instead of health.
Rallying in RSV Vaccine Race, Pfizer Gains Contract Win Over GSK in the UK
After losing round one of its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine bout with GSK, Pfizer is rallying. And what better way to do it than to win a major contract in your rival’s home country?
The U.K. government has selected Pfizer to supply 5 million doses of its RSV shot Abrysvo over the next two years. The notice was posted earlier this month on the U.K. government’s “Find a Tender” website, with the contract value withheld “so as not to prejudice the legitimate commercial interest of the supplier,” it explained.
On Monday morning, the U.K. introduced its RSV immunization program, with instructions on how patients can receive their shots of Abrysvo. The vaccine is expected to become available in early August, the U.K. said.
It’s a big win for the U.S. company which has been playing catch-up against its rival since GSK became the first drugmaker to score an FDA approval in the indication in May of last year for its shot Arexvy. Four weeks later, Pfizer gained its nod.
FDA Proposes Skin Reaction Label Warning for Tylenol, Other Drugs Containing Acetaminophen
Federal drug regulators are calling for Tylenol and other acetaminophen-based drugs to carry warnings about the risk of dangerous skin reactions, following years of reports and scientific data linking the popular pain killer to the development of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a proposed administrative order on June 14, which would affect the over-the-counter labels on drugs containing acetaminophen. The proposed order would alert consumers to the risks of allergic skin reactions that could result in skin reddening, blisters, and rash.
The warning comes after a long history of data linking acetaminophen to a devastating skin condition known as Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS), which can result in painful blisters, severe rash and can cause the skin to separate from the body. When the skin lesions affect more than 30% of the body, the condition is typically referred to as toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), which often results in the need for treatment in a hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU) or Burn Unit.
Weight-Loss Drugmakers Are Overcharging by 400%; Here’s a Quick Solution
A whopping 1 in 8 U.S. adults have taken GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic for weight loss and related conditions. Their popularity and efficacy have sparked a prescription-writing frenzy in recent years, leaving both medications on the FDA’s drug shortage list since May 2023.
But even when the supply rebounds, access to these drugs will remain out of reach for the majority of Americans. That’s because brand-name GLP-1 drugs range from $11,000 to $16,000 a year, prices that are unaffordable for most people.
Attempts to control prices through legislation face significant hurdles, both in the divided halls of Congress and in the courts, where determined legal challengers await. Senator Bernie Sanders, chair of the Senate Health Committee, hopes that applying pressure at upcoming hearings will force Novo Nordisk, maker of Wegovy and Ozempic, to lower prices voluntarily. History shows that pharmaceutical companies rarely bend on prices, even in the face of public scrutiny.
Spike in Southern California Monkeypox Cases Sparks New Warning
The Los Angeles County Public Health Department issued a warning on Monday alerting residents to an uptick in Mpox (Monkeypox) cases, calling it a “concerning increase.”
The LA County Public Health Department also listed recommendations for residents in the news release amid the increase in cases. The recommendations include getting testing if a person is exhibiting symptoms, asking a partner if they have symptoms of the virus, and getting the two-dose Jynneos vaccine.
Eli Lilly Expects FDA Decision on Weight Loss Drug Zepbound for Sleep Apnea as Early as End of the Year
Eli Lilly on Friday said it applied for U.S. approval of its weight loss drug Zepbound for the treatment of the most common sleep-related breathing disorder and expects regulators to make a decision as early as the end of the year.
If cleared by the Food and Drug Administration, the company plans to launch Zepbound for so-called obstructive sleep apnea “as quickly as we can” at the beginning of 2025, Patrik Jonsson, president of Eli Lilly diabetes and obesity, said in an interview.
Eli Lilly previously announced that the FDA granted Zepbound “fast track designation” for patients with moderate-to-severe OSA and obesity. The designation ensures that drugs intended to both treat a serious or life-threatening condition and fill an unmet medical need get reviewed more quickly.
Beyond Ozempic: New GLP-1 Drugs Promise Weight Loss and Health Benefits
The next wave of obesity drugs is coming soon. Drug companies are racing to develop GLP-1 drugs following the blockbuster success of Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro and Zepbound.
Some of the experimental drugs may go beyond diabetes and weight loss, improving liver and heart function while reducing side effects such as muscle loss common to the existing medications. At the 2024 American Diabetes Association conference in Orlando, Florida, researchers are expected to present data on 27 GLP-1 drugs in development.
Vaccine Group Gavi Seeks $11.9 Billion to Immunize World’s Poorest Children
The global vaccine organization Gavi is likely to seek around $11.9 billion from governments and foundations on Thursday to fund immunization efforts in the world’s poorest countries over five years, board documents reviewed by Reuters showed.
The amount will be finalized at a meeting on Thursday in Paris, where donors will make pledges for the organization’s plan for 2026-2030.
A separately funded $1 billion scheme to boost vaccine production in Africa, the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator, will also launch on Thursday.
