A US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel has voted overwhelmingly against a new drug application (NDA) for intranasal carbetocin (Levo Therapeutics Inc.), intended to treat symptoms associated with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS). In a 12 to 1 vote on…
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Pandemic Adds More Weight to Burden of Obesity in Children
Editor’s note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape’s Coronavirus Resource Center. American children gained a lot of weight in the last year, setting a dangerous trajectory towards metabolic disease that requires urgent policy change, according to a…
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Novel Colonic Agonist Formulation Promising for Obesity
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A colonic release formulation of medium-chain fatty acids (MFCA) curbed appetite and boosted levels of the anorexigenic hormone PYY in a small placebo-controlled crossover trial involving obese adults. “We have shown that two nutrient-sensing receptors,…
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Semaglutide Boosts Weight Loss Following Endoscopic Gastroplasty
Combining minimally invasive endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) with a weekly injection of the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist semaglutide (Ozempic, Novo Nordisk) leads to significantly greater weight loss than ESG alone in patients with diabetes and excess weight who are not…
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Water-Soluble Vitamin D: Better for Those With Malabsorption?
A new oral formulation of vitamin D3 — calcifediol (25-hydroxyvitamin D3, 25(OH)D3) — is better absorbed by people with obesity or intestinal malabsorption due to a variety of reasons, making it much more effective at treating vitamin D deficiency in…
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Obese girls face heightened risk of cardiovascular disease in adulthood
A study of 92 adolescents conducted in Brazil suggests girls are more likely than boys to develop metabolic alterations associated with obesity, such as high blood pressure and excessive blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides (dyslipidemia). The study was conducted…
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Declining Sperm Count Tied to Chemicals in the Environment
Chemicals that pervade our modern world — plastics, pesticides, stain repellents, components of personal hygiene products — are contributing to a decades-long decline in fertility and could pose health risks even into future generations, according to an explosive new book…
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COVID-19 Isolation and an Infant’s Immune System
Editor’s note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape’s Coronavirus Resource Center. Queirra Fenderson, a first-time mom in Fort Washington, MD, gave birth to her daughter, Arya, at the end of December 2019. On the advice of their…
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