Good morning, everyone, the middle of the week has arrived and this calls for a celebratory cup or two of stimulation. How so? Well, you made it this far, which can be an accomplishment, after all. Moreover, there is always good reason to forge ahead, given that there is so much more to do and the effort just might pay off. With this in mind, we have fired up the trusty tea kettle. Our choice today is honey ginseng. Yes, this is a distinct change of pace, but you know the old saying — the only constant is change. So please feel free to join us. Meanwhile, here are a few items of interest for you to peruse. We hope you have a smashing day and conquer the world. And of course, do keep in touch. …
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked drugmakers to remove warnings about a potential risk of suicidal thoughts from widely used GLP-1 weight loss drugs, including Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, Reuters says. The request, also covering Novo’s older weight loss drug Saxenda, follows an agency review that found no evidence linking GLP-1 receptor agonists to an increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior. The move could ease a key safety overhang for the fast-growing class of medicines that are being tested or used for conditions beyond weight loss, including cardiovascular issues, fatty liver disease, and sleep apnea. The warnings, part of their original approval, were based on reports of such events observed with a variety of older medicines used or studied for weight loss. The labels for these drugs in the European Union do not carry such warnings.
Illumina, a genomics juggernaut, is betting the next phase of its growth will be accelerated by helping customers better understand genetic data and apply it to drug development, STAT tells us. The company took a step in that direction by unveiling what it says will be the world’s largest dataset of its kind, the Billion Cell Atlas. The atlas is based on the results of turning on or off genes across 200 cell lines, including lines used to study heart disease, neurologic disorders, immune conditions, and cancer. Data on how these genetic perturbations affect cells could in principle help drug companies validate drug targets or create “virtual cells,” artificial intelligence-powered models of cell behavior. The company is already offering the atlas as a resource for pharmaceutical companies, with Merck, AstraZeneca, and Eli Lilly as its first customers.Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…