Health news round-up: new cancer drugs, pharmacogenomics, and whether GLP-1s cause erectile dysfunction

This week, The Pharmaceutical Journal has highlighted the role of pharmacists in providing almost 16,000 respiratory syncytial virus vaccinations, reducing prescribing of potentially inappropriate medicines by up to 40% and frequently being the first port of call for allergy care.

We have also reported on the results of studies which found that gabapentinoids increase the risk of drug toxicity, naloxone may be less effective against some synthetic opioids and an investigational anti-clotting drug reduces stroke risk by more than one-quarter.

Read on for more health news you may have missed this week

NICE approvals of cancer drugs

In draft guidance, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended pirtobrutinib (Jaypirca; Eli Lilly) — taken as a once-daily 200mg pill — for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia who have already been given a covalent Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi) and for who further covalent BTKi treatment is not suitable.

It also published final draft guidance for encorafenib plus binimetinib as a first-line treatment option for adults with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer that has a specific BRAF V600E gene mutation — estimated to benefit around 200 people in England.

In addition, for adults with HER2-positive advanced biliary tract who have already received at least one treatment, NICE has recommended with zanidatamab (Ziihera; Jazz Pharmaceuticals).

New pharmacogenomics guideline for epilepsy drugs

Any treatment-naïve patient — regardless of ancestry or indication for treatment — who is about to be prescribed carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine or eslicarbazepine, or has been taking these drugs for less than three months, should undergo pharmacogenetic testing to identify all clinically relevant HLA alleles to reduce the risk of hypersensitivity reactions, according to a new guideline developed by the UK Centre of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation in Pharmacogenomics.

Low-dose triple-pill cuts risk of recurrent stroke by almost 40%

Treatment with GMRx2, a single pill combination of three low-dose blood pressure medicines, significantly reduced the risk of another stroke in patients with intracerebral haemorrhage and high blood pressure, the results of a randomised controlled trial has found. The findings of the study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine this week, found that the pill containing telmisartan 20mg, amlodipine 2.5mg and indapamide 1.25mg, prevented one stroke per 35 patients across the follow-up period of three years.

Do GLP-1s cause erectile dysfunction?

In its April 2026 issue, the Lancet eClinicalMedicine published the results of a target trial emulation using US health records (n=10,434), which found GLP-1RA use was modestly associated with an increased rate of erectile dysfunction in men with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), compared with those using dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors. Results were generally consistent across sensitivity analyses, subgroups and an external validation cohort, but the association was attenuated and no longer statistically significant after NCO calibration.

“These observational findings may reflect residual or selection bias and do not establish causation. Further studies are warranted to confirm these findings and explore potential underlying mechanisms,” study authors said.

Study shows significant improvement in blood sugar control with continuous glucose monitoring

The findings of a study published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology on 23 April 2026 revealed that real-time continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) significantly improves blood glucose management in adults living with T2DM who are treated with basal insulin, compared with finger-prick glucose monitoring.

Study co-lead Lala Leelarathna, diabetes consultant at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “This study had two distinct phases. In the first phase, participants saw significant improvements in glucose levels without introducing new medications or insulin, indicating that people were able to use the information gleaned from the glucose sensors to make meaningful changes. In the second phase, where new therapies were introduced, we observed further improvements in glucose management.”

Lucy Chambers, head of research impact communications at Diabetes UK, commented: “This important study strengthens the case for expanding the use of CGM for some people with T2DM, though analysis is needed to confirm whether it would be cost-effective. It also reinforces the importance of ensuring that those with T2DM who are eligible for CGM according to current national guidelines are provided with it.”