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Several new treatments have been announced this week, with NICE approving new treatments for type 2 diabetes, a major step forward for bladder cancer therapy and digital tools for managing heart health.
Also in diabetes news, the MHRA has approved the UK’s first immunotherapy for type one diabetes, and prescribers have been reminded to start implementing insulin switches for existing Levemir (insulin determir) patients in line with clinical guidance, after manufacturer Novo Nordisk said it would be discontinuing two Levemir products.
‘The first step towards a new painkiller’
The week has brought exciting news for potential future drug developments, such as the discovery of SLC45A4, a pain gene encoding a neuronal polyamine transporter — a “promising new target for drug development” that could be “the first step in finding a new painkiller”. Meanwhile, a Cochrane review has found the off-label use of ketamine to treat chronic pain is not supported by scientific evidence.
Researchers in Australia believe disruption to a cellular stress response might be driving treatment resistance in oestrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer cells. Also, using AI to target steroid doses improves severe pneumonia survival and could offer a roadmap for personalised pneumonia care, a multicentre retrospective cohort study suggests.
Meanwhile, researchers at Stanford have developed a polyacrylamide copolymer that can coat particles of protein “like a candy-coated chocolate” — enabling biologic medications to be stored at much higher concentrations than currently possible and, researchers hope, paving the way towards a formulation that could be injected at home, rather than delivered through hours of intravenous injection.
Further reading
Could your summer holiday help fight AMR?
Wastewater from aircraft toilets on long-haul flights could provide a critical warning system for the global spread of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) superbugs, researchers in Microbiology Spectrum have suggested. Meanwhile, attendees at a roundtable organised by the Microbiology Society have said vaccines are “under-utilised” in the fight against antimicrobial resistance.
Looking ahead to winter, NHS England has published its seasonal vaccinations site campaign guide to help new and existing sites prepare for the flu and COVID-19 vaccination season.
Further reading
Melatonin found in magnesium gummies and more medicines safety concerns
Our top story this week focused on the Mounjaro price hike, reports of stockpiling and fears of illegal supply — but that’s not the only concern that’s being reported around medication safety.
This month, a coroner raised concerns that a blood test showing a “sub-therapeutic” dose of clozapine in a patient’s system was not acted upon, highlighting the need for prompt action when a patient on this drug seems not to be compliant with the treatment.
This week, the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has warned parents and caregivers to stop using a specific brand of children’s magnesium gummies as they contain melatonin — a prescription-only medicine that was undeclared in these supplements.
Meanwhile, researchers want to test whether omega-3 supplements can delay Alzheimer’s disease, after a study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia found unusually low levels of unsaturated fatty acids in female patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
