Bariatric syringes under the brands “Wegovy”, “Ozempic” and “Mounjaro” are sold at In der Achat Apotheke in Mitte, Germany.
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Good afternoon! The list of potential health benefits of the booming weight loss and diabetes drugs is only getting longer.
New interim trial data on Tuesday showed Novo NordiskAn older, once-daily GLP-1 treatment for diabetes and obesity called liraglutide may slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease by protecting patients’ brains.
Just one day ago, a new research Research has found that semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s weight-loss injection Wegovy and its diabetes drug Ozempic, may also help people quit smoking.
These GLP-1 therapies mimic hormones produced in the gut to suppress appetite and regulate blood sugar in humans. Researchers also believe these drugs may help treat other conditions through additional effects on the body, such as reducing inflammation.
But more research is needed to confirm this. Larger and longer trials are needed before regulators can approve any weight loss and diabetes drugs for other uses.
In March, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Wegovy to reduce the risk of serious heart complications, the first major step toward allowing wider use of these drugs.
Additional approvals for this and other weight-loss drugs could put more pressure on insurance companies to cover the cost of the treatments, many of which cost about $1,000 a month. Insurance coverage for Wegovy and other weight loss therapies is spotty and has been a major barrier to patient access.
Here are some other conditions GLP-1 is testing for:
cardiovascular health
- Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy reduced the overall risk of heart attacks, strokes and death from cardiovascular causes by 20% in patients with obesity and heart disease in a late-stage trial.
- Wegovy helps patients with obesity, diabetes and heart failure reduce cardiovascular symptoms such as fatigue and breathlessness big experiment.
- Eli Lilly and Company ongoing late stage trial Tirzepatide is the active ingredient in its weight-loss drug Zepbound and diabetes treatment Mounjaro, used to treat patients with obesity and heart failure. The study is expected to be completed this month.
chronic kidney disease
- Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic slows the progression of chronic kidney disease in people with diabetes, reducing the risk of death and major cardiac events by 24% in a late-stage trial.
- Eli Lilly is studying tirzepatide mid-term study Obesity and chronic kidney disease patients. The trial is expected to conclude in 2026.
fatty liver disease
- Eli Lilly and Company’s Zepbound helped up to 74% of patients get rid of the disease without worsening of liver scarring, compared with just 13% of untreated patients at 52 weeks in a mid-stage trial .
- Novo Nordisk is studying semaglutide late stage trial For a common fatty liver disease.
- Other drugmakers such as Zealand Pharma Viking therapyand Al immune Respective weight loss or diabetes treatments are also being studied in patients with fatty liver disease.
sleep apnea
- Eli Lilly and Company’s Zepbound helped resolve moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in up to 52% of patients in two late-stage trials. The FDA is currently reviewing Zepbound for this use.
Alzheimer’s disease
addiction
- Outside researchers are studying GLP-1’s potential to inhibit addictive behaviors, including nicotine and alcohol use.
- Novo Nordisk is planning a study under a U.S. government clinical trial with a second goal to see whether semaglutide and other treatments can change daily alcohol intake Registry. The main goal of the mid-term trial is to measure the drug’s effect on liver scarring in patients with alcohol-related liver disease.
Please feel free to send Annika any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data: annikakim.constantino@nbcuni.com.
Latest Healthcare Technology
Commure and Augmedix chiefs share details on new acquisitions
There is not enough demand for AI documentation tools in the healthcare sector. Just ask the CEO of Commure Ogmedix.
Commure offers a suite of solutions, including AI scribes and revenue cycle services, designed to help reduce administrative workload for clinicians. The company was co-founded in 2017 by Hemant Taneja, CEO and Managing Director of venture capital firm General Catalyst.
Earlier this month, Commure revealed a new addition to its portfolio: it is acquiring an independent AI transcription company called Augmedix.
Founded in 2012, Augmedix was one of the first companies to introduce artificial intelligence for ambient medical documentation to hospitals and health systems. These tools help doctors save time by recording conversations with patients and using artificial intelligence to automatically convert them into clinical notes and summaries. Augmedix is focused on deploying the technology in settings such as emergency rooms.
On July 19, Commure agreed to take Augmedix private in an all-cash transaction. It is understood that Commure will purchase all of the outstanding common shares of Augmedix for a total equity value of approximately $139 million freed. Augmedix shareholders will receive $2.35 per share. The company’s board of directors unanimously approved the deal, the release said.
CNBC spoke with Commure CEO Tanay Tandon and Augmedix CEO Manny Krakaris on Monday to learn more about the acquisition and what it means for both organizations.
Tandon said the two companies initially met to discuss partnership opportunities because they are both providers to HCA Healthcare, one of the largest health systems in the U.S., but as discussions progressed, he said they realized the organizations could come together in a more comprehensive way.
Commure already has an environment documentation tool, but it’s specifically targeted at ambulatory and ambulatory settings, while Augmedix’s product is specifically targeted at acute care settings. The two companies decided to bring the tools together to minimize the friction that can arise from documenting various parts of patient care.
“You have to have documentation that covers the entire journey. It’s not just stopping when they leave (the emergency room) and then starting again when they come in as an inpatient,” Krakaris said. To bridge these two worlds, one needs to Take a huge, labor-intensive step.
Tandon said there is a lot of noise in the AI scribe market, and he expects a segment to emerge between advanced scribes who automate simple tasks and enterprise-level scribes who are more deeply integrated with electronic health records and the revenue cycle.
Commure is interested in building the latter, and Krakaris said the real value of acquiring Augmedix will come from bringing the tools together and integrating back-end technology under one platform.
“It’s underneath the surface, kind of like an iceberg, but that’s where the value creation is,” he said. “It’s not something that’s immediately obvious from the app itself.”
In the short term, Commure and Augmedix are seeking approvals and finalizing the deal with shareholders. Once completed, they will begin planning new deployments and delivering combined solutions to customers.
Tandon said the companies are still working out what exactly the acquisition means for the Augmedix brand, but it will likely look like “Augmedix powered by Commure.”
“If we do this integration well, if we do our job here, we’re going to have a best-in-class product that can actually solve a lot of problems in the office and all the tasks that happen after the patient leaves,” he said. explain.
Read the full press release about the deal here.
Please feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Ashley at ashley.capoot@nbcuni.com.
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