And so, another working week will soon draw to a close. Not a moment too soon, yes? This is, you may recall, our treasured signal to daydream about weekend plans. Our agenda is still being developed, but we already know that we will promenade with the official mascots, attempt to catch up on our reading, and hold a listening party with Mrs. Pharmalot, where the rotation will likely include this, this, this, this and this. And what about you? Given ongoing tumultuous events, this may be an opportunity to reach out to like-minded folks and embrace a cause near to your heart. Conversely, those of you who need a break from it all may enjoy a long drive in the country or stroll down city streets to enjoy architectural delights or simply people watch. Or you could reach out to someone special and compare notes. Well, whatever you do, have a grand time. But be safe. Enjoy, and see you soon. …
An effort by the Trump administration to pull down U.S. Food and Drug Administration website pages focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion has ensnared many pages focused on ensuring that clinical trials used to test drugs and medical devices include people of different ethnic and economic backgrounds, STAT reports. The purging of the pages provides a window into the ways in which the well-established opposition of President Trump and his aides to DEI initiatives is having far-reaching effects just days after they took office. While many DEI initiatives focus on hiring practices and communications in ways the administration disdains, efforts to diversify clinical trials have been widely seen as important scientifically — that is, to test experimental products on various populations who would ultimately derive benefits or incur risk. The scrubbing of clinical trial-related pages is notable because of how it could affect the ways researchers both inside and outside government, as well as companies, test drugs and medical devices.
An experimental weight loss drug from Novo Nordisk helped patients shed a substantial amount of weight in an early-stage trial, providing a boost for the company amid a race to develop next-generation obesity treatments, STAT tells us. Novo said that patients on a high dose of the injectable form of the drug, called amycretin, lost 22% of their weight after 36 weeks, a result that, if confirmed in larger trials, could give the medicine an edge over available obesity treatments. The Phase 1/2 study, which enrolled 125 people who were overweight or had obesity, tested three different doses of once-weekly subcutaneous amycretin versus placebo over different stretches of time. Patients on the high dose of 20 milligrams lost the most weight, while those on placebo gained a small percentage of weight.
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