Placebo News and Research

RSS

Anti-inflammatory drug tocilizumab shows promise for difficult-to-treat depression

Immunotherapy could be a promising new treatment option for patients with difficult-to-treat depression. This is a key finding from a University of Bristol-led pilot randomised controlled clinical trial, published in JAMA Psychiatry today [20 May].

20 May 2026

Ensitrelvir cuts household COVID-19 risk when given after exposure

Ensitrelvir, an oral SARS-CoV-2 3C-like protease inhibitor, reduced symptomatic RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 among household contacts when given within 72 hours after symptom onset in the infected index patient. In the phase 3 SCORPIO-PEP trial, COVID-19 occurred in 2.9% of ensitrelvir recipients versus 9.0% of placebo recipients, with similar overall adverse-event rates.

20 May 2026

Switching to pod-based e-cigarette could improve the odds of quitting smoking

Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, even as rates of cigarette smoking have fallen to an all-time low of approximately 10% in 2024.

19 May 2026

Researchers identity patients with exceptional tirzepatide response outcomes

Tirzepatide GLP-1 medication is known to improve sleep apnea for people with both obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and obesity, but not all patients benefit equally.

19 May 2026

Popular analysis technique hides patient variability in Alzheimer's drug trials

A statistical approach being used to support a new class of Alzheimer's drugs may lead to overstated claims about how the drugs work, according to a new study led by researchers at the Brown University School of Public Health.

19 May 2026

Combination therapy shows promise in maintaining lower suicidal thoughts over time

New research published online today in the American Journal of Psychiatry finds that low-dose buprenorphine, given after a single ketamine infusion, significantly sustained reductions in suicidal ideation in adults with major depressive disorder.

19 May 2026

Azithromycin fails to improve severe wheezing in preschool children

A study led by researchers at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson showed that giving the antibiotic azithromycin did not help preschool children seen in the hospital emergency room with bouts of severe wheezing.

18 May 2026

New therapies could help type 1 diabetes care move beyond insulin alone

Disease-modifying therapies for type 1 diabetes are beginning to move care beyond insulin replacement by targeting immune dysregulation, beta-cell stress, and preservation of endogenous beta-cell function. Teplizumab marks a major clinical milestone, but the review emphasizes that durable metabolic remission will likely require earlier screening, better patient selection, and sequential or combination therapies.

18 May 2026

Once-nightly oral pill helps control obstructive sleep apnea

A once-nightly oral pill helped control obstructive sleep apnea in a large, phase 3 clinical trial presented at the 2026 ATS International Conference.

18 May 2026

Olive waste extract may help lower fat and improve muscle markers

A polyphenol-rich olive oil byproduct may enhance muscle health, reducing fat mass and improving antioxidant markers in adults with metabolic risk factors.

18 May 2026

Psilocybin offers fast-acting alternative to traditional antidepressants

A single dose of the psychedelic substance psilocybin can provide rapid relief from depressive symptoms – within just a few days. This is shown by the first randomised, double-blind study in Sweden of psilocybin for depression. The effect persisted for over three months, according to researchers at Karolinska Institutet.

15 May 2026

New obesity medications offer a potent tool for combating hypertension

A meta-analysis of 32 studies and 43,618 adults presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul, Turkey (12-15 May) shows that use of new classes of obesity drugs for weight loss is associated with a clinically relevant drop in blood pressure (BP): a 0.34 mmHg reduction in systolic BP per 1\% weight loss.

15 May 2026

Scientists identify methylphenidate as an effective tool for combating chronic cancer-related fatigue

A new meta-analysis in the May 2026 issue of JNCCN-Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network provides updated evidence that methylphenidate-type psychostimulants-a class of medication that increases dopamine and norepinephrine availability in the brain-can provide meaningful relief for cancer-related fatigue.

14 May 2026

Qureight to support Mediar Therapeutics' Phase 2 trial of MTX-474 in diffuse cutaneous Systemic Sclerosis

Qureight, an end-to-end imaging CRO that provides enterprise-grade imaging and precision endpoints for clinical trials with a focus on lung and heart disease, and Mediar Therapeutics (Mediar), a clinical-stage biotechnology company advancing first-in-class therapies designed to halt fibrosis, today announced Qureight's AI-powered 3D quantitative imaging analytics platform and services will be used to support Mediar's Phase 2 EncompaSSc clinical trial.

From Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) 13 May 2026

Obesity drugs and surgery linked to greater fat-free mass loss

A new systematic review and meta-analysis of studies presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul, Turkey (12-15 May) shows that diet and exercise interventions result in a lower proportion of fat-free mass loss compared with obesity surgery or obesity drugs among people undergoing a weight loss of 10% or more.

13 May 2026

Semaglutide significantly reduces obesity in treatment-resistant young adults

A weekly dose of semaglutide (2.4 mg) leads to a clinically significant reduction in body mass index (BMI) and related health outcomes in young adults with severe obesity who are treatment resistant following hospital-based non-pharmacological obesity care during childhood, according to a randomized controlled trial being presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Istanbul, Turkey (12-15 May).

13 May 2026

GLP-1 obesity drugs mainly reduce fat while preserving muscle mass

New research to be presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO2026) in Istanbul, Turkey (12–15 May) shows that following treatment with GLP-1 drugs for obesity, most weight loss is fat mass (80–85%) and relative muscle mass is preserved.

13 May 2026

Tranexamic acid modestly reduces bleeding after cesarean delivery in women

Giving tranexamic acid to women with placenta praevia (when the placenta covers the cervical opening) undergoing cesarean birth leads to a significant yet modest reduction in severe bleeding after delivery with no evidence of an increase in serious adverse events, finds a trial from China published by The BMJ today.

13 May 2026

Once-daily orforglipron helps preserve weight loss after semaglutide or tirzepatide

Oral orforglipron helped adults maintain clinically meaningful weight loss after prior injectable tirzepatide or semaglutide therapy. The phase 3b ATTAIN-MAINTAIN trial suggests switching to once-daily oral therapy may help reduce weight regain when injectable treatment is discontinued.

13 May 2026

Enterprise Therapeutics achieves primary efficacy outcome in Phase 2 clinical trial for cystic fibrosis with novel inhaled ENaC blocker ETD001

Enterprise Therapeutics Ltd (Enterprise), a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel therapies to improve the lives of people with respiratory diseases, today announced that its Phase 2 trial for ETD001, the Company's lead candidate for treatment of cystic fibrosis (CF), achieved its primary efficacy outcome.

From Enterprise Therapeutics Ltd 12 May 2026