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Guselkumab shows minor added benefit for specific Crohn's disease patients

The human monoclonal antibody guselkumab has been approved for certain adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis since April 2025.

27 Mar 2026

GLP-1 medications show mixed effects on body contouring outcomes

For patients undergoing body contouring surgery to remove excess abdominal skin after massive weight loss, use of GLP-1 weight-loss medications may have mixed effects on complication risks, suggests a study in the April issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

26 Mar 2026

Taking a GLP-1? Doctors say not to forget about movement and mental health

Severe ankle pain drove Jelon Smart to start taking a weight loss injection a year and a half ago.

26 Mar 2026

Blood pressure drug boosts effectiveness of cancer therapy

In a new Dartmouth Cancer Center (DCC) study led by clinical researcher Tyler J. Curiel, MD, MPH, FACP, investigators found that the FDA-approved blood pressure drug telmisartan can significantly enhance the cancer-killing activity of the targeted therapy olaparib, potentially expanding its use to many more patients.

25 Mar 2026

Repurposed cancer drug shows promise against drug-resistant herpes infections

UIC researchers have successfully repurposed an FDA-approved cancer drug, doxorubicin, to treat drug-resistant strains of herpes. Their work appears in the journal Drug Resistance Updates.

24 Mar 2026

Drug-releasing stitches aim to reduce inflammation and improve healing

Deep cuts from accidents or surgeries require stitches, typically followed by oral anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen. While these medications help with pain, they don't act specifically on the wounds.

24 Mar 2026

Scientists turn red blood cells into long-lasting drug and imaging carriers in mice

A new preclinical study shows that red blood cells can be tagged in vivo and used as long-lasting carriers for imaging agents and therapies, opening a new route for safer drug delivery and vascular imaging.

23 Mar 2026

Oral semaglutide fails to slow early Alzheimer’s decline in two phase 3 trials

Two large phase 3 trials found that oral semaglutide 14 mg did not slow cognitive or functional decline over 104 weeks in people with early symptomatic, amyloid-positive Alzheimer’s disease. Semaglutide was generally consistent with its known safety profile and showed some biomarker changes, but these did not translate into clinical benefit.

22 Mar 2026

GLP-1 drugs cut heart and kidney risks in type 1 diabetes study

In a large target trial emulation of 174,678 people with type 1 diabetes, GLP-1 receptor agonist initiation was associated with lower risks of major cardiovascular events and end-stage kidney disease over five years. The study also found no increased risk of hospitalization for diabetic ketoacidosis or severe hypoglycemia, supporting further randomized trials of GLP-1RAs as adjunctive therapy in type 1 diabetes.

22 Mar 2026

Scientists reveal how light-activated drugs change receptor activity

Rendering a drug effective or ineffective in a flash at the appropriate location – this is the focus of research in photopharmacology.

19 Mar 2026

New tool helps identify fake medicines through pill dissolution patterns

Fake news can be tricky to spot, but spotting fake drugs just got a little easier. Researchers have devised a low-cost way to help distinguish legitimate medications from counterfeit ones.

19 Mar 2026

How long should you take GLP-1 drugs? Study links longer use to lower heart risk

Continuous use of GLP-1 receptor agonists in adults with type 2 diabetes was associated with a lower risk of major cardiovascular events compared with sulfonylureas, with benefits increasing over time. Discontinuation or interruption was associated with a progressive loss of this protective effect, with risks approaching those of comparator therapy.

19 Mar 2026

GLP-1 medications linked to reduced psychiatric hospital visits

GLP-1 medications used to treat diabetes and obesity were associated with a reduced need for hospital care and sickness absence due to psychiatric reasons, a new study shows.

18 Mar 2026

Stopping GLP-1 treatment linked to increase in risk of major cardiovascular events

Following a rapid increase in popularity of GLP-1 drugs for diabetes and weight loss, such as semaglutide and tirzepatide, approximately one in eight U.S. adults now take these medications, which also provide cardiovascular benefits.

18 Mar 2026

Study finds GLP-1 medicines cut fat while preserving muscle function

Researchers found that GLP-1 medicines caused weight loss mainly through fat reduction, with only modest decreases in absolute muscle mass and no disproportionate loss of muscle function. In mice, physical performance improved, while in a small 12-week human pilot trial, strength was preserved despite reduced thigh muscle size.

18 Mar 2026

Weight-loss drugs linked to preterm birth risk in women with pre-existing diabetes

Weight loss drugs have been linked to an increased risk of premature births among women who took them inadvertently just before or during early pregnancy to treat pre-existing diabetes.

17 Mar 2026

Study finds common brain mechanism behind different anesthesia drugs

When patients undergo general anesthesia, doctors can choose among several drugs. Although each of these drugs acts on neurons in different ways, they all lead to the same result: a disruption of the brain's balance between stability and excitability, according to a new MIT study.

17 Mar 2026

One-dose oral treatment may be the simplest weapon against sleeping sickness

Sleeping sickness has been killing people across Africa for generations. A disease with no vaccine, spread by the bite of a tsetse fly, it was once treated with injections of an arsenic derivative, a cure that could be as dangerous as the illness itself.

17 Mar 2026

Anti-aging drug combination causes brain damage in mice

A two-drug combination frequently used in anti-aging research causes brain damage in mice, University of Connecticut researchers report in the March 16 issue of PNAS.

17 Mar 2026

Scientists turn plastic waste into Parkinson’s drug levodopa using engineered bacteria

Researchers engineered a two-strain microbial system that converts PET-derived terephthalic acid into levodopa, overcoming key bottlenecks in transport and enzyme inhibition. The proof-of-concept process achieves high yields under mild conditions and demonstrates a potential route for upcycling plastic waste into valuable pharmaceuticals.

17 Mar 2026