Two of the most anticipated studies this year—large-scale, randomized, controlled, and double-blinded trials of the popular obesity and diabetes drug semaglutide for Alzheimer’s disease—have unfortunately ended in a dud. Novo Nordisk, the makers of semaglutide, announced the disappointing trial results early Monday morning. The drug did not meaningfully slow down the disease’s progression compared to […]
Scientists Are Testing a Vaccine for Food Poisoning. It Can’t Come Soon Enough
Few things in this world are more miserable than food poisoning. You go out to eat some delicious foods, or cook at home. You’re happy, full, and then… everything goes south. Sometimes literally. But hark! This torturous fate may soon be vanquished, thanks to some scientists at the University of Maryland who might just have […]
This Sweet Trick Could Make Hair Loss Treatments More Potent
The best medicines can come from unexpected places. Case in point: A new study published today finds that stevia—the natural sugar substitute—can potentially boost common hair loss treatments’ potency. Scientists in China and Australia developed a dissolving patch that combines a sweetener derived from the stevia plant (Stevia rebaudiana) with topical minoxidil, the active ingredient […]
Gene Therapy Slows Huntington’s by 75% in ‘Groundbreaking’ Clinical Trial
Doctors in the UK are claiming to have performed a monumental medical breakthrough. Using a form of gene therapy, they successfully treated—for the first time—the neurodegenerative disorder Huntington’s disease. On Wednesday, the company uniQure announced the results of its phase I/II trial testing the therapy, code-named AMT-130. The trial, conducted with the help of researchers […]
Experimental Cream Could Make ‘Permanent’ Scars a Thing of the Past
Cool guys may have scars, but plenty of people would relish the opportunity to get rid of their own. In new research out this week, an experimental drug has shown promise at being able to clear up lingering scar tissue. Scientists in Australia conducted the study, a phase I trial of a tropical cream developed […]
This Experimental Weight Loss Drug Works Without the Nausea or Vomiting
What if you could lose weight with a drug that won’t make you lose your lunch at the same time? New research shows it might be possible. Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Kentucky, and other institutions say they’ve found a potentially novel way to suppress people’s appetite and treat obesity—without causing […]
Montana Becomes the Right to Try Anything State, Expanding Access to Experimental Drugs
Montana is set to become a proving ground for experimental medical treatments, thanks to a newly passed bill. The bill, signed into law by Governor Greg Gianforte this week, will permit clinics and doctors to sell and provide nearly any experimental drug to potential patients, so long as it has undergone at least one Phase […]
Man Bitten by 200 Snakes Helps Scientists Create a Super Antivenom
There really is a purpose for everyone out there. Scientists seem to have developed the most broadly effective snake antivenom seen yet—an antivenom partly derived from the antibodies of a man bitten by snakes hundreds of times. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health and the company Centivax detailed their work in a study published […]
Scientists Announce Possible Breakthrough in Delaying Alzheimer’s
We might be on the precipice of a pivotal moment in Alzheimer’s disease research. In clinical trial data released this week, scientists have presented early evidence that it’s possible to delay symptoms in people genetically fated to develop Alzheimer’s at a young age. Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine led the study, which […]
A Pill for Ebola? New Drug Shows Up to 100% Survival in Monkeys
New research this month shows that the experimental antiviral obeldesivir prevented up to 100% of deaths in monkeys infected with the deadliest species of Ebola. We may have just found an easy-to-swallow cure for one of the deadliest diseases out there. In research released this month, scientists report that a single dose of an experimental […]