A Pill That Kills Ticks Is a Promising New Weapon Against Lyme Disease

If you have a dog or cat, chances are you’ve given your pet a flavored chewable tablet for tick prevention at some point. What if you could take a similar pill to protect yourself from getting Lyme disease? Tarsus Pharmaceuticals is developing such a pill for humans—minus the tasty flavoring—that could provide protection against the … Read more

A Study at the Center of the Abortion Pill Battle Was Just Retracted

Scientific publisher Sage Journals has retracted three papers on abortion—including a controversial 2021 study on mifepristone, the medication at the center of a US legal battle. The 2021 study found that mifepristone, one of two pills used in a medication abortion, significantly increased the risk of women going to the emergency room following an abortion. … Read more

A Startup Has Unlocked a Way to Make Cheap Insulin

Now some key patents have expired, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has paved the way for biosimilar versions of insulin—so-called because they’re almost identical to another product already on the market. For a product to be biosimilar, it must be highly similar in structure to the original and work just as well … Read more

A Gel Injected Into the Scrotum Could Be the Next Male Contraceptive

The purpose of the current trial is to assess the gel’s safety and longevity, not how well it prevents pregnancy. Participants were asked to use a back-up form of birth control while being enrolled in the trial. The gel is designed to dissolve at the end of its lifetime, so the men will be followed … Read more

Wegovy Slashes the Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke in a Landmark Trial

The current trial was sponsored by Novo Nordisk, the maker of Wegovy and Ozempic, and tracked patients for two years at locations worldwide. Half of the participants received weekly injections of semaglutide while the other half received a placebo. Neither group knew which they were getting. More than three-quarters of the patients had previously experienced … Read more

The FDA Approves Weight Loss Drug Zepbound, a Wegovy and Ozempic Rival

The blockbuster weight loss drug Wegovy has a new rival. Today, the US Food and Drug Administration approved a new drug for weight management called Zepbound, made by American pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly. The weekly injectable drug is meant for adults who are overweight or obese and have at least one weight-related condition, such as … Read more