Diabetes & obesity
A phase 3 retatrutide trial found reduced body weight, improved blood sugar and lower inflammation markers in adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes. The drug, which is not yet approved by any regulatory agency, mimics three gut hormones involved in appetite, blood sugar and metabolism: GLP-1, GIP and glucagon. Unlike drugs that target GLP-1 [...]
GLP-1 use was linked to fewer customer visits by 16 per cent of 300 Scottish hospitality businesses surveyed by the Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA). The trade association surveyed pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels for its summer on-trade market insight report. The survey found 22 per cent of businesses also said customers had become more [...]
A pig kidney transplant kept a man off dialysis for nine months, the longest reported dialysis-free survival after the procedure in a living human. The genetically modified organ functioned for 271 days before the patient moved to short-term dialysis and later received a human donor kidney. The case also marked the first transition from a [...]
A population-level analysis found 43 per cent of chronic kidney disease cases in Greater Manchester are currently undiagnosed. The analysis estimates that around 94,000 people in the region have chronic kidney disease (CKD) without a diagnosis. Most are of working age and in the early stages of the condition. It also found substantial differences linked [...]
Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has launched a new preventative approach to help identify people who may be at risk of liver disease and wider metabolic ill health earlier, before they develop serious complications. The pathway, supported through Somerset’s Community Diagnostic Centre programme, which is designed to improve access to medical imaging and tests, will use [...]
A hydrogel 'invisibility cloak' could protect transplanted diabetes cells from immune attack and reduce the need for immunosuppressive drugs. The experimental coating was tested on insulin-producing cells transplanted into diabetic mice, restoring healthy blood sugar within a week in treated animals. Researchers said the approach could eventually make cell therapies less reliant on drugs that [...]
Google Health and Abbott have partnered to combine glucose data with AI-powered guidance aimed at helping people make more informed health decisions. The multi-year collaboration will combine glucose insights from Abbott's Lingo biowearable with Google's artificial intelligence and consumer technology. Through the Google Health app, Lingo users will be able to see glucose trends alongside [...]
The UK has become the first country in Europe to approve the GLP-1 tablet orforglipron for weight management and type 2 diabetes. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) authorised orforglipron, marketed as Foundayo, on 10 August 2026. Alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, the medicine is authorised for weight loss and [...]
More than 200 deaths suspected of being linked to weight-loss jabs have been reported to the MHRA, alongside more than 158,000 adverse reactions. Anyone who suspects an adverse reaction is linked to a medicine can report it to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency’s Yellow Card Scheme. Data from the scheme show 106,189 adverse [...]
A brain switch discovery could improve obesity drugs by explaining why activating and blocking the same receptor can both aid weight loss. Research in mice found that the outcome depends on where the receptor is located in the brain. Activating it in the brainstem reduced appetite, while blocking it in the hypothalamus produced the same [...]
