GLP-1 Drug Use For Weight Loss Has Soared, Costing Billions

The number of Americans taking cutting-edge weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound has skyrocketed in recent years, a new study says.

The number of people without diabetes taking a GLP-1 drug more than tripled between 2018 and 2022 in the U.S., researchers reported March 31 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Sp...

Local Outbreaks Can Motivate The Vaccine-Hesitant, Poll Finds

COVID-19 and influenza burned through the U.S. during this year’s cold and flu season, and deadly measles outbreaks have sickened people in 19 states.

So what does it take to get people vaccinated against these preventable diseases?

Essentially, an outbreak within a person’s own community appears to be one of the most pot...

New Drug May Cut Sudden Heart Risk by 94%

A new drug may help protect millions of people from heart attacks and strokes by lowering a little-known risk factor in the blood.

The drug, made by Eli Lilly and called lepodisiran, lowered levels of a tiny particle called Lp(a) by 94% with a single shot, the study shows. Lp(a) is a mix of protein and lipids.

The drug's effects last...

Top FDA Vaccine Official Quits, Warns of Vaccine Misinformation

A top vaccine official at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is stepping down, warning that vaccine misinformation is coloring the country’s top health decisions.

Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said he will resign and retire by April 5.

In a letter to the acti...

Smartwatches Can Help People Control Diabetes Through Exercise

Wearing a smartwatch might do more than track steps (or your texts) -- it could be a powerful tool for helping people with type 2 diabetes stay active, a new study says.

Participants were more likely to start and maintain an exercise regimen if they had a smartwatch providing them feedback and encouragement, researchers reported March 27 i...

Bad Sleep Linked To Alzheimer's-Related Brain Changes

Certain stages of sleep – deep sleep and dream sleep – appear to contribute to brain health in ways that affect risk of Alzheimer’s disease, a new study says.

People who get less deep sleep or dream sleep have smaller volumes in critical brain regions, researchers reported today in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medici...