OG Closer readers may rememberCourtenay Brown's story in May 2021 on how there's an exchange-traded fund (ETF) for nearly everything these days.
State of play: Well, now there's an ETF for the weight-loss drug boom.
Roundhill Investments this week debuted an ETF "focused exclusively on the rapidly growing sector of GLP-1 receptor agonists and other weight management drugs."
Zoom in: 20% is Novo Nordisk (maker of Ozempic and Wegovy), while 20% is Eli Lilly (maker of Mounjaro and Zepbound).
Other parts of the portfolio include Amgen and Viking Therapeutics.
As it turns out, the long-overlooked appendix may do some pretty important jobs keeping us healthy.
The big picture: A new analysis from Epic Research indicates the appendix may help individuals fight off a common and potentially deadly gastrointestinal infection.
These and other recent findings have researchers looking at ways to treat appendicitis without completely removing the organ, Heather Smith, a professor of anatomy at Midwestern University, recently told NPR.
Daily marijuanause has outpaced daily alcohol consumption in the U.S. for the first time, according to a study published Wednesday.
Why it matters: Shifting consumption patterns reflect changes in attitudes toward marijuana as states embrace legalization and the Biden administration moves to reclassify it as a less dangerous substance under federal law.
As it turns out, the long-overlooked appendix may do some pretty important jobs keeping us healthy.
The big picture: A new analysis from Epic Research indicates the appendix may help individuals fight off a common and potentially deadly gastrointestinal infection.
A long-acting insulin from Novo Nordisk was shown to have a greater risk of excessively lowering patients' blood sugar without offering better management of sugar levels or other benefits, Food and Drug Administration staff found.
Why it matters: European regulators in March endorsed the injection, which has been touted as the world's first once-weekly insulin and a key part of Novo's business line, along with its blockbuster drugs used for weight loss, Wegovy and Ozempic.
What they found: The FDA briefing document noted that late-stage trial data show patients with Type 1 diabetes who took the long-acting shot after a year had 50% to 80% more clinically significant or severe hypoglycemia than those who took a Novo daily insulin
The period of highest risk occurred within two to four days of receiving the injection and coincided with the peak glucose-lowering effect of the drug.
Novo suggested potential ways to support safe and effective use, including limiting the weekly insulin to patients with Type 1 diabetes who wear a continuous glucose monitor or reducing dosages.
However, FDA staff said there wasn't clinical data to assess these risk mitigation strategies.
What's next: The FDA's Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee is due to meet Friday to evaluate the Novo shot.
Eli Lilly also is testing a once-weekly insulin in adults with Type 2 diabetes.
The blockbuster success of new anti-obesity drugs helped boost the corporate reputations of pharmaceutical brands, according to new rankings from the annual Axios/Harris Poll 100.
Why it matters: For now, drugmakers are largely getting a pass from the public on the high prices of these transformational treatments, even as inflation-weary consumers have soured on other industries over price hikes.
Someone could make an educated guess on what food you're preparing over Memorial Day weekend based on where you live.
Zoom in: Google Trends' Katie Seaton tells Axios that these are the top recipes searched with "Memorial Day" in each U.S. state, between May 16 of last year and this year.
A second case of bird flu in a human was detected in a worker at a Michigan dairy farm where the virus had been identified in cows, federal officials said Wednesday.
Why it matters: Officials say the risk to the public remains low, but the new case underscores the importance of precautions among those who work closely with potentially infected animals amid a multistate outbreak in dairy cows.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wants states to keep up influenza surveillance during the summertime to help detect "even rare" cases of bird flu in humans.
The big picture: Flu monitoring usually drops off as the weather warms up, but the CDC this week asked state and local health officials to maintain those efforts and increase submission of positive influenza A samples — of which H5N1 is a subtype.
SNAP benefits fail to cover the rising costs of groceries in 98% of U.S. counties, according to a new Urban Institute analysis.
Why it matters: The report's release comes ahead of a Thursday markup of House Republicans' $1.5 trillion farm bill, as advocates say proposed cuts could further undermine the federal food aid program.
One of New York's largest unions got a big surprise when it tried switching health insurers — it would have to pay $25 million to New York-Presbyterian to keep the major health system out of its network.
Why it matters: The dispute, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, illustrates how contracts between hospitals and insurers can make it harder for employers to get better deals on care.
After pitched battles over Medicare drug price negotiations, Congress may be pivoting to more bipartisan ground: overhaul of the patent system that allows brand-name drugs to delay competition for years.
Why it matters: There's widespread agreement that pharmaceutical companies have gamed the system through tactics like "product hopping," where a drug company makes small changes to a drug in a bid to keep cheaper generics from reaching the market sooner.
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