STAT+: Pharmalittle: We're reading about GLP-1 drugs and eye disease, European pharma reforms, and more

And so, another working week will soon draw to a close. Not a moment too soon, yes? This is, you may recall, our treasured signal to daydream about weekend plans. Our agenda is still shaping up, but we expect to manicure the Pharmalot grounds, promenade extensively with the official mascots, and attend some outdoor festivities. We also hope to hold yet another listening party with Mrs. Pharmalot, where the rotation will likely include this, this, this, this and this. And what about you? This is a fine time to enjoy the great outdoors. Besides the usual menu of beaches, lakes, and hiking trails, there are also myriad festivals and gatherings to choose from. Do a search and see what comes up. You could also park yourself on a porch or in a shady backyard with a good book. Or maybe plan a summer getaway while there is still time. Well, whatever you do, have a grand time. But be safe. Enjoy, and see you soon. …

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would look for ways to fast-track approval for rare disease treatments and remove obstacles to their path to market, Reuters writes. Kennedy made the comments at an FDA meeting to discuss cell and gene therapies, where panelists called for faster regulatory processes as they warned that other countries may overtake the U.S. in drug development. Other members included industry executives, researchers, and FDA staffers, among them Vinay Prasad, the FDA’s top vaccine and biologics official. The appointment of Prasad as the head of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research had stoked fears that he could raise the bar for companies to get approval for new drugs, including what are known as accelerated approvals for new potential treatments of serious conditions. Prasad vowed at the meeting to rapidly make therapies available at the first sign or promise of biomedical success or action.

People with diabetes who were taking GLP-1 drugs had a low but elevated risk of an age-related eye disease that can sometimes lead to blindness, adding to a short list of concerns about eye health in people taking the powerful medications, STAT writes, citing an observational study in JAMA Ophthalmology. Researchers found that after one year, more than twice as many people on GLP-1 drugs developed neovascular age-related macular degeneration compared to similar people who were not taking the drugs. The risk was 0.2% in people taking GLP-1s and 0.1% in those who did not. Participants, drawn from health records of nearly 140,000 patients in Canada, were matched for socioeconomic status and a long list of conditions in addition to diabetes. AMD is a leading cause of irreversible blindness in older people; the study participants were 66 years old, on average. People at risk for nAMD, an advanced form, share the same conditions that make patients with diabetes candidates for GLP-1s. Aware of other eye problems in people taking GLP-1s, researchers looked for a relationship between the drugs and AMD.

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