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☆ What the results of Wegovy’s longest clinical trial yet show about weight loss, side effects and heart protection
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Meg Tirrell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —New analyses of the longest clinical trial yet of the weight-loss drug Wegovy are shedding light on how quickly it helps people lose weight, how long they sustain that weight loss and how safe the medicine is over four years of use. A previous clinical trial showed even greater average weight loss for Wegovy: about 15% on average over 68 weeks, compared with 2.4% for people who got a placebo. It was sustained for up to four yearsThe results showed that the 10% average weight loss for people using Wegovy was sustained for up to 208 weeks, or four years. Patients stayed on the medicine while they sustained the weight loss. Almost 23% of people on Wegovy lost at least 15% of their body weight, compared with 1.7% on a placebo.

Persons: Wegovy, –, ”, Harlan Krumholz, Dr, Donna Ryan, Eli Lilly, wasn’t, they’d, Daniel Drucker, it’s, John Deanfield, Krumholz, Drucker, GLP, Sanjay Gupta Organizations: CNN, Yale University, Yale New Haven Hospital, drugmaker, Nordisk, Novo Nordisk, European, Obesity, Nature, Pennington Biomedical Research, University of Toronto, University College London, CNN Health Locations: Baton Rouge , Louisiana, Novo

☆ Weight-loss drug Wegovy can be marketed for heart benefits after FDA label update
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Meg Tirrell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The label expansion may improve insurance coverage for Wegovy, which costs more than $1,300 per month out of pocket before any discounts. Many insurers, including Medicare, don’t cover drugs for weight loss, leaving patients scrambling to afford them. “This patient population has a higher risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack and stroke,” he added. More studies need to be done to show whether there are heart benefits for people who haven’t had a cardiac event. Wegovy continues to be in shortage, along with other GLP-1 medicines, as drugmakers struggle to keep up with demand.

Persons: CNN — Wegovy’s, –, Dr, Harlan Krumholz, hasn’t, Eli Lilly, Wegovy, John Sharretts, haven’t, it’s, Sanjay Gupta, Jody Dushay, Beth, Dushay, Novo, Doug Langa, ” Organizations: CNN, US Food and Drug Administration, Yale University, Yale New Haven Hospital, Novo Nordisk, Diabetes, ”, CNN Health, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Novo Nordisk’s, North America Operations

☆ Tirzepatide: Weight loss drug helps significantly lower blood pressure in adults who are overweight or obese, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Mira Cheng | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The participants had their blood pressure monitored for a day before beginning treatment and again after nine months of weekly tirzepatide injections. The results showed a significant decrease in the participants’ systolic blood pressure, the top number in blood pressure readings, which is a strong predictor of heart disease. It works similarly to semaglutide, the active compound in the weight loss drug Wegovy and its sister diabetes drug, Ozempic. Although there are effective blood pressure medications available, only about a quarter of people with hypertension have adequately controlled blood pressure, Hall said. He views the weight loss effect of the drug as a pleasant side effect that will make people more likely to take their medication.

Persons: —, Eli Lilly, ”, Harlan Krumholz, Michael E, Wegovy, it’s, Ania Jastreboff, Hall, Krumholz, tirzepatide, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s Meg Tirrell Organizations: CNN, American Heart Association, Food and Drug Administration, Yale University, Department of Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Yale Obesity Research Center, CNN Health Locations: United States

☆ For some cardiac patients with stents, long-term aspirin treatments might be on the way out
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Giri Viswanathan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

For years, medical professionals widely recommended regular aspirin to prevent heart problems, since aspirin can reduce blood clotting to prevent complications like heart attacks or strokes. Still, many health care professionals still consider aspirin to be beneficial for many patients who have heart problems or have a stent. Dropping aspirin also reduced the risk of severe bleeding by nearly 50% compared with patients on the combination therapy, said Mehran — without increasing the risk of cardiac complications. Given the results of her clinical trial and a growing amount of evidence suggesting that long-term aspirin may not be beneficial for acute coronary syndrome, Mehran prescribes a treatment plan without long-term aspirin for her own patients. Aspirin remains ‘an essential therapy’However, experts agree that aspirin remains a beneficial medication for heart conditions.

Persons: ’ ”, Roxana Mehran, Mehran, ” Mehran, Aspirin, Dr, Harlan Krumholz, ticagrelor, Sanjay Gupta, ” Organizations: CNN, Icahn School of Medicine, World Health Organization, American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, United States Preventive Services Task Force, Yale School of Medicine, CNN Health Locations: Mount Sinai, United States, South Korea

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party, which long championed campaign finance reform, got so good at the game that it used more dark money than Republicans during the 2020 presidential campaign. He was also charged with campaign finance violations, allegedly using "straw donors" to circumvent contribution limits by giving money to allies who would then donate to politicians in their own names. There have been no campaign finance bills introduced in the new Congress, no new policies from regulators and barely even any discussion about reform. But I’m not so surprised," said Sheila Krumholz, the executive director of OpenSecrets, which tracks political donations, of Bankman-Fried’s use of the campaign finance system. "This is yet another example of how lax campaign finance rules allow someone with money to throw their weight around and build influence and maybe it is not gaining traction because it’s just one of many stories like this."

☆ Biden waiting too long to announce his reelection bid could be 'disastrous' for other Democratic contenders
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

But they may be reluctant to jump in the race if President Joe Biden plans to run for reelection. If he keeps Democrats waiting too long, other possible contenders may have to start running or get left behind. "No one's going to get in before Biden will, before Biden makes his decision," said Rep. Seth Moulton, of Massachusetts, who ran in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. Biden has said his intention is to run for reelection, and he expects to make his official decision early next year. Asked about other Democratic candidates, Warren responded: "What about 'em?

☆ 'Start adding zeroes': Big money expected to pour into Georgia midterm runoff
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Nathan Layne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"Just start adding zeroes and stop when you feel like it," said Chuck Clay, a former state Republican chair and former state senator. If the parties split those seats, the runoff in Georgia will determine control of the upper chamber. For a midterm, that ranks second to the $372 million spent on this year's Senate race in Pennsylvania. The most expensive race ever was the $515 million contest between Georgia Republican Senator David Perdue and Democrat Jon Ossoff, which Ossoff won in a runoff in January 2021. Some Republican voters said they hoped popular Republican Governor Brian Kemp, who had somewhat distanced himself from Walker during the general election, would provide support.

☆ Walmart's PAC has quietly donated nearly $1 million to campaigns ahead of the midterms. While the company has a ''don't rock the boat strategy,' it contributed to 41 election deniers.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Ben Tobin | Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

WALPAC donated almost 50-50 to Democratic and Republican federal candidates for the midterms. Walmart's PAC donated to 41 candidates who denied the 2020 presidential election results, ProPublica found. Of that, about 53% went to Republican candidates, and 47% went to Democrats. Some members of Congress, particularly among Democrats, also reject any corporate PAC contribution — WALPAC or otherwise — as a matter of practice. However, the company did donate a significant amount of money to candidates who voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election results.

☆ Federal and state spending on 2022 elections set to top $16.7 billion, making them the most expensive midterms ever
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The 2022 elections are expected to cost over $16.7 billion, making them the most expensive midterms ever, according to a new study by the nonpartisan OpenSecrets. The massive sum, released Thursday in the campaign finance watchdog's final spending analysis for the cycle, encompasses spending in both federal and state races. Outside groups spent about $1.9 billion to influence federal elections through Oct. 31, blowing past the 2018 midterm outside spending record of $1.6 billion, adjusted for inflation. Two Republican political action committees have led the way in outside spending for federal races. State candidates, party committees and ballot measure committees are projected to raise $7.8 billion, according to the new data.

☆ Old money: How retirees are funding and fueling political candidates unlike ever before
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

In the 2020 election cycle, retirees gave hundreds of millions of dollars to federal candidates. Crystal Snow, a 60-year-old retired business owner, also donated hundreds of times to Republican groups ahead of the 2020 election, according to federal records. Snow told Insider she donated according to her Christian values and did so exclusively online, including to the likes of Sens. By the 2020 election cycle, retirees accounted for more than $1 in every $5, amounting to more than $378 million. Retirees are responsible for a greater and greater share of large political contributions, federal campaign finance data indicates.

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