Latest / Morning Medical with Dr. Chow / Weight Management Drugs, Amycretin, AirPods as Hearing Aids, and BC's Pharmacare Agreement

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Weight Management Drugs, Amycretin, AirPods as Hearing Aids, and BC's Pharmacare Agreement · Morning Medical with Dr. Chow

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  Good morning and welcome to another episode of Morning Medical with Dr.
• 0:04
  Chow.
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  I'm your host, Dr.
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  Chi-Ming Chow.
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  Today, we're diving into some groundbreaking news in the world of weight management.
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  Imagine a weight-loss pill that helps you drop 13% of your body weight in just three months.
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  Sounds too good to be true?
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  Well, recent early trials are showing promising results for an experimental drug called
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  amycretin.
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  Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharmaceutical company behind well-known weight-loss medications like
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  Ozempic and Wegovy, presented their findings at the European Association for the Study of
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  Diabetes annual meeting in Madrid.
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  The drug, amycretin, works by mimicking two hunger hormones: amylin, which regulates
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  appetite and induces a feeling of fullness, and glucagon-like peptide one, or GLP-1, which is
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  also used in Ozempic and Wegovy to suppress appetite and enhance insulin secretion.
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  Martin Holst Lange, the executive vice president and head of development at Novo
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  Nordisk, stated, "Amycretin is the first treatment to harness the two distinct
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  biological pathways stimulated by amylin and GLP-1 in a single molecule." According to the
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  phase one study results, participants experienced an average weight loss of 13.1%
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  after 12 weeks of treatment.
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  Unlike Ozempic and Wegovy, which are administered via injection, amycretin is taken
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  orally as a 50-milligram pill.
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  The clinical trial included participants who were obese or overweight but did not have
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  diabetes.
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  Those who took amycretin for 12 weeks lost more weight compared to those on a placebo.
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  Interestingly, higher doses of the drug led to even greater weight loss.
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  Taking the pill once a day resulted in around 10% weight loss, while doubling the dose
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  increased the weight loss to 13%.
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  Another exciting finding is that participants did not seem to hit a 'weight-loss plateau,'
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  continuing to lose weight as long as they were on the medication.
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  Agnes Gasoirek, a senior clinical pharmacology specialist at Novo Nordisk, highlighted this
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  point, stating, "The lack of weight loss plateauing indicates the possibility of
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  achieving further weight reductions with extended treatment." This dual-action effect
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  could make amycretin a more comprehensive and potentially more effective treatment for weight
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  management than current options, which typically focus on a single mechanism.
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  Dr.
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  Christine Ren-Fielding, director and chief of bariatric surgery at the NYU Langone Weight
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  Management Program, commented on the drug’s effectiveness.
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  "GLP-1-based treatments, like Ozempic, have already shown impressive weight loss results by
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  helping patients feel fuller for longer and reducing appetite.
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  Adding amylin, another hormone that plays a crucial role in regulating insulin and hunger
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  signals, amplifies this effect."
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  However, it is important to note that the most commonly reported side effects of amycretin
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  include gastrointestinal issues like nausea and vomiting, particularly at higher doses.
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  Dr.
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  Ren-Fielding noted, "These adverse effects are not unusual with GLP-1 receptor agonists, which
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  are known to affect gastric motility.
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  It addresses weight management through multiple physiological pathways." She also emphasized
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  the need to monitor these side effects closely, especially since gastrointestinal issues are
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  common among patients with obesity.
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  While the initial weight loss outcomes are promising, further studies are necessary to
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  ensure the long-term safety and efficacy of amycretin.
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  Dr.
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  Ren-Fielding added, "While the initial weight loss outcomes are indeed encouraging, further
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  studies are needed to ensure that the therapeutic benefits consistently outweigh the
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  potential risks, especially with long-term administration."
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  Dr.
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  Ren-Fielding also stressed that GLP-1-based drugs, including this new experimental pill,
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  are not a cure-all for obesity.
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  "Obesity is a chronic, multifactorial disease that requires a comprehensive, long-term
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  approach.
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  Pharmacological treatments can play a significant role in managing the condition, but
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  they are often most effective when combined with other interventions," she explained.
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  The results of the study are preliminary and have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed
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  medical journal.
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  Novo Nordisk will continue their research on amycretin in the coming months.
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  Martin Holst Lange mentioned, "The safety and tolerability profiles and the magnitude of
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  weight loss support further development of amycretin, and we are awaiting data from the
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  ongoing phase one trial with subcutaneous amycretin, with expected read-out in 2025."
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  If further research supports these initial findings, amycretin could become a viable
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  option for those struggling with obesity.
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  Dr.
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  Ren-Fielding concluded, "The current clinical trials are promising, but we need larger,
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  long-term studies to really assess the safety and overall benefits of the drug.
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  While I’m cautiously optimistic, there’s still a road ahead before we see widespread
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  availability."
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  In a significant leap forward for hearing aid technology, the Food and Drug Administration
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  has authorized the first over-the-counter software that can convert compatible versions
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  of Apple AirPods Pro earphones into hearing aids.
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  This new feature, known as the Hearing Aid Feature or HAF, is designed to amplify sound
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  for adults with mild or moderate hearing impairment.
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  According to the Food and Drug Administration, an estimated thirty million Americans suffer
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  from some degree of hearing impairment.
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  Michelle Tarver, Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy, from the Food and Drug
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  Administration Center for Devices and Radiological Health, commented on the
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  importance of this approval.
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  She said, 'Hearing loss is a significant public health issue impacting millions of Americans.
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  Today's marketing authorization of an over-the-counter hearing aid software on a
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  widely used consumer audio product is another step that advances the availability,
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  accessibility, and acceptability of hearing support for adults with perceived
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  mild-to-moderate hearing loss.'
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  The Hearing Aid Feature software is available as a free upgrade for current owners of
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  compatible versions of Apple AirPods Pro and is included at no additional cost with the
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  purchase of Apple AirPods Pro 2.
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  Users can adjust the software to meet their individual hearing needs without the assistance
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  of a hearing professional, making it a highly accessible option for many.
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  Users can install the Hearing Aid Feature software on an Apple iPhone or iPad.
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  Once installed, they can use these devices to set up hearing parameters on their compatible
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  Apple AirPods Pro earphones, including volume, tone, and balance settings.
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  This level of customization allows users to tailor the audio experience to their specific
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  hearing requirements.
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  The Food and Drug Administration evaluated the Hearing Aid Feature in a clinical study
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  involving one hundred and eighteen people with mild or moderate hearing impairment.
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  These participants were enrolled at multiple sites across the United States.
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  The results showed that the Hearing Aid Feature provided a similar perceived benefit as a
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  professional fitting of the same device.
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  The study also demonstrated comparable performance in tests measuring levels of
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  amplification in the ear canal and a measure of speech understanding in noise.
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  Importantly, no adverse events were observed during the study.
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  The application for the Hearing Aid Feature was reviewed under the Food and Drug
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  Administration's de novo pathway, a regulatory pathway for some novel low- to moderate-risk
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  devices.
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  This approval marks a significant advancement in making hearing aids more accessible and
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  affordable for a broader segment of the population.
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  British Columbia has become the first province in Canada to sign a national pharmacare
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  agreement with the federal government.
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  This landmark deal will help fund hormone replacement therapy and diabetes expenses in
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  the province.
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  Federal Health Minister Mark Holland announced that British Columbia's portion of the $1.5
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  billion national pharmacare plan is estimated to be $195 million.
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  Under the memorandum of understanding, funding could begin by April once the legislation
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  passes through the Senate.
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  "My objective remains, and I am confident that we can achieve it, to sign an agreement with
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  every jurisdiction in the country, every province, every territory, prior to April 1 of
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  next year, and to get drugs flowing in every jurisdiction in that timeline," Holland stated
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  at a joint news conference in Vancouver on Thursday.
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  The pharmacare coverage in British Columbia will include birth control and diabetes drugs
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  and supplies.
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  However, British Columbia Health Minister Adrian Dix clarified that oral contraceptives
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  are already covered under a provincial program.
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  Therefore, the funds initially allocated for birth control will be redirected to cover
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  hormone therapy for women.
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  "We are taking that money, the between $30 and $40 million in British Columbia, that will come
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  from the federal government for contraception, and applying it to something else, to make
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  something else free at point-of-purchase, free for British Columbia women," Dix explained.
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  Dix, who has Type 1 diabetes, mentioned that about 150,000 British Columbians receive
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  diabetes medications.
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  He also estimated that covering hormone replacement therapy would benefit approximately
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  40,000 women in the province.
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  "I've had it for a long time, and I can afford to deal with it," Dix said.
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  "Probably after taxes, $120,000 is what it cost me."
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  In April 2023, British Columbia became the first jurisdiction in Canada to provide free
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  birth control.
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  Dix noted that 264,000 women in the province have since accessed free contraception.
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  Holland emphasized the importance of funding hormone therapy for women's health.
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  "For women, about one-third of their life is going to be spent in a post-menopause state,"
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  he said.
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  "Helping make that adjustment, that's not a conversation we have nearly enough.
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  And the fact that so many women can't afford that treatment means fundamentally devastating
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  things for their health."
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  Dr.
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  Stephanie Rhone, medical director at British Columbia Women's Hospital, commented on the
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  significance of the new pharmacare agreement.
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  "We know that untreated menopausal symptoms have a very significant impact on people's
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  health, quality of life, and ability to work," Rhone said.
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  This new pharmacare deal aims to address these issues and improve health care outcomes for
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  women in the province.