Careful with that low-dose aspirin

First they told us that everyone of a certain age should take a daily low-dose aspirin for cardiovascular health. Then they said that the risks (GI bleeding) outweighed the benefits for healthy people. Now there’s a new potential downside: anemia.

A group of Aussie and Yankee researchers found that…

Using low-dose aspirin was associated with a 20% increased incidence of anemia and decline in ferritin, or blood iron levels, in otherwise healthy older adults.

As there was no visible bleeding, the culprit, they think, is occult (i.e., invisible) blood loss.

Glucose, lipids, and depression

There aren’t a lot of biomarkers for depression, including major depressive disorder. That’s one of the reasons treatment can be so difficult and hit-or-miss. Chinese researchers have made an interesting breakthrough, though.

What they found is that patients with major depressive disorder — who were at higher risk for suicide — had both “abnormal levels of thyroid hormones” and “higher levels of fasting blood glucose and blood lipids.”

While the current understanding of MDD is rooted in various genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors, the research team posited that more subtle physiological aspects, such as thyroid function and metabolic markers, could provide a deeper understanding of the disorder and its symptoms.

They point out that there isn’t necessarily a causal connection, but they hope that finding these kinds of biomarkers can lead to new paths for treatment.

Senate tackles drug shortages … sort of

We’ve said before that there’s only so much the government can do about drug shortages while still making sure our meds are safe — you can’t push a button and eliminate ingredient shortages and force manufacturers to manufacture.

But that doesn’t stop legislators from at least making it look like they’re trying.

A bi-partisan group of senators has introduced the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Risk Assessment Act. It essentially requires federal agencies to look into the problem and make “plans to address the issue that has been brewing for years.”

And Senator Chuck Schumer has outlined his somewhat vague solution: “‘maximizing’ drug imports, boosting domestic manufacturing, and sharing between regions.” And, of course, asking the federal government to better predict shortages “and boost incentivizes for domestic drug manufacturing.”

Says he: “If we can do these things, then the drug shortages will be a thing of the past.” Well that’s that, then. (To be fair, better sharing among regions isn’t a bad idea. But boosting incentives is already on the table.)

Easy treatment for endometriosis

A whopping 10% of women between 15 and 49 suffer from some form of endometriosis, but now Japanese researchers say they’ve found what appears to be the cause — and which leads to a simple, non-hormonal, non-surgical treatment.

It’s all about Fusobacterium bacteria. It seems that antibiotics that target just that germ reduce the endometriosis lesions big time. They started by discovering that “the [uteri] of mice infected with Fusobacterium had more and heavier lesions,” and surmised it made a good target. And they were right. Now they’re testing the targeted treatment on humans.

The state of Alzheimer’s “vaccines”

There are a bunch of Alzheimer’s treatments being developed at the moment, for use at various points in a diagnosis. (They’re referred to as “vaccines” even if they’re more like treatments.)

The goal is to give a vaccine as soon as Alzheimer’s disease is identified in a person to slow or prevent the disease’s progression. As we continue to learn more about the disease, researchers hope to identify it before the start of symptoms by monitoring various biological markers.

So who’s making what and how do they work? The folks at Healthline have the overview.

…for a given definition of counterfeit

The headline says “Wegovy maker Novo Nordisk sues spas over counterfeit drugs,” referring to medical spas and wellness clinics that are offering compounded versions of semaglutide — the main ingredient in Wegovy, Ozempic, and their kin.

Here’s the thing: If the spas claim they’re offering “Ozempic” or “Wegovy,” yeah, there’s clearly a problem there — those are brand names. But semaglutide — or, specifically, semaglutide salts — is a different story. Compounding pharmacists can buy that ingredient from the same companies that Novo does, then use their own excipients to create a drug for patients.

Is what they make “Ozempic”? Nope. But is it counterfeit? That’s a different question. (So is the question of how whether and how semaglutide salts are different from plain ol’ semaglutide, but we’ll let the chemists argue that.) And the FDA allows for compounding of drugs that are in shortage … which Ozempic certainly is.

If I build a car out of 95% Ford parts that looks and performs like a Ford … is it a Ford? Nope. But if just sell it as a “car,” is it counterfeit? Discuss amongst yourselves.

Important: If you’re thinking of compounding semaglutide, there’s a legal minefield awaiting. You’ll want to read this PDF on what the Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding has to say on the matter.