Fatty acids’ new trick

A new study out of UGA found that omega-3 and -6 fatty acids don’t just lower cholesterol and protect brain health. They also seem to reduce the risk of cancer.

That conclusion is based on health records from a UK database of more than 250,000 people over more than a decade.

Omega-3s protected against colon, stomach and lung, and digestive tract cancers, while omega-6s “led to lower rates of 14 different cancers, including brain, malignant melanoma, bladder, and more.”

One twist: “[H]igh omega-3 levels could be associated with a slightly higher risk of prostate cancer.”

Fall Region Meetings are coming!

Big news! We’ve scheduled the first three of our 2024 Fall Region Meetings! If you’re in regions 1, 4, or 10, you can register today.

Not sure of your region? Click here.

Want to know more about region meetings? Click here.

We’ll be announcing meeting dates for the other regions as soon as we’ve finalized the locations. Stay tuned!

Short Takes

New envelope mandate

The FDA is now requiring opioid manufacturers to provide pharmacies and dispensaries with mail-back envelopes so patients can return unused opioids.

The FDA said the goal of the change is to provide patients and caregivers with a free method to return unused or leftover opioids provided by the outlet that dispensed the medication.

Prescribers who give a lot

Doctors who prescribe a lot of antibiotics also prescribe a lot of opioids — or at least noticeably more than average — according to researchers from the Washington State Department of Health.

AZ enters GLP-1 fray

Not to be left off the cash-generating monster that is modern weight-loss drugs, AstraZeneca says its pill (which it licenses from Chinese company Eccogene) just passed its phase 1 “is it safe and tolerable?” trials.

It’s yet another GLP-1 agonist, but it’s a once-daily pill instead of an injection. It has similar side effects to injectables, but it has another advantage. Because it’s a small-molecule drug, it…

… can be combined with other small molecule drugs, which is important because more than 60% of obese and overweight people have one or more other medical conditions.

Speaking of GLP-1s, though…

Patients aren’t just quitting GLP-1 drugs — they’re dealing with some serious side effects, and now they’re suing the drug companies.

Thousands of people who have developed health problems including intestinal blockages, gallbladder damage, and especially gastroparesis after taking GLP-1s have filed, or are expected to file, lawsuits against Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, arguing they were not adequately informed about the risks of using these medications

The Long Read: hormone therapy and dementia

There’s been a connection — some kind of connection — between women’s hormone replacement therapy (with estrogen and/or progestin) and the risk of dementia. But as in a lot of cases, it’s not a black and white issue.

The timing of the therapy seems to make a big difference, but beyond that it’s just nuance on top of nuance. Medscape gives the latest overview of the science — including what we don’t know.

New drug … or Turkish soccer player?

It’s that time again — time to play the latest version of everyone’s favorite pharmaceutical game!

This time, five of these are new drugs approved by the FDA in 2024, and five are the surnames of players on the Turkey National Football Team.

Difficulty: We’ve anglicized the spellings of their names, removing all the diacriticals.

Do you know which is which?

  • Anktiva
  • Aqneursa
  • Demiral
  • Elmali
  • Imdelltra
  • Karazor
  • Sengezer
  • Vyloy
  • Yildirim
  • Zelsuvmi

Check your answers here.