First generic GLP-1

The FDA has approved a generic version of liraglutide (Novo Nordisk calls it “Victoza”) as a daily injectable for people with type 2 diabetes, making it the first generic GLP-1 agonist.

Sure, liraglutide is a bit older (and a little less effective) than semaglutide or tirzepatide, and it requires a daily injection instead of a weekly one, but the approval still marks a big breakthrough for patients looking to lose wei— um, for patients looking to control their diabetes.

With tirzepatide supposedly out of shortage (and semaglutide possibly coming out of shortage soon), a lot of GLP-1 patients are about to see their costs skyrocket. But they might be willing to deal with a daily shot for a fraction of the price.

In the interest of completeness: Yes, there is already an “authorized generic” version of liraglutide from Teva, but it only sells at a 14% discount from the brand-name drug.

Bird flu in cat food

This is a little scary: Northwest Naturals is recalling its Feline Turkey Recipe frozen pet food. It’s already killed at least one cat because the food contained H5N1 bird flu.

Not only can cats get H5N1 via food, but health officials know they can transmit it to humans. And then there’s the issue of how the virus got into the food in the first place….

Speaking of bird flu…

Remember that first serious case in the US — the one in Louisiana? The CDC tested the flu strain involved and found that “the virus likely mutated in the patient to become potentially more transmissible to humans.” Yay.

A drug for meth abuse

To treat opioid dependence, there’s methadone and buprenorphine. But what about meth or other amphetamine dependence? There’s nothing.

Or is there? Australian researchers say they’ve found a drug that can reduce meth addicts’ need for a hit — and better still, it’s an existing, approved medication: lisdexamfetamine, aka Vyvanse.

A 15-week study of 164 adults found that yep, taking the ADHD med reduced patients’ self-reported meth use.

Overall, the participants who received lisdexamfetamine reported 8.8 fewer days of methamphetamine use on average during the maintenance phase than the placebo group. The treatment group also reported 2.9 times higher rates of treatment effectiveness and 3.8 times higher treatment satisfaction.

As always, more research is needed; the trial was small. Still, with Vyvanse already approved, it could be a much shorter road to using it to wean people off the hard stuff.

Saving you a click

“Are antibiotics linked to dementia?”

No. (At least among healthy adults.)

Closing the barn door

As baby-powder manufacturers move away from talc to corn starch, the FDA is proposing a standardized test for any products still containing talc to ensure they don’t contain asbestos. No one has determined what a safe level of exposure is, and of course the FDA doesn’t regulate what’s in cosmetics.

The rule would require [insert science here] testing, and…

If the manufacturer fails to comply with testing and record-keeping requirements, the proposed rule allows the FDA to declare that product as adulterated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.