How injecting small amounts of this very common household item could be the secret to tackling breast cancer... as researchers suggest stunning plan could also fight other tumours
His remarks during a live press conference in 2020 followed reports that, in lab tests, disinfectant had destroyed Covid-19 virus particles on a hard surface in less than a minute. No scientists, however, had suggested injecting it into humans.
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The Independent
24 minutes ago
- The Independent
Half-off Ozempic? US patients paying in cash can now buy the popular weight-loss drug for less
American diabetes patients will now be able to buy the wildly popular weight-loss drug Ozempic for half its usual price — as long as they pay out of pocket. Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk said on Monday that it would make the drug available through its direct pharmacy service for $499 per month, compared to a list price of just under $1,000 per month. The drug is available as an obesity medication under the alternate brand name Wegovy but will now be sold to patients with diabetes prescriptions as well. Scientifically known as semaglutide, Ozempic and other GLP-1 agonists have rapidly transformed weight loss and diabetes treatment across the world, while at one point boosting Novo Nordisk's profits enough to raise the entire GDP of Denmark. It comes after President Donald Trump specifically called out GLP-1 agonists for being more expensive in the U.S. than in other countries, claiming he would "slash the cost of prescription drugs" by as much as 80 percent. He also accused European nations of "unfairly shifting the cost burden onto American patients" by using the bargaining power of their large single-payer healthcare services to force U.S. pharma companies to accept lower prices. Big Pharma has been responsive, with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla recently admitting that he and other firms are discussing ways to make their drugs available more cheaply. Sales of Ozempic surged by 500 to 600 percent in the U.K. after its competitor Mounjaro announced that prices would more than triple starting on September 1. But Trump's tariffs could also raise the price of U.S. drugs that are manufactured abroad unless pharma companies or foreign governments can agree some exemption. Novo Nordisk launched its NovaCare pharmacy in March, offering Wegovy for $499 to patients willing to skip insurance and forego any reimbursement. More recently the president upgraded his promise on drug prices to say he would cut them by up to "1,500 percent", which is mathematically impossible without going into negative numbers. In Ozempic's case, reducing the list price by 1,500 percent would result in Novo Nordisk paying American patients around $14,000 for a month's supply of the drug — which is unlikely.
The Guardian
25 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Continuous glucose monitors: should people who don't live with diabetes be wearing them?
People living with diabetes have applauded public figures like Este Haim speaking out about living with the condition and visibly wearing continuous glucose monitors (CGM) in public. But another more concerning trend has emerged that has seen celebrities, elite athletes and influencers who don't live with diabetes sporting the wearable device, which offers near real-time measurements of an individual's blood sugar. A video Gwyneth Paltrow posted on Instagram in May starts with the actor turned wellness influencer stretching with a CGM conspicuously on her arm before she proceeds to make grain-free almond and coconut pancakes with a strawberry compote. Many in the comments questioned her use of a CGM, with some saying she risked stoking a 'dangerous trend' given many diabetes sufferers struggle to get access to them. Other influencers have directly promoted CGMs to people who don't live with diabetes, claiming it can help people manage their metabolism, and thereby improve energy, mood and sleep. Dr Fiona Willer, the president of Dietitians Australia, worries about the proliferation of the devices and questions whether some people may have 'fallen down a wellness rabbit hole'. Glucose, the sugar in our blood, is 'there to help fuel all of our cells – our muscle cells, brain cells, all of them – and so we do need sugar in our blood, it's a bit like the petrol in a car,' Willer says. 'Any form of carbohydrate that we eat, whether that's lollies or whole grain bread, is turned into glucose, which makes its way into our bloodstream.' The body can also recycle glucose from the stored energy of food we've already eaten, Willer says. Those with diabetes need to monitor their glucose levels because their bodies have trouble making or using insulin – the hormone created by the pancreas that helps move glucose from our bloodstream into the body's cells to make energy. The blood glucose of people who don't have regulation issues still fluctuates across the day, going up and down depending on what we eat, physical activity level, as well as things like whether we're ill or going through puberty, Willer says. 'For people who don't have diabetes, that fluctuation will occur within a tighter range, while for people who do have diabetes, their blood glucose levels stray outside of what we would call the reference range.' People with diabetes previously had to use a finger prick test to measure their blood glucose levels. The CGM is a relatively new device that uses a sensor to measure glucose via the fluid between cells every few minutes and then sends the reading to a receiver or smartphone app. For people with diabetes, the reading can then help them manage their glucose levels by influencing how they eat or using some glucose-modifying drugs like insulin. Clinical endocrinologist Prof Jenny Gunton says CGMs can 'hugely improve the quality of life' for people living with type 1 diabetes, as well as pregnant women who have gestational diabetes and people with type 2 diabetes on insulin. Gunton, who heads the Centre for Diabetes, Obesity and Endocrinology Research at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research, says that outside of these groups, wearing a CGM can be useful to understand blood glucose levels after various foods and exercise, but warns that 'like any device that gives lots of information, CGMs can sometimes increase anxiety and stress'. They are also expensive. For people who aren't eligible for a government subsidy, it can cost more than $100 for a sensor that lasts just 14 days. A study led by the University of the Sunshine Coast in 2022 found CGMs provide little benefit for healthy athletes without diabetes. Separately, researchers who analysed the available evidence of the utility of CMGs among people not living with diabetes in 2024 said that due to the lack of evidence, 'we urge for the commercial claims suggesting the utility of the device in [this population] to be labelled as misleading'. Willer welcomes people trying to understand how their body works, but says any idea of a 'magic number' for glucose levels for someone who doesn't have insulin resistance or diabetes is 'completely imaginary'. She also says it could lead people to becoming unnecessarily restrictive with their diet and trying to control their body in a way that is not necessarily healthy. 'It's a bit like calorie counting, in that it's one metric that can give people the impression that it kind of wraps everything up together, that it is an indicator for everything. But just like calorie counting, it is actually hugely reductionistic, and it means that we lose so much context about why we eat, when we eat, the sorts of things we eat, and how food functions in our social and cultural experiences as well.' Willer recommends for people who are interested in living a healthier lifestyle and want an individual approach to speak to a health expert rather than buy a product online. 'Even if they have purchased a CGM, a dietitian or another health professional will help understand, to help them interpret what's going on with their numbers against their actual behaviours.' Natasha May is Guardian Australia's health reporter Antiviral is a fortnightly column that interrogates the evidence behind the health headlines and factchecks popular wellness claims What health trend do you want examined? Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian.
The Guardian
25 minutes ago
- The Guardian
US pursuing stake in struggling chipmaker Intel, commerce secretary says
The US government is pursuing a stake in Intel, the US commerce secretary said on Tuesday, confirming reports of discussions between officials and the company that have circulated for the better part of a week. The Trump administration wants to convert funding from the Chips and Science Act, which funds research and manufacturing of semiconductor chips in the US, into equity in the struggling tech company, according to Howard Lutnick. Intel was once a leader in producing computer processors, but is now seen as a laggard behind the likes of Nvidia, which last month became the first public company in history to scale a $4tn valuation after a stratospheric stock market rise. Lutnick criticized the structure of the Chips Act, signed into law in 2022 under Joe Biden. 'Why are we giving a company worth $100bn this kind of money? What is in it for the American taxpayer? And the answer Donald Trump has is we should get an equity stake for our money,' he told the CNBC financial news network. 'So we'll deliver the money which was already committed under the Biden administration, we'll get equity in return for it.' Shares in Intel rallied 7.5% in New York. The conversion of the funding would not confer governing rights typical of a company's largest shareholder to the federal government, according to Lutnick. 'It's not governance, we're just converting what was a grant under Biden into equity. Non-voting,' he said. Lutnick did say the goal of the equity stake would be much the same as that of the Chips Act, bluntly stating: 'We need to make our own chips here. We cannot rely on Taiwan.' A large portion of the world's semiconductors originate from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), based in the city of Hsinchu. TSMC has also received Chips Act funding to build semiconductor manufacturing facilities in the US, with construction beginning in Arizona. Sign up to TechScape A weekly dive in to how technology is shaping our lives after newsletter promotion The US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, also said on Tuesday that a potential stake would not oblige US businesses to purchase Intel chips. 'The last thing we're going to do is take a stake and then try to drum up business,' he told CNBC. 'The stake would be a conversion of the grants and maybe increase the investment into Intel to help stabilize the company for chip production here in the US. There's no talk of trying to force companies to buy from Intel.' The prospect of large US investment in Intel has reinvigorated investor interest in the company, whose stock value has declined by half over the past five years. Shares jumped last week after initial reports of discussions with the US government, and the Japanese conglomerate Softbank announced late on Monday that it would take a $2bn stake in the company.
