How Weight-Loss Drugs Blew Out the U.S. Trade Deficit
Planes have been jetting from Ireland to the U.S. this year carrying something more valuable than gold: $36 billion worth of hormones for popular obesity and diabetes drugs.
The frantic airlift of those ingredients—more than double what was imported from Ireland for all of last year—reflects the collision of two powerful forces: tariff-driven stockpiling and weight-loss drug demand.
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CNN
17 minutes ago
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Britain's lawmakers vote to legalize assisted dying, a landmark move after a fraught national debate
Lawmakers in Britain have narrowly approved a bill to legalize assisted dying for terminally ill people, capping a fraught debate in Parliament and across the country that cut across political, religious and legal divides. MPs passed the bill by 314 votes to 291, in their final say on the question. The bill – which has split lawmakers and sparked impassioned conversations with their constituents the breadth of Britain – will now move to the House of Lords for its final rounds of scrutiny. Friday's vote puts Britain firmly on track to join a small club of nations that have legalized the process, and one of the largest by population to allow it. It allows people with a terminal condition and less than six months to live to take a substance to end their lives, as long as they are capable of making the decision themselves. Two doctors and a panel would need to sign off on the choice. Canada, New Zealand, Spain and most of Australia allow assisted dying in some form, as do several US states, including Oregon, Washington and California. Friday's vote in Parliament coincided with a charged public debate about whether the state should be dictating the choices available to Britons in the final moments of their lives. Proponents included Esther Rantzen, a BBC TV presenter with advanced lung cancer, who argued that the choice would save millions from unnecessary suffering. 'If we don't vote to change the law today, what does that mean?,' asked Kim Leadbeater, the MP who introduced the bill last year. 'It means we will have many more years of heartbreaking stories from terminally ill people and their families, of pain and trauma, suicide attempts, PTSD, lonely trips to (clinics in) Switzerland, police investigations.' The option, she said, is 'not a choice between living and dying: it is a choice for terminally ill people about how they die.' But opponents have criticized the bill on religious and ethical grounds, and raised issues with a legislative process they accuse of being opaque. Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown argued that fixing Britain's strained end-of-live care system should be prioritized, writing in a rare intervention in The Guardian that the bill 'would privilege the legal right to assisted dying without guaranteeing anything approaching an equivalent right to high-quality palliative care for those close to death.' Seriously ill people 'need the health and social care system fixing first,' Labour MP Vicky Foxcroft said in Parliament Friday. 'They want us as parliamentarians to assist them to live, not to die.' Friday's debate was concluded with a free vote, meaning that MPs were allowed to decide for or against the bill according to their conscience, and free from any party-line whipping. The proposed bill is broadly in line with the Oregon model, and does not go as far as Switzerland, the Netherlands and Canada, which allow assisted death in cases of suffering, not just for terminally ill people. It differs from euthanasia, the process in which another person deliberately ends someone's life to relieve suffering. It is currently a crime to help somebody die in England and Wales, punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Performing euthanasia on a person, meanwhile, is considered murder or manslaughter.
Medscape
32 minutes ago
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Exceptional Use Recommendation for Nuclear Emergency Drug
The European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended an exceptional circumstances marketing authorization for Imreplys. The drug — active ingredient sargramostim and manufactured by Partner Therapeutics Ltd — is intended to treat people with hematopoietic acute radiation syndrome (H-ARS) following acute exposure to myelosuppressive doses of radiation. H-ARS occurs when radiation suppresses bone marrow hematopoiesis, leading to an increased risk for infection and bleeding. It occurs after whole-body radiation doses of about 1-6 Gy, most often associated with acute exposure following radiologic or nuclear emergencies. Sargramostim, a granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, counteracts H-ARS by inducing the bone marrow to produce immune-protective leukocytes, including granulocytes, macrophages, and monocytes, as well as red blood cells and platelets. The positive opinion means that Imreplys is now indicated for treatment of patients of all ages with H-ARS following acute exposure to myelosuppressive doses of radiation. It has also been used in the US in patients aged 2 years or older to prevent serious infection in conditions such as leukemia, bone marrow transplant, and prechemotherapy blood cell collection. As well as the infection risk, symptoms of H-ARS may include those of anemia, petechiae, and prolonged bleeding, starting 1-6 hours after exposure and lasting up to 2 days. Exceptional Circumstances Authorization Recommended Medicines can be authorized under exceptional circumstances, subject to certain specific obligations where the applicant was unable to provide comprehensive data on the efficacy and safety of the medicine under normal conditions of use. This may be because the condition that the drug is to be used for is too rare for extensive data gathering; because of limited scientific knowledge in the area concerned; or because collection of full information is not possible or is unethical. Exceptional circumstances authorization must be reviewed annually. The CHMP said that three randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled studies in rhesus monkeys who received H-ARS-inducing total body irradiation showed that Imreplys increased 60-day survival rates compared with placebo. Studies had also shown faster recovery of absolute neutrophil counts and platelets, reduced infection rates, and fewer signs of sepsis. The most common side effects with Imreplys include fever, diarrhea, vomiting, skin reactions, rash, asthenia, metabolic laboratory abnormalities, malaise, high glucose, abdominal pain, weight loss, low albumin, pruritus, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, chills, pharyngitis, bone pain, chest pain, hypomagnesemia, hematemesis, arthralgia, anxiety, and eye hemorrhage. Use Governed by Radiologic/Nuclear Emergency Recommendations The EMA said that Imreplys will be available as a 250 μg powder for solution for injection and should be used in accordance with official radiologic/nuclear emergency recommendations. Detailed recommendations for the use of the product will be described in the summary of product characteristics (SmPC), which will be published on the EMA website in all official European Union languages after the marketing authorization has been granted by the European Commission.
Health Line
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Coke Zero vs. Diet Coke: What's the Difference?
There isn't much difference between Coke Zero and Diet Coke. You can drink either coke if you want to reduce your sugar intake, as both of them contain artificial sweeteners. You've likely heard that limiting the amount of added sugar in your diet is important for your health. People who regularly consume sodas may try switching to sodas made with artificial or non-nutritive sweeteners to reduce their added sugar intake. These alternatives make products taste sweet but don't lead to the blood sugar increases that traditional sugar may cause. Diet drinks are a way to avoid added sugars in beverages, but more recently, sodas with 'zero' in their name have hit the market alongside them. Coca-Cola is a popular example of a brand with both 'diet' and 'zero' varieties. If you're wondering about the differences between Coke Zero and Diet Coke — and how to determine which is a better choice for you — read on. Nutrition facts and ingredients of Coke Zero and Diet Coke Below are the ingredients and nutrition facts for both Coke Zero and Diet Coke. In this section, we'll break down some of the key differences and similarities you may want to consider. Coke Zero nutrition facts Coke Zero's ingredients include: carbonated water caramel color phosphoric acid aspartame potassium benzoate (to protect taste) natural flavors potassium citrate acesulfame potassium caffeine It also contains the amino acid phenylalanine, so people with phenylketonuria (PKU) should avoid it. A 12-ounce (355-mL) serving of Coke Zero provides: Calories: 0 Total fat: 0 grams (g) Sodium: 40 milligrams (mg) Total carbohydrate s: 0 g Total sugars: 0 g Protein: 0 g Potassium: 60 mg Caffeine: 34 mg Coke Zero contains no added sugars since it uses artificial sweeteners instead. It comes in a variety of flavors, including cherry, cherry vanilla, orange vanilla, and vanilla. Coke Zero also has less caffeine than Diet Coke. Caffeine-free Coke Zero is also available. Diet Coke nutrition facts Diet Coke's ingredients include: carbonated water caramel color aspartame phosphoric acid potassium benzoate (to protect taste) natural flavors citric acid caffeine Like Coke Zero, Diet Coke contains the amino acid phenylalanine, so people with PKU should avoid it. A 12-ounce (355-mL) serving of Diet Coke provides: Calories: 0 Total fat: 0 g Sodium: 40 mg Total carbohydrate: 0 g Total sugars: 0 g Protein: 0 g Caffeine: 46 mg Diet Coke contains no added sugars since it uses artificial sweeteners instead. Regular Diet Coke uses aspartame, but you can also purchase a variety of Diet Coke that's made with Splenda, a brand of sucralose. Flavor varieties of Diet Coke include ginger lime and feisty cherry. Like Coke Zero, Diet Coke also comes in a caffeine-free version. Key differences between Coke Zero and Diet Coke These products are essentially the same, especially regarding their main selling point: not containing sugar. What differs between the two is the type of sweetener they contain, as well as their caffeine content, although these two differences are still unlikely to be significant to most people. While Diet Coke uses aspartame as its sweetening agent, Coke Zero uses both aspartame and acesulfame potassium, also called 'Ace K' or 'acesulfame K.' Acesulfame potassium is another calorie-free sweetener that passes through the body without raising blood sugar levels. Per Diet Coke's ingredient label, its primary sweetener is aspartame, and since ingredients are listed in order by weight, it's reasonable to assume that it contains much less acesulfame potassium. This means that these drinks are quite similar in terms of ingredients. The other key difference is caffeine content. Coke Zero has less caffeine than Diet Coke. However, both beverages are well below the recommended daily caffeine limit of 400 mg per day for adults. One debatable difference is the taste of these two drinks. Some say they cannot taste a difference, while others swear by either Diet Coke or Coke Zero as tasting closest to the 'real deal.' Taste comparison As of late, Coca-Cola writes on its website and in its most recent marketing materials that it has developed a new recipe for Coke Zero. The company doesn't go into detail about how it has changed but maintains that it 'has more real Coca-Cola flavor, still without any sugar'. Coke Zero has a slightly different aftertaste than Diet Coke, likely due to its acesulfame potassium. Diet Coke tastes more like regular Coke to many people. However, for some, it's the reverse. Neither tastes just like the original Coca-Cola. Depending on multiple factors — like whether you get it from a beverage fountain, in a can, or in a bottle — each type may have a slightly different taste. Potential side effects For most, not many harmful side effects come from drinking carbonated beverages in moderation. However, caffeine and artificial sweeteners may negatively affect some people, even at moderate intake levels. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends that adults have no more than 400 mg of caffeine per day. That's about 4 cups of coffee, or nine or eleven 12-ounce (355-mL) cans of Diet Coke or Coke Zero, respectively. So, you're unlikely to exceed the limit by drinking these sodas in moderation. If you're highly sensitive to caffeine, though, you may want to watch your intake of these beverages. Otherwise, they contain a relatively low amount of caffeine. Aspartame may cause headaches for some people, according to the American Migraine Foundation. While this effect may vary, it's good to know ahead of time so you can connect the dots if you start experiencing headaches after drinking these beverages. In addition, some research has indicated that aspartame may be carcinogenic. More long-term, high quality human studies are necessary before we can connect aspartame to cancer. A concluded that products containing aspartame are safe to consume by the general population at current levels. However, it may pose certain health risks for certain populations, such as: people with seizures neurological conditions people with phenylketonuria people who are pregnant Those who take a more cautious approach to ingredients in foods may want to avoid aspartame, and that's OK. However, it's worth noting that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers aspartame safe. Similar to aspartame, acesulfame potassium has been evaluated for potential carcinogenic effects. Again, however, the evidence is unclear, and more long-term, high quality human studies are necessary. Acesulfame potassium is FDA approved. Which is a better choice? There are very few differences between Diet Coke and Coke Zero. As such, there is no concrete, measurable reason to suggest that one is superior to the other. Nutritionally, there are no significant differences. Their ingredient and caffeine contents are similar as well, so neither is healthier than the other. Remember that diet soda is not considered a healthy drink. It's a fun treat that can be consumed in moderation — and switching from original sodas to diet ones is a great starting place if you're trying to cut back on added sugars. Whichever you choose will depend largely on which tastes better to you. Coke Zero has been said to taste more like regular Coke, but some people feel differently and even prefer Diet Coke over regular Coke. Tips for reducing diet soda intake With the conflicting evidence surrounding artificial sweeteners, you may be wondering how you can get your fizzy fix while limiting your artificial sweetener intake. Here are some ideas you can try: Flavored waters: Calorie-free flavored waters can be refreshing and hydrating. Consider them as a healthy addition to your fridge or cooler. Kombucha: Kombucha is a probiotic-filled beverage that promotes healthy gut bacteria and is naturally fizzy due to the fermentation process. Most kombuchas have less sugar than regular sodas, but compare labels to ensure you're not overdoing it on added sugars. Probiotic sodas: Some brands of probiotic 'soda' are similar to kombucha. They're designed to taste similar to soda but have far less sugar. Their benefits are similar to those of kombucha due to the probiotics. Stevia sodas: Several brands of fizzy drinks mimic popular soda flavors and contain no artificial sweeteners. Instead, these sodas use plant-based alternative sweeteners like stevia or monk fruit. They still taste similar to soda but have no sugar or artificial sweeteners. Sparkling water: If it's fizz you're after rather than the sweetness, sparkling waters may come to your rescue. While they're not always sweet, they still provide carbonation without any sugar or artificial sweeteners. The bottom line If you want to limit added sugars, sodas made with artificial sweeteners — like Diet Coke and Coke Zero — may seem like a good choice. While some of the artificial sweeteners in these two drinks have faced controversy over their potential negative health effects, consuming either beverage in moderation should not be a concern, especially when compared with the negative effects of their sugar-laden alternative. Coke Zero and Diet Coke are essentially the same nutritionally. They differ mostly in their flavor.
