Watch: Can drugs like Ozempic solve the obesity problem in India?
The explosive popularity of GLP-1 (Glucagon-Like Peptide-1) drugs for addressing weight loss, diabetes and obesity, such as Ozempic and Munjaro are useful for a limited number of people and will not solve the obesity or diabetes crisis that India is battling, said Dr Anoop Misra, Chairman, Fortis Centre of Diabetes, at The Huddle by The Hindu on Saturday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
8 hours ago
- India Today
European drugs regulator flags rare eye risk with Ozempic
The European Medicines Agency's safety committee has concluded that the use of Novo Nordisk's popular weight-loss drug Wegovy and its treatments for type 2 diabetes may cause rare occurrences of a potentially dangerous eye non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), the condition may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people taking semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy and Novo's diabetes drugs Ozempic and Rybelsus, the regulator said on EMA, which started its review in December, said the use of the drugs is linked to about twofold increase in the risk of developing the condition compared to people not taking the medicine. NAION develops from insufficient blood flow to the optic nerve and causes sudden painless vision loss in one eye. It is the second most common cause of blindness due to optic nerve damage, after have linked semaglutide to NAION in the past. But this is the first time a regulator has made the belongs to a class of drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, which work by helping control blood sugar levels and triggering a feeling of fullness.A large study of nearly 350,000 diabetics published earlier this year had showed that the risk of developing NAION more than doubled after long-term use of semaglutide, compared to patients taking medicines from other EMA said it has reviewed all available data on NAION with semaglutide, including data from non-clinical studies, clinical trials and has recommended the drugmaker to update prescribing information for medicines containing semaglutide to include NAION as a side effect with a frequency of "very rare".The US Food and Drug Administration did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for Watch
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
11 hours ago
- Business Standard
NB.1.8.1 Covid-19 variant makes up 10% cases globally: Should you worry?
Just when many believed Covid-19 was in the rear-view mirror, a new variant has quietly gained ground. NB.1.8.1, first detected in China in January 2025, now accounts for one in ten Covid-19 cases globally—up from just one in forty a month ago. It has spread across twenty-two countries so far. What is NB.1.8.1 variant? According to the World Health Organization, NB.1.8.1 is among several fast-evolving Omicron-lineage variants. From January to May 2025, global dominance shifted from XEC to LP.8.1, with NB.1.8.1 now surging rapidly. The WHO has classified NB.1.8.1 as a Variant Under Monitoring due to its rise in prevalence and potential public health implications. Officials stress that while vigilance is crucial, there is no cause for alarm. Vaccination remains the best protection against severe illness and death. How NB.1.8.1 behaves and how severe it really is NB.1.8.1 is a sublineage of the Omicron JN.1 family. It carries similar characteristics—high transmissibility, but mostly mild to moderate illness. It also includes new mutations on the spike protein, which may enhance its ability to spread and evade immunity. So far, there is no evidence to suggest NB.1.8.1 causes more severe disease, hospitalisations or death compared to previous variants. NB.1.8.1 symptoms: What to watch for Common symptoms include: Dry, persistent cough Runny or blocked nose Fatigue and general body aches Sore throat Fever or chills Headache or hoarseness in some cases Many report being able to go about daily activities but feel unusually tired and sluggish. Are vaccines still effective against NB.1.8.1? Updated vaccines, including the latest Omicron-targeted boosters, are designed to protect against the JN.1 family. While they may not prevent all infections, they continue to reduce the risk of hospitalisation and severe outcomes. Expert guidance includes: If you are over sixty, have chronic health conditions or are immunocompromised, get a booster if it has been more than six months since your last dose If you are healthy and under sixty, no new dose is required at present Use masks in public transport and crowded indoor spaces How to manage NB.1.8.1 symptoms at home In most cases, NB.1.8.1 does not require hospitalisation. Here is what helps: Rest and stay well hydrated Use paracetamol or other over-the-counter medications for fever or aches Recovery generally takes five to seven days If you are elderly or immunocompromised, speak to your doctor early. Antiviral medication is most effective within five days of the onset of symptoms. Warning signs: When to seek emergency help Seek urgent medical care if you experience any of the following: Difficulty breathing Chest pain or tightness Confusion or trouble staying awake Severe dizziness or fainting Do not panic, but stay informed Experts believe NB.1.8.1 will follow a familiar seasonal pattern seen with earlier variants—periodic surges during winter and summer months. Most infections remain mild. Vaccines continue to work. Keep an eye on symptoms, isolate if unwell, and consult your doctor when in doubt.
New Indian Express
14 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Covid infections growing milder, occasional surges expected but don't worry: experts
The death toll is 55 in the current surge which started January this year, primarily among individuals with pre-existing illnesses, according to the Union Health ministry. "People with pre-existing illnesses and those older than 65 should follow standard precautions, as they would against any other respiratory infection -- not just for COVID-19," explained Lahariya, a consultant physician and former staff member of WHO. Kerala is the most affected with over 1,600 cases, followed by Gujarat, West Bengal, Delhi and Maharashtra, ministry data shows. The case surge in India is part of a wider wave impacting parts of Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong, which have been seeing a rise in infections over the past months. Wastewater surveillance by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) has detected presence of SARS-CoV-2 -- which causes COVID-19 -- in samples from 10 sewage treatment plants in Pune, the Times of India reported. Patterns are similar to those seen in the weeks preceding earlier surges, NCL scientists were quoted as saying. Genome sequencing of samples from India's west and south have shown links to the subvariants of Omicron -- LF.7, XFG, JN.1 and NB.1.8.1. The cases are not severe and there is no need to worry, Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Rajiv Behl said earlier this week. LF.7 and been classified as 'variants under monitoring' (VUM) by the WHO to alert public health authorities that a variant of SARS-CoV-2 requires prioritised attention and monitoring. JN.1 has been circulating in India since November 2023. The current situation, Behl stressed, is being monitored. Immunologist Satyajit Rath explained that the subvariants driving up case numbers indicate that they are probably better at binding themselves to human cells, despite pre-existing antibodies created in response to a prior infection or vaccination -- or 'infectivity'. "However, the important issue here is not their infectivity, but their tendency to cause severe disease, or 'virulence'," Rath, former scientist at New Delhi's National Institute of Immunology, told PTI. "Since selection pressure among the virus strains depends on infectivity and transmissibility -- and not on virulence -- there is no reason to expect a steady increase in the virulence of the emerging virus strains, which, in fact, has not at all been seen either," he added. Moreover, given that the COVID-19-causing virus is now endemic and constantly 'mutating' or evolving, ups and downs in infections in the population are expected, the health experts said. "People need not worry themselves until they are informed of a new 'variant of concern'. VUM is not relevant to the public, but only to public health authorities," Agarwal said. Lahariya advised the public to gather information from reliable sources and not to forward unverified messages, while Rath suggested that citizens keep a watch for the virulence of newly emerging strains. The experts also stressed on the role of authorities. "National and state governments in India should keep a watch on cases, monitor the trends in new cases and share data widely. The linkage between infections and clinical outcomes should be explored to understand the clinical features of the variants in circulation," Lahariya said. Rath drew attention to systemic issues that remain regarding preparedness of public health systems and availability of healthcare facilities across sections of the society should a virulent variant emerge. "The catch is, how efficiently, systematically and rigorously are our public health systems tracking virus strains, their infectivity and their virulence, not only for SARS-CoV-2 but for any other infection?" he asked. "Are we making next generation Covid vaccines at all? Are we making them available widely and affordably? Are we even carefully tracking evidence to see how well or poorly the current vaccine-induced immunity functions against emerging strains?" he added. The poor and vulnerable would need special protection "but are masks being made widely and freely available? And if not, we are throwing poor communities onto their own resources even for taking such simple precautions, and that is a systemic problem," Rath said.
