Latest news with #Maz
The Guardian
26-04-2025
- General
- The Guardian
The dos and don'ts of good petiquette: four cardinal rules for dog owners
Across the hours of the day and the seasons of the year, Naseby Park is the place we return to, my dog and I. Surrounded by red sandstone tenements in Glasgow's West End, and roughly the size of a football pitch, this is where we first walked our four-year-old labrador Brèagha (Scots Gaelic for beautiful and she is, uncommonly so, thanks for asking). All I know about the etiquette of dog walking has been gleaned from the humans and animals who have paced its perimeter with us, and these are cardinal rules I have learned … The sine qua non of the dog walkers' code. Nobody wants to discover an abandoned turd, typically on the underside of one's shoe. Poop leavers give the rest of us dog owners a bad name. I've had animated debates with fellow walkers about whether it is ever legitimate to leave a turd. In deep undergrowth on a country walk? Beneath a jaggy bush, when retrieving it will probably require reconstructive surgery? I'm zero tolerance about poop myself, to the extent that I will pick up an unknown dog's mess if I have a spare poo bag on me. Not everyone will greet your animal with blanket delight. 'You do project your love for your dog on to the general public and that is a mistake,' acknowledges Tim, owner of Brèagha's friend Georgie, a tiny border terrier. To me Brèagha's frantic bark is a declaration of pure joy, having recently evacuated her bowels and discovered a half-eaten kebab by the bins. To a stranger, however, it could be a threat to rip their face off. A responsible dog owner must become an expert interpreter of body language and a keen risk assessor – I can precisely calculate recall time divided by fabric contact as the dog scampers through a mucky puddle and towards that woman in the pristine camel coat. There is nothing gladder than two dogs spinning nose to tail in a virtuous circle of bum-sniffing. But among primmer owners, there can be an underlying anxiety that being relaxed about this means you're up for everyone sniffing everyone's bottoms, which of course is neither practical nor desirable. Maz, owner of heart-throb labrador Otis, and I agree, we've become more laissez-faire as we've gained experience – both of our own dogs and how other dogs and humans respond to them. 'Of course dogs will snap and snarl,' she says. 'It's how they communicate. The majority of difficulties we've encountered have been with owners, not dogs, who usually know how to handle themselves, and will give dogs who are aggressive or unfriendly a wide berth.' Whenever Otis makes an apologetic attempt to hump Brèagha, for example, he gets short shrift. Plenty of those I chat to are happy for a dog to be off the lead 'so long as they come back when called'. Indeed, my cat-partial friend Lorna expresses her preference for this over acres of extendable lead lurking in the grass. Given Brèagha's genetic predisposition to greed, she is usually back at my side like a bullet for a biscuit. Maz is more militant. She believes some dog owners project their own nerves about control on to their dogs and struggle to keep them on the lead rather than learning how to manage them off. Maz also notes a certain demographic of male who likes to tell a woman how to walk her dog. 'There's an assumption that women don't know how to control a bigger dog. Men are constantly telling me Otis would be easier to control without his knackers. Which I think says more about them. But one word and he is at my side.' Cry When the Baby Cries by Becky Barnicoat is published by Jonathan Cape at £25. To support the Guardian, order your copy at Delivery charges may apply.
Business Wire
23-04-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Boston Pharmaceuticals to Present State-of-the-Art Lecture and Poster for Once-monthly Efimosfermin Alfa at Digestive Disease Week ® 2025
BUSINESS WIRE)-- Boston Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing efimosfermin alfa, an investigational, once-monthly FGF21 analogue for the treatment of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), today announced it will present immunogenicity and biomarker analyses from its Phase 2 study, in participants with stage F2 and F3 fibrosis due to MASH. The results will be presented in a state-of-the-art lecture and poster at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) in San Diego, May 3-6, 2025. These findings further support the advancement of the efimosfermin clinical program to a Phase 3 pivotal study in 2025. 'Efimosfermin has demonstrated rapid and strong response across liver and cardiometabolic biomarkers, along with a favorable safety and tolerability profile. Its once-monthly dosing is expected to be a significant advantage for both prescribers and patients, providing confidence that efimosfermin could set a new standard in MASH treatment,' said Sophie Kornowski, CEO of Boston Pharmaceuticals. 'With our robust data, along with the commitment from our Board and a strong funding strategy, we aim to accelerate efimosfermin's development and begin enrolling patients in a Phase 3 study in F2 and F3 patients before the end of the year, followed by an F4 trial after planned discussions with regulators.' The state-of-the-art oral presentation will showcase results from the Phase 2, randomized, placebo-controlled, 24-week treatment study in participants with biopsy-confirmed F2 and F3 MASH. The study showed significant improvements in histopathology, with 45.2% (p=0.038) of participants treated with efimosfermin 300mg achieving fibrosis improvement ≥1 stage without worsening of MASH compared to 20.6% in the placebo group, and MASH resolution without worsening of fibrosis in 67.7% of participants (p=0.002) versus 29.4% at 24 weeks. Efimosfermin also demonstrated extrahepatic benefits, including positive impacts on lipids and in participants with diabetes, clinically meaningful improvements in glycemic control. In this study, efimosfermin was generally well-tolerated, with low discontinuation rates due to adverse events, and an overall low incidence of gastrointestinal side effects and injection site reactions. Data to be presented will also highlight the favorable immunogenicity profile of efimosfermin. Exploratory analyses of the phase 2 study of changes in biomarkers that identify at-risk MASH patients will be presented as a poster. These results strengthen the histopathology findings, demonstrating rapid and marked effects on biomarkers of steatosis, fibrosis, and liver injury, and supports the potential of efimosfermin as a once-monthly, disease-modifying therapeutic for the treatment of MASH. 'These analyses further support the Phase 2 study findings and provides the scientific community with the confidence to advance the development of efimosfermin as a potential therapy for patients with F2 and F3 fibrosis,' said Mazen Noureddin, M.D., lead investigator and Professor of Medicine at Houston Methodist Hospital, and Director of the Houston Research Institute. 'Based on these encouraging results, we expect to see continued progress as we evaluate findings across histology and non-invasive markers in patients with F2 and F3 MASH receiving efimosfermin treatment for up to 48 weeks.' Details of Boston Pharmaceuticals' presentations are as follows: Digestive Disease Week 2025 Oral Presentation Title: Once-Monthly Efimosfermin Alfa (BOS-580) in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis With F2/F3 Fibrosis: Results From a 24 Week, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Phase 2 Trial Abstract Number: 723 Session: State-of-the-Art Lecture: Update on MASLD Therapies Pipeline Session Date, Time: Monday, May 5, 2025, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. PDT Presentation Time: 11:05 a.m. – 11:20 a.m. PDT Location: 6F Presenter: Matthew Bryant, PharmD, Vice President of Medical Affairs, Boston Pharmaceuticals Expand Poster Presentation Title: Once-Monthly Efimosfermin Alfa Improves FAST and FIB-4 Composite Biomarker Scores for MASH Stage F2-F3 Fibrosis in a 24-Week Phase 2 Trial Abstract Number: Sa1504 Session: Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) and Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH) Session Date, Time: Location: Halls C-E Presenter: Rohit Loomba, M.D., MHSc, Professor of Medicine, Chief in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and Director of MASLD Research Center at University of California, San Diego Expand About MASH Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), formerly known as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), is a growing global epidemic fueled by the increasing prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes. It is estimated that MASH affects millions of people worldwide, including 17 million in the U.S., and is expected to increase by 63% by 2030. MASH is a progressive disease staged by the degree of fibrosis (scarring) in the liver and is closely associated with multiple cardiometabolic risk factors. Left untreated, MASH could lead to liver failure, liver cancer or death. In the U.S., MASH is now a leading cause of liver transplantation. About efimosfermin alfa Boston Pharmaceuticals' lead investigational agent, efimosfermin alfa (formerly BOS-580) is a once-monthly subcutaneous injectable of a long-acting variant of human fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) that regulates various metabolic pathways to decrease liver fat and ameliorate liver inflammation and damage in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), also known as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The Phase 2 clinical development program of efimosfermin is continuing with an open-label extension in F2 and F3 MASH patients, providing an additional 24 weeks of treatment to assess long-term safety and efficacy up to 48 weeks. Boston Pharmaceuticals also plans to initiate a supplemental study in F4 MASH to further expand and enrich the data set for this patient population. About Boston Pharmaceuticals Boston Pharmaceuticals, a portfolio company of B-FLEXION, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that leverages an experienced and committed drug development team to advance a portfolio of highly differentiated therapies that may address important unmet medical needs in serious liver diseases, with MASH as the focus of its lead asset. The Company has significant expansion opportunities through its portfolio of promising drug development candidates that were acquired through partnerships with proven, innovative biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Boston Pharmaceuticals applies rigorous decision-making to advance programs to deliver differentiated medicines to patients in need of new options while creating value for all parties involved in the journey. For more information, please visit and follow us on LinkedIn. Forward-Looking Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This communication, other than statements of historic fact, are forward-looking statements. Boston Pharmaceutical's actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements it makes as a result of a variety of risks and uncertainties. As with any pharmaceutical under development, there are significant risks in the development, regulatory approval and commercialization of new products. There are no guarantees that any product will receive or maintain regulatory approval in any territory or prove to be commercially successful. Boston Pharmaceuticals does not undertake to update or revise any such forward-looking statements to reflect actual results or changes in plans, prospects, assumptions, estimates or projections, or other circumstances occurring after the date of this presentation except as required by law.
