Drug Topics Top 10: Most Read Stories From July 2024

Phase 1/2 Trial of Investigational Herpes Zoster Vaccine Candidate Underway

Drug Topics Top 10: Most Read Stories From July 2024 / Pixel-Shot - stock.adobe.com

The first participant in a phase 1/2 clinical trial of Z-1018, an investigational vaccine candidate being developed by Dynavax for the prevention of herpes zoster (shingles). Researchers for the randomized, active-controlled, dose escalation, multicenter trial will be evaluating the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of the vaccine candidate. Approximately 440 healthy adults aged 50 to 69 years across 3 trial sites in Australia are expected to be enrolled.

COVID-19 Cases Rise as Omicron-Derived FLiRT, LB.1 Variants Take Hold

Barbecues, beach vacations, and… COVID-19? The new hallmark of summer may be the annual surge in COVID-19 cases. Cases have been rising for several weeks and are likely higher than current reports suggest due to the significant scaling back of disease surveillance since the public health emergency was ended in May 2023.

Amidst Uptick in Cases, Investigational Lyme Disease Vaccine Trial Underway

Clinical trial participants have completed their primary 3-dose vaccination series of VLA15, an investigational Lyme disease vaccine from Pfizer and Valneva. There are no approved human vaccines for Lyme disease. VLA15 is an investigational multivalent protein subunit vaccine targeting the outer surface protein A of Lyme disease-causing Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria.

Rite Aid Addresses Cyberattack: 2.2 Million Customers’ Data Breached

On July 16, 2024, Rite Aid reported a cybersecurity breach that occurred last month on June 6. Although the company maintains that Social Security and financial information were not breached—just data from the purchase or attempted purchase products—up to 2.2 million customers’ data may have been affected.

Medication, Health Care Affordability Improved During COVID-19 Pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic years of 2021 and 2022, health care and medication affordability improved for low-income adults compared to pre-pandemic affordability, further tightening the gap between low- and high-income individuals, according to research published in JAMA Health Forum.

Head to Head Comparison of GLP-1 RAs for Weight Loss Tips Scales in Tirzepatide’s Favor

Tirzepatide is associated with significantly more weight loss than semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity, according to results of a real-world study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Pfizer Advances Oral GLP-1 Development as the Race for Second-Gen Obesity Therapies Continues

fizer will advance their development of danuglipron, a once-daily oral glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist. The decision is based on results of an ongoing pharmacokinetic study (NCT06163758) which compared single-dose pharmacokinetics of immediate and modified release formulations in healthy adult participants. Four formulations—one 40 mg danuglipron immediate release tablet and three different 80 mg danuglipron moderate release—were evaluated by researchers across different experimental sequences.

Mediterranean, DASH Diets May Lower Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in Patients with T1D

Patients with type 1 diabetes who have higher adherence to guidelines from the Mediterranean or dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) diets may have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, according to new data. The study builds on earlier work from the researchers and was presented at Nutrition 2024, the American Society for Nutrition’s annual meeting held June 29 to July 2 in Chicago, Illinois.

Q&A: What the NCPA is Doing to Fight Back Against PBMs

On a recent episode of Over the Counter, Steve Postal, JD, Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs at the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), sat down with Drug Topics to discuss his organization’s work to introduce PBM reform. From resources made available for its members to class-action lawsuits and several legislative bills in the works, read about the NCPA’s fight to reclaim revenue for community pharmacists.

As Pharmacies Face Financial Distress, RxOwnership Uses Data to Increase Profits

Chris Cella, RPh, vice president of RxOwnership at McKesson, noticed changes in the independent pharmacy industry starting 3 to 5 years ago, when margins started getting slimmer and profitability was getting harder to achieve. At RxOwnership, Cella and his team help pharmacy owners dig into their overall financial health by conducting an analysis to help improve their foundation and get their financials in order.

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