Eli Lilly and its biggest rival, Novo Nordisk, are locked in a global race to dominate the booming weight‑loss drug market. Lilly’s star drug, tirzepatide, already generated about 253 billion yuan in sales last year and is now being tested for new uses beyond diabetes. In a recent late‑stage trial, 274 adults with moderate‑to‑severe psoriasis received either tirzepatide together with Lilly’s biologic ixekizumab, or ixekizumab alone. After 36 weeks, more than a quarter of the combination group (27.1%) achieved complete skin clearance *and* lost at least 10 % of their body weight, compared with just 5.8% on ixekizumab alone. The findings suggest tirzepatide could help treat obesity‑related conditions such as psoriasis, a chronic autoimmune disease that often co‑exists with excess weight. Meanwhile, China’s regulator has approved tirzepatide for a broader diabetes indication, and Europe has cleared a higher‑dose version of Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide. Lilly is also stockpiling its upcoming oral weight‑loss pill, with inventory jumping to $1.5 billion. As both companies expand their drug portfolios, patients may soon see more options for tackling weight gain and its many health complications.
Read moreRecent Chinese research is turning heads with two striking advances in cancer therapy. First, scientists discovered that Huachansu, a traditional‑medicine injection, can rewire lipid metabolism in bone‑cancer (osteosarcoma) cells, slowing their growth and offering a potential low‑toxicity option for patients. In parallel, a team led by Zhengfang Yi and Yihua Chen identified BCL‑6 as a key driver of glioblastoma, the aggressive “king of cancer.” They created a small‑molecule inhibitor called YK01 that blocks BCL‑6 activity, halting tumor cell proliferation in lab models. Even more exciting, when YK01 is combined with the standard chemotherapy drug temozolomide, the two drugs work synergistically, producing a marked increase in tumor shrinkage and extending median survival in animal studies. Both findings suggest that a single, well‑targeted injection could dramatically improve outcomes for cancers that have long resisted treatment. While still early‑stage, these results pave the way for clinical trials that could bring safer, more effective options to patients battling glioblastoma and osteosarcoma.
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