Medical Bulletin 27/September/2023

Here are the top medical news of the day:

Tirzepatide outperforms Semaglutide in controlling Blood Sugar and Weight Loss in Type 2 Diabetes

A new meta-analysis of 22 studies, presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Hamburg, Germany, shows that tirzepatide is superior to semaglutide in terms of both blood sugar control and weight loss for patients with type 2 diabetes.

Semaglutide is approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity/weight loss management, while tirzepatide has been approved for type 2 diabetes and has pending applications for obesity/weight loss management. The study combined data from 22 trials to compare the efficacy and safety of tirzepatide and semaglutide in people with type 2 diabetes.

Reference: Diabetologia

Meeting: Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD)

New COVID-19 vaccine shows promising efficacy and safety in phase 3 trial

In a significant development in the fight against COVID-19, a phase 3 clinical trial in Iran has demonstrated that the BIV1-CovIran vaccine, administered in two 5 µg doses with a 28-day interval, demonstrated efficacy of 50.2% against symptomatic COVID-19, 70.5% against severe disease, and 83.1% against critical cases, with good tolerability.

The trial revealed that a two-dose regimen of the BIV1-CovIran vaccine showed an overall efficacy of 50.2% against symptomatic COVID-19, 70.5% against severe disease, and an impressive 83.1% against critical cases. Notably, no deaths were reported among the vaccine recipients, whereas there were two deaths in the placebo group. These results offer hope for curbing the spread and impact of COVID-19 in Iran and beyond.

Reference: BMJ 2023;382:e070464

Breakthrough in Spinal Cord Injury Treatment offers hope for Paralysis patients

A recent study published in the journal Science has found that directing axon regeneration from specific neuronal subpopulations to their natural target regions is crucial for substantial recovery of walking function after complete spinal cord injury in mice, highlighting the importance of reestablishing natural projections in axon regeneration strategies for restoring lost neurological functions.

The study has shed light on a promising approach to treat spinal cord injuries (SCI) and potentially restore lost neurological functions. While axon regeneration has been achieved in SCI, meaningful functional recovery has remained challenging. Researchers have now found that directing axon regeneration from specific neuronal subpopulations to their natural target regions is the key to restoring crucial functions like walking after SCI.

Reference: SCIENCE, 21 Sep 2023, Vol 381, Issue 6664, pp. 1338-1345

DOI: 10.1126/science.adi6412