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Researchers revive an abandoned depression drug target using structurally novel NK1 receptor inhibitors

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-revive-abandoned-depression-drug-nk1.html

Published: January 14, 2026 15:42

For decades, scientists have investigated the neurokinin-1 receptor (NK1R) as a potential target for treating major depressive disorder. Early studies suggested promise, but enthusiasm faded after clinical trials of drugs such as aprepitant failed to show…

Q&A: Want to buy weight loss drugs? Here's what you should know first

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-qa-buy-weight-loss-drugs.html

Published: January 14, 2026 15:27

When endocrinologist Dan Bessesen, MD, looked online and saw how easy it would be for him to purchase a weight loss drug from a compounding pharmacy without being seen by a medical provider, he was disturbed.

Study focuses on safer opioid prescribing

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-focuses-safer-opioid.html

Published: January 14, 2026 12:03

With an estimated 5 million Americans battling opioid use disorder—resulting in tens of thousands of deaths each year—a new study by the University of Texas at Arlington examines how updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines can help…

CBD treatment reverses key effects of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in mouse model

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-cbd-treatment-reverses-key-effects.html

Published: January 14, 2026 04:00

Cannabidiol (CBD) could become a therapeutic tool to address some of the most frequent and disabling consequences of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), a condition caused by alcohol exposure during pregnancy. This is one of the main conclusions of a…

Smart device reminds older adults to take their medication and monitors intake

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-smart-device-older-adults-medication.html

Published: January 13, 2026 17:01

At 78 years old, Maria has high blood pressure and needs to take seven different medications throughout the day at specific times. Her morning pill should be taken at 8 a.m., but she may forget. If her blood pressure is uncontrolled at her next…

Novel immunotherapy demonstrates early potential to overcome resistance to immune checkpoint therapy

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-immunotherapy-early-potential-resistance-immune.html

Published: January 13, 2026 16:49

According to a Phase I study led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, published in Nature Medicine, the novel monoclonal antibody linavonkibart has demonstrated the potential to overcome treatment resistance to anti-PD-1…

Study finds non-hallucinogenic psilocybin neural receptor: A novel target for treating depression and anxiety

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-hallucinogenic-psilocybin-neural-receptor-depression.html

Published: January 13, 2026 16:49

Psilocybin—the psychedelic compound that occurs naturally in certain "magic" mushroom species—has been shown in trials to provide long-term treatment for depression and anxiety. But the chemical's hallucinogenic effects can make developing treatments…

New drug candidate reverses metabolic liver disease and fibrosis, pre-clinical data show

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-drug-candidate-reverses-metabolic-liver.html

Published: January 13, 2026 16:40

Researchers at McMaster University are leading preclinical studies into a novel drug candidate developed by Espervita Therapeutics that has the potential to prevent and reverse liver fibrosis—a dangerous, disease-induced build-up of scar tissue in the…

Study finds FDA used evidence, not politics, in abortion pill decisions

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-fda-evidence-politics-abortion-pill.html

Published: January 13, 2026 15:26

The abortion pill mifepristone has long been at the center of heated political discussions.

New combination therapy developed for frequent form of lung cancer

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-combination-therapy-frequent-lung-cancer.html

Published: January 13, 2026 14:28

A research team at the Medical University of Vienna has discovered a new approach to treating a particularly frequent and difficult-to-treat form of lung cancer. The study shows that a combination of two well-studied classes of drugs—ERBB inhibitors and…

Disrupting HDAC1 condensates in glioblastoma could help to overcome drug resistance

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-disrupting-hdac1-condensates-glioblastoma-drug.html

Published: January 13, 2026 13:04

Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most common and aggressive primary brain tumors in adults, carrying an extremely poor prognosis and a median overall survival typically less than two years. Temozolomide (TMZ) is currently the only chemotherapeutic agent…

AI-driven virtual screening uncovers two potent CDK9 inhibitors with anticancer effects in lab tests

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-ai-driven-virtual-screening-uncovers.html

Published: January 13, 2026 12:46

A new and important discovery comes from the field of oncological research thanks to the joint work of researchers from the Sbarro Institute in Philadelphia, the National Cancer Institute—Pascale Foundation, and the University of Pisa.

Over-the-counter medications may alter cancer immunotherapy outcomes

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-counter-medications-cancer-immunotherapy-outcomes.html

Published: January 13, 2026 12:24

Immunotherapy is offering new hope for cancers that once had grim prognoses by harnessing the body's own immune system to fight the disease, often sparing patients from the harsh side effects of chemotherapy. But its success may hinge on everyday…

Three-dimensional magnetic torque enables heart mechanics in organoids

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-dimensional-magnetic-torque-enables-heart.html

Published: January 13, 2026 11:28

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, yet progress in understanding and treating cardiac disorders is limited by the shortcomings of existing experimental models. Traditional animal models often fail to capture human-specific cardiac…

Abnormally slow heart rate associated with xylazine-fentanyl overdose

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-abnormally-heart-xylazine-fentanyl-overdose.html

Published: January 13, 2026 10:00

Researchers have identified bradycardia—an abnormally low heart rate—as a symptom of xylazine-opioid overdose. This breakthrough finding from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai may help emergency medicine physicians detect whether patients have…

The journey of the molecule behind a male birth control pill

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-journey-molecule-male-birth-pill.html

Published: January 13, 2026 09:23

A newly published manuscript authored by Dr. Gunda Georg, YourChoice Therapeutics and Columbia University Medical Center describes the chemical journey of YCT-529, a non-hormonal male birth control pill, and the promising molecular science behind it.

Stem cell expert Q&A: Innovative pathways in biomedical research

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-stem-cell-expert-qa-pathways.html

Published: January 13, 2026 06:33

New scientific methods could one day render animal studies—the standard in research laboratories for more than 100 years—obsolete. Clive Svendsen, Ph.D., executive director of the Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute at Cedars-Sinai, is…

Why deadly ovarian cancers hide from the immune system, and how to stop them

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-deadly-ovarian-cancers-immune.html

Published: January 12, 2026 15:10

More than two-thirds of deaths from ovarian cancer are attributable to high-grade serous carcinoma. In one particularly aggressive form, only a small number of inactive immune cells can be found near the tumor. Such tumors are referred to as…

New mutations in TP53 gene drive resistance to p53-targeted cancer therapy

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-mutations-tp53-gene-resistance-p53.html

Published: January 12, 2026 12:43

Mutations in the tumor suppressor TP53 are a common cause of cancer, making the altered protein an attractive target for therapeutics. Among them, the Y220C mutation is the ninth most frequent and it creates a small crevice in the mutant protein that is…

Fast-tracked drug approvals pose safety risks, study shows

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-fast-tracked-drug-pose-safety.html

Published: January 12, 2026 12:24

A new study co-written by a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign expert in operations management finds that drugs approved under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's "Breakthrough Therapy Designation"—a program designed to expedite promising drug…

One in four older Americans with dementia prescribed risky brain-altering drugs despite safety warnings

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-older-americans-dementia-risky-brain.html

Published: January 12, 2026 11:00

Despite years of clinical guidelines warning against the practice, one in four Medicare beneficiaries with dementia is prescribed brain-altering medications linked to falls, confusion, and hospitalization, according to new research to be published January…

'At some point you can't breathe without it': The nasal spray trap

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-nasal-spray.html

Published: January 12, 2026 09:50

Decongestant nasal sprays can save you from a restless night when a cold clogs up your nose, but pharmacists warn this aid can be a slippery slope.

Insurance data can help fill gaps between longer medical trials for patients up against the clock

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-gaps-longer-medical-trials-patients.html

Published: January 10, 2026 11:00

Randomized clinical trials remain the gold standard for establishing a medication's effects, producing the evidence by which most drugs and interventions in the U.S. are approved.

Guidance updated for laboratory testing for drugs of misuse in ED

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-guidance-laboratory-drugs-misuse-ed.html

Published: January 10, 2026 07:17

In a guidance document issued by the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine, updated recommendations are presented relating to laboratory testing for drugs of misuse in the emergency department (ED).

Weight loss drugs and surgery improve fat-to-muscle ratio in obesity

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-weight-loss-drugs-surgery-fat.html

Published: January 9, 2026 19:30

Both the new weight loss drugs and bariatric (weight loss) surgery improve body composition in patients with obesity by inducing a moderate loss of fat-free mass (including lean muscle) along with a substantial reduction in fat, researchers at Vanderbilt…

Control valve discovered in gut's plumbing system may hold answers to constipation and diarrhea

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-valve-gut-plumbing-constipation-diarrhea.html

Published: January 9, 2026 13:10

Although constipation and diarrhea may seem like opposite problems, they both hinge on the same underlying issue: how much fluid moves into the gut. These common issues affect millions of people in the U.S. each year, yet scientists have not fully…

What does cannabis 'rescheduling' mean for science and society?

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-cannabis-rescheduling-science-society.html

Published: January 9, 2026 11:30

Tens of millions of Americans turn to cannabis products every week to try to ease their pain, calm their anxiety, get more sleep, help them cope with the side effects of chemotherapy, or just relax and unwind.

More than a quarter of adults worldwide could benefit from GLP-1 medications for weight loss, study finds

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-quarter-adults-worldwide-benefit-glp.html

Published: January 8, 2026 18:30

The worldwide prevalence of obesity has more than doubled in the last three decades, bringing with it an increase in weight-related diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancers. This public health crisis strains global health care systems…

Why this little-known birth control option deserves more attention

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-birth-option-attention.html

Published: January 8, 2026 17:00

Self-administered injectable contraceptives have been available in the United States for more than two decades, yet a new study has found only about a quarter of reproductive health experts prescribe it—and many are unaware it's even an option.

Stopping weight-loss jabs leads to much faster rebound than thought—so are they still worth it?

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-weight-loss-jabs-faster-rebound.html

Published: January 8, 2026 09:30

Weight-loss injections, like Wegovy and Mounjaro, have been hailed as gamechangers. In clinical trials, people lost an average of 15%–20% of their body weight—results that seemed almost miraculous compared to traditional diet and exercise programs.

Pills that communicate from the stomach could improve medication adherence

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-pills-communicate-stomach-medication-adherence.html

Published: January 8, 2026 05:00

In an advance that could help ensure people are taking their medication on schedule, MIT engineers have designed a pill that can report when it has been swallowed.

Longer treatment with medications for opioid use disorder associated with greater probability of survival

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-longer-treatment-medications-opioid-disorder.html

Published: January 8, 2026 00:10

A new study of over 32,000 US veterans has found that the longer people stay on medications for opioid use disorder (buprenorphine, methadone, or extended-release naltrexone), the greater the probability of short- and medium-term survival. This benefit…

In the UK, 1.6 million adults used weight loss drugs in the past year

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-uk-million-adults-weight-loss.html

Published: January 7, 2026 19:00

An estimated 1.6 million adults in England, Wales and Scotland used drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro to help lose weight between early 2024 and early 2025, according to a new study by UCL (University College London) researchers.

Cholesterol-lowering drug can overcome chemotherapy resistance in triple-negative breast cancer, researchers discover

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-cholesterol-lowering-drug-chemotherapy-resistance.html

Published: January 7, 2026 12:08

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is among the most aggressive types of breast cancer, lacking estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 receptors and thus relying primarily on cytotoxic chemotherapy. Despite initial responsiveness, many patients experience…

Ozempic, Wegovy might lower colon cancer risk

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-ozempic-wegovy-colon-cancer.html

Published: January 7, 2026 11:10

Ozempic and Wegovy might help people avoid colon cancer as well as promote weight loss or control diabetes, a new study says.

How eggs can help you come off Wegovy: Cracking the problem of weight-regain

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-eggs-wegovy-problem-weight-regain.html

Published: January 6, 2026 13:04

For millions of people, weight-loss injections such as Wegovy and Mounjaro have felt like a breakthrough that finally makes eating less feel easier. In a few short years, these so-called GLP-1 drugs have reshaped how obesity is treated and how people think…

Novo Nordisk launches daily weight-loss pill to expand GLP-1 access

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-novo-nordisk-daily-weight-loss.html

Published: January 6, 2026 11:30

A daily pill for weight loss has officially arrived in the U.S.

FDA approves Myqorzo for symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-fda-myqorzo-symptomatic-obstructive-hypertrophic.html

Published: January 6, 2026 08:26

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Myqorzo (aficamten) for the treatment of adults with symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (oHCM). Approval of Myqorzo was granted to Cytokinetics.

Combination therapy against brain cancer proves effective in preclinical models

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-combination-therapy-brain-cancer-effective.html

Published: January 5, 2026 14:44

Researchers at the UNC School of Medicine and the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy have made a breakthrough that could modernize treatment for glioblastoma. In a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, they found that combining a…

Trump says he takes high-dose aspirin, links it to hand bruising

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-trump-high-dose-aspirin-links.html

Published: January 5, 2026 08:10

President Donald Trump, 79, says he takes a higher daily dose of aspirin than his doctors recommend, a choice he says explains the bruising that's often seen on his hands.