News & Updates

Insulinemic lifestyle pattern ups risk of endometrial cancer

A lifestyle pattern with higher insulinemic potential may predispose an individual to endometrial cancer (EC), suggests a study.

Simvastatin confers no additional antidepressant benefit when added to escitalopram

In patients with comorbid major depressive disorder (MDD) and obesity, adding simvastatin to escitalopram does not appear to produce additional antidepressive effects despite improving the cardiovascular risk profile, according to a study.

Protecting the vulnerable: The role of oral antivirals in COVID-19 management

At the Asia Vaccines and Antivirals Summit (AVAS) 2025 held in Bangkok, Thailand, two expert-led sessions provided valuable perspectives on the expanding role of oral antivirals in COVID-19 management. Dr Daniel Griffin, an infectious disease specialist and Clinical Instructor of Medicine at Columbia University, New York, US, focused on protecting high-risk populations through the timely use of antiviral therapy. Complementing this, Professor Ching-Tai Huang of Chang Gung University and Memorial Hospital in Taiwan offered practical guidance on clinical management strategies, including patient risk stratification and therapeutic selection.

Sustained weight loss with semaglutide 2.4 mg for management of obesity in STEP 4 & 5 trials

Semaglutide 2.4 mg supports transformative weight loss when used in the long term, with ≥20% weight loss in 1 in 3 patients.

This was the key finding from the STEP 5 trial of adults with overweight or obesity treated with semaglutide 2.4 mg vs placebo.

Vitamin D helps reduce risk of sarcopenic obesity

Greater concentrations of serum 25-hydroxivitamin D (25[OH]D) appear to prevent the incidence of sarcopenic obesity (SO), suggests a study.

GLP1-RA treatment not harmful to mental health

In the treatment of patients with overweight/obesity and/or diabetes, glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP1-RAs) do not increase the risk of psychiatric adverse events or worsen depressive symptoms but rather confer improvements in quality of life (QOL) and eating behaviour, according to the results of a meta-analysis.

Eye diseases prevalent among CKD patients in SG

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have a particularly high burden of eye diseases, including diabetic retinopathy (DR) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), despite receiving regular medical follow-up, as shown in a study from Singapore.

Cannabis abuse ups risks of erectile dysfunction, testosterone deficiency

Dependence on or excessive use of cannabis appears to increase the risk of erectile dysfunction (ED), testosterone deficiency (TD), and phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor (PDE5-i) prescription, reveals a study.