Published33 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesBy Laura FosterHealth, Science and Environment ReporterA weight-loss drug has been proven to also reduce the risk of a stroke or heart attack, according to a new trial.The makers of Wegovy say it cuts risk of a cardiovascular event in overweight people with heart disease by a fifth.The injection is popular in places like the US and was approved for weight loss in the NHS in England in June.The findings still need to be reviewed, and the drug would need to be passed by regulators again before it could be prescribed in a new capacity.But the company behind the drug, Novo Nordisk, says it has a clear medical benefit, as well as being able to help people lose weight.Executive vice-president, Martin Holst Lange, called it a landmark trial.”People living with obesity have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but to date there are no approved weight management medications proven to deliver effective weight management while also reducing the risk of heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death.”He said it had the potential to change how obesity is “regarded and treated”.Results ‘do not disappoint’Wegovy is a weight-loss injection that is taken once a week.It tricks people into thinking they’re already full, so they end up eating less and losing weight.Wegovy was approved for NHS use after research suggested users could shed more than 10% of their body weight.But in trials, users often put weight back on after stopping treatment.This new study, which looked at more than 17,600 adults aged 45 and older, took place over a five-year period.Each patient had a body mass index of 27 or over and established cardiovascular disease, with no history of diabetes.Image source, Getty ImagesThe trial found that patients given a 2.4mg once-weekly dose of Wegovy, plus standard care for the prevention of heart attacks or strokes, saw their risk of a heart attack or a stroke reduce by 20% compared with those given a placebo drug.The full details of the trial will be released later in the year.Prof Stephen O’Rahilly, from the University of Cambridge, said the long-awaited results “do not disappoint”.”The obvious conclusion of these findings is that we should view obesity as a medical condition, like high blood pressure, where effective and safe drug therapy can contribute to reducing serious adverse health outcomes.”Novo Nordisk says it plans to take its new research to regulators in the US and the European Union before the end of the year.It would also need to be approved by regulators in the UK, and then experts would decide whether it is something that should be offered on the NHS.More on this storyCelebrity weight loss jab to be sold by chemistsPublished13 FebruaryWeight loss drug semaglutide approved for NHS usePublished8 MarchAre weight-loss injections the answer to obesity?Published19 March

SharecloseShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingimage sourceGetty ImagesHaving two doses of Covid vaccine remains the best way to protect against the Delta variant, first identified in India and now dominant in the UK.The Oxford-AstraZeneca jab, though initially less effective, offers the same high protection as the Pfizer-BioNTech after four to five months, the largest study of its kind suggests.But neither is as effective as it is against the Alpha variant, responsible for most UK infections last winter.There is insufficient data for Moderna.But researchers believe it “almost certainly at least as good as the others”.They analysed two and a half million tests results from 743,526 participants in the UK’s Covid-19 household-infection survey – led by Oxford University and the Office for National Statistics.’Very high’The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine had 93% effectiveness against symptomatic infection two weeks after the second dose, compared with Oxford-AstraZeneca’s 71%.Over time, however, the Pfizer-BioNTech’s effectiveness dropped while the Oxford-AstraZeneca’s remained largely the same.But there was no cause for alarm, Prof Sarah Walker, at the University of Oxford, said because “when you start very very high, you’ve got a long way to go”.”The World Health Organization set the bar at 50% and we’re way above that,” she said. “Both of these vaccines are still doing very well against Delta.”How many people have been vaccinated so far?Will I get a booster jab?What do under-30s need to know about the vaccine?Other key points from the research include:People who have had Covid-19 gain even more antibodies when fully vaccinatedThe time between first and second doses does not affect the vaccines’ effectivenessYounger people gain more protection from vaccination than older The study also echoes previous research showing fully vaccinated people who do become infected with the Delta variant have similar levels of the virus to those unvaccinated.With the Alpha variant, in contrast, their viral loads were much lower.”We don’t yet know how much transmission can happen from people who get Covid-19 after being vaccinated,” Prof Walker said.”For example, they may have high levels of virus for shorter periods of time.”They definitely have the potential to transmit as much.”But the fact that they can have high levels of virus suggests that people who aren’t yet vaccinated may not be as protected from the Delta variant as we hoped.”This means it is essential for as many people as possible to get vaccinated – both in the UK and worldwide.”OXFORD JAB: What is the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine?SYMPTOMS: What are they and how to guard against them?VACCINE: When will I get the jab?NEW VARIANTS: How worried should we be?COVID IMMUNITY: Can you catch it twice?

SharecloseShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingimage sourceGetty/PATRICK T. FALLONCovid-19 vaccine booster jabs will be offered to “all Americans” from 20 September, according to US officials.The jabs will first be given to healthcare workers, nursing home residents and older people who were vaccinated at least eight months ago.The White House says the initiative is a response to rising infections from the Delta variant and evidence that the protectiveness of the vaccines fades.A final decision still requires approval and a formal recommendation.Daily cases in the United States have soared since early July. At the time, there were fewer than 10,000 cases and now there are more than 150,000 across the nation.Hospitals are stretched thin and the death rates in many states have led officials to re-instate mask mandates and social distancing protocols.The heads of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health and President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, Dr Anthony Fauci, are all in agreement on the need for a booster vaccine. It will be up to these groups to approve the White House’s plan.The effectiveness of the Covid vaccine is now known to decrease over time, officials say, “and in association with the dominance of the Delta variant, we are starting to see evidence of reduced protection against mild and moderate disease”.”We conclude that a booster shot will be needed to maximize vaccine-induced protection and prolong its durability.” The booster will be made available to Americans who received their second shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine eight months ago. The White House said they anticipate that people who received Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose Covid vaccine will also need boosters, but more research is needed.In recent weeks, several other countries such as Israel, France and Germany have decided to offer boosters to older adults as well as people with weak immune systems.However, the World Health Organization recently called for a pause on booster jabs until at least the end of September – or when more of the populations in lower-income nations receive at least their first round of vaccines.WHO calls for booster pause to jab poorer nationsMore than one million Americans had independently sought an extra vaccine dose before the official decision on boosters was announced, according to federal data.