Everybody develops presbyopia as they age – a difficulty in focusing on near objects and text – and often have to resort to reading glasses. However, the solution might be as simple as using special eye drops two or three times a day.
A retrospective study of 766 patients presented on September 14 at the 43rd Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) [1], found that the majority could read an extra two, three or more lines on the eye chart used for testing near visual acuity (the Jaeger chart) after using specially formulated eye drops. This improvement was sustained for up to two years.
Dr Giovanna Benozzi, director of the Center for Advanced Research for Presbyopia, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, said: “We conducted this research due to the significant unmet medical need in presbyopia management. Current solutions such as reading glasses or surgical interventions have limitations, including inconvenience, social discomfort, and potential risks or complications. There is a group of presbyopia patients who have limited options besides spectacles, and who are not candidates for surgery; these are our primary focus of interest. We sought to provide robust clinical evidence supporting an innovative pharmacological solution to offer patients a non-invasive, convenient and effective alternative.”
The eye drops, developed by Dr Benozzi’s father, the late Dr Jorge Benozzi of the same centre, contain a combination of two active agents: pilocarpine, a drug that constricts the pupils and contracts the ciliary muscle, which is a muscle controlling the eye’s accommodation for seeing objects at varying distances, and diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that reduces inflammation and the discomfort that pilocarpine often causes.
Patients administered the eye drops twice a day, usually on waking and again approximately six hours later, with an optional third dose if symptoms recurred or additional visual comfort was needed. The group of patients (373 women and 393 men, with an average age of 55) were divided into three groups to receive one of three eye drop formulations. Each formulation had a fixed dose of diclofenac but concentrations of pilocarpine were 1%, 2% and 3%.
The researchers assessed the improvement in how well patients could read the Jaeger chart without reading glasses (uncorrected near visual acuity) one hour after the first administration of the drops, and they followed up the patients for two years.
Dr Benozzi told the Congress: “Our most significant result showed rapid and sustained improvements in near vision for all three concentrations. One hour after having the first drops, patients had an average improvement of 3.45 Jaeger lines. The treatment also improved focus at all distances.

“Impressively, 99% of 148 patients in the 1% pilocarpine group reached optimal near vision and were able to read two or more extra lines. Approximately 83% of all patients maintained good functional near vision at 12 months. Importantly, no significant adverse events like increased intraocular pressure or retinal detachment were observed.”
In the 2% group, 69% of 248 patients were able to read three or more extra lines on the Jaeger chart, and in the 3% group, 84% of 370 patients could read three or more extra lines.
The improvement in the patients’ vision was sustained for up to two years, with a median duration of 434 days. Adverse side effects were mild, with the most common being temporary dim vision, which occurred in 32% of cases, irritation when the drops were instilled (3.7%) and headache (3.8%). No patients discontinued the treatment.
Common adverse side effects of pilocarpine can also include eye redness, watery eyes, blurred vision, dim or dark vision, sensitivity to light or problems changing focus between objects, seeing flashes of light or “floaters” in vision, and, in rare cases, detached retinas.
Dr Benozzi continued: “Nearly all patients experienced positive improvements in near visual acuity, although the magnitude of the improvement depended on the status of their vision before treatment at baseline. Our study revealed that optimal pilocarpine concentrations could be individualized depending on the baseline severity of presbyopia as assessed by the initial Jaeger scores. Patients with less severe presbyopia responded best to 1% concentrations, while those with more advanced presbyopia required higher 2% or 3% concentrations to achieve significant visual improvement.”
She concluded: “These results suggest this combination therapy offers a safe, effective, and well-tolerated alternative to traditional presbyopia management. It significantly reduces dependence on reading glasses, providing a convenient, non-invasive option for patients, although these eye drops may not eliminate the need for glasses in all individuals.

“Importantly, this treatment is not intended to replace surgical interventions, but rather to serve as a valuable solution for patients who need safe, effective, and personalised alternatives and seek freedom from the inconvenience of eyewear. Eye care professionals now have an evidence-based pharmacological option that expands the spectrum of presbyopia care beyond glasses and surgery.”
Besides the group of patients in this study, Dr Benozzi has other patients who have received the treatment for more than ten years. Dr Benozzi plans further research to measure improvements in patients’ quality of life, and to explore the underlying physiological mechanisms of the eye drops.
Strengths of the study include the large number of patients included and the long follow-up time. It is the first systematic evaluation comparing three different pilocarpine concentrations in combination with diclofenac. A limitation is that it is a retrospective, single-centre study, which could limit the generalizability of the findings and introduce selection bias.
ESCRS President-Elect, Professor Burkhard Dick, chair of the ophthalmology department at the University Eye Hospital Bochum, Germany, was not involved in the research. He commented: “While surgery for age-related near vision loss has advanced, some patients are not candidates. The single-centre retrospective study by Dr Benozzi suggests that eye drops containing pilocarpine and diclofenac may improve near vision for up to two years, but the limited design means the results may not apply to everyone. Long-term pilocarpine use can sometimes cause side effects such as reduced night vision, dimmer vision in low light, eye strain, irritation and, in rare cases, retinal detachment, while prolonged topical NSAID use may pose corneal risks. Broader, long-term, multi-centre studies are needed to confirm safety and effectiveness before this treatment can be widely recommended.”
Notes Abstract number: ESCRS25-FP-3944, ‘Dose-dependent efficacy and safety of pilocarpine-diclofenac eye drops for presbyopia: a real-world single-center study,” by Giovanna Benozzi et al. Free paper session on ‘Miscellaneous topics in cataract and refractive surgery’, 16:30-18:00 hrs CEST, Sunday, September 14, https://pag.virtual-meeting.org/escrs/escrs2025/en-GB/pag/presentation/570375

Dry eyes can cause significant discomfort, and the symptoms become more common as we age. However, until now, it was unclear what proportion of the population suffered from the condition, with estimates ranging from 5-50%.
In fact, research presented today (September 15) at the 43rd Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) [1], found that more than half of the general population in the USA and Europe experience dry eyes, yet only 20% of European patients and 17% of US patients were diagnosed, and they can wait years for professional help.
Dr Piotr Wozniak, refractive surgeon and dry eye specialist at Optegra Eye Clinics in Warsaw, Poland, and a lecturer and clinical instructor at Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, told the Congress: “Results from our studies reveal a substantial group of patients suffering without help. The European questionnaire explored why people don’t seek treatment. Many see dry eye as a normal part of aging and something to endure. As a medical doctor, I find this particularly concerning because a simple eye drop could offer significant relief – but many people aren’t even asking for help.”
Dr Wozniak presented findings from a survey of 2,003 adults in the US conducted in April 2024, and from an ongoing, international arm of the study conducted by Bausch and Lomb with over 5,000 adults in the UK, France, Germany, Poland, and Saudi Arabia: the ‘Needs Unmet in Dry Eye: Symptoms, Treatment and Severity’ (NESTS) study. In June 2025, the NESTS international arm surveyed 2,580 adults in the general population and 2,572 dry eye sufferers [2].
“In the NESTS study, we found that 58% of the general population reported experiencing dry eye symptoms, yet only one in five have received a formal diagnosis from a healthcare provider,” he said. “The large size of this study makes these results robust.
“The study explored the patient journey in detail. What stood out was that up to one-third of patients had experienced symptoms for more than five years before seeking professional help. NESTS also found that around half of sufferers experience symptoms every single day. The delay in seeking treatment is concerning, especially since dry eye is a progressive disease and early intervention can prevent a vicious cycle of inflammation.”
Other results from NESTS showed that 60% of dry eye sufferers waited at least four months before seeking help and 20% waited more than a year before talking to health care provider about their symptoms. Many sufferers stopped driving at night (17%), no longer wore makeup (14.8%), or reduced their use of heat or air conditioning (15.2%) due to their uncontrolled dry eye symptoms. One in three sufferers (34%) reported that their symptoms had worsened in the past year and only 9% said there had been an improvement.

Lubricating eye drops were the first and most common treatment, chosen either by the patient or by an eye or health care provider. Yet only 25% believed their current treatment was specifically tailored to their needs.
Dr Wozniak said: “NESTS also examined patient-provider interactions, revealing national differences. For example, in France fewer than half of dry eye sufferers had planned follow-up visits, while in Saudi Arabia, the majority, 84%, were proactively followed up by their providers.”
In the US study, eye dryness frequently affected 50% of survey respondents, and 80% experienced symptoms such as fatigue, itchy or watery eyes, but only 17% had a diagnosis from an eye care provider. Between 35-75% of people were very or extremely bothered by dry eyes, with reading, using electronic devices or driving being the most common activities to be disrupted; 70% lacked knowledge of treatment options; 40% were unaware that untreated dry eyes can cause other eye problems and vision loss; only about 25% visited an eye care provider every two years or more frequently; 67% of people with dry eyes waited six months or more to see an eye care provider, and 31% waited two or more years.
Dr Wozniak said: “These findings highlight the widespread impact of dry eye disease on quality of life, showing a large number of people suffering silently.
“We need to educate patients and the public on the causes, consequences and treatment options for dry eyes, as well as the importance of regular eye checks. In addition, we must support healthcare professionals in distinguishing between different types of dry eye and matching treatments appropriately. One person’s ‘dry eye’ can be very different from another’s.”
Diagnosis of dry eye often involves a combination of patient-reported symptoms, medical history and clinical tests. However, some patients are diagnosed only on the basis of symptoms and a standard eye examination, for instance with a microscope. Specific diagnostic tools include looking at the time it takes for a dry spot to appear on the cornea after a blink, using dye to stain the surface of the eye, measuring the concentrations of salts and other particles in tears, or an assessment of the Meibomian gland, which is responsible for producing the oily part of tears.

Left untreated, dry eyes can be very uncomfortable, can cause inflammation and a condition called blepharitis when eyelids become sore and inflamed. Symptoms include a sandy or gritty feeling, soreness, uncomfortable and painful eyes, itching or burning sensation, short-term blurred vision, and watery eyes. Dry eyes are more common in people over the age of 50 because the glands that make tears, particularly the oily component, become less effective, causing the tears to dry up too quickly and the front of the eye to become dry and irritated. The condition may also affect the outcome of nearly every ophthalmological surgery, including cataract and refractive procedures, making its diagnosis and management important, even before surgery takes place.
Dry, dusty, windy and cold conditions can also make eyes feel dry, as can air-conditioning, central heating, smoking and certain medical conditions such as autoimmune diseases and hormonal conditions.
ESCRS President, Dr Filomena Ribeiro, who is Head of the Ophthalmology Department at Hospital da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal, was not involved in the research. She commented: “These findings reveal the true extent of dry eye disease in the general population. It is concerning that such a small proportion of sufferers seek help for the condition, especially as it can make a real difference to the outcomes of ophthalmological surgery and also to their quality of life. Eye and health care professionals need to discuss this with patients when they see them and encourage people to have regular eye care checks.”
Notes ESCRS25-PP-3336, ‘Dry eye symptoms, severity, treatment and unmet needs: an analysis of the United States of America and a multinational snapshot’, by Piotr Wozniak et al. Poster session: Ocular surface disease. 09:15-10:45 hrs CEST, Monday, September 15, https://pag.virtual-meeting.org/escrs/escrs2025/en-GB/pag/presentation/572147 Data from the NESTS international arm became available after the abstract was submitted. Therefore, the information in this release represents the most up-to-date data that will be presented to the Congress.

The space will provide “compassionate care during a profoundly difficult time”, says a ward sister.

Cannabis use is linked to an almost quadrupling in the risk of developing diabetes, according to an analysis of real-world data from over 4 million adults, being presented at this year’s Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna, Austria (September 15-19).
Cannabis use is increasing globally with an estimated 219 million users (4.3% of the global adult population) in 2021, but its long-term metabolic effects remain unknown. While some studies have suggested potential anti-inflammatory or weight management properties, others have raised concerns regarding glucose metabolism and insulin resistance, and the magnitude of the risk for developing diabetes hasn’t been clear.
To strengthen the evidence base, Dr Ibrahim Kamel from the Boston Medical Center, Massachusetts, USA and colleagues analyzed electronic health records from 54 healthcare organizations (TriNetX Research Network, with centers from across USA and Europe) to identify 96,795 outpatients (aged between 18 and 50 years, 52.5% female) with cannabis-related diagnoses (ranging from occasional use to dependence, including cases of intoxication and withdrawal) between 2010 and 2018.
They were matched with 4,160,998 healthy individuals (with no record of substance use or major chronic conditions) based on age, sex, and underlying illnesses at the start of the study, and followed for 5 years.
After controlling HDL and LDL cholesterol, uncontrolled high blood pressure, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, cocaine use, alcohol use and several other lifestyle risk factors, the researchers found that new cases of diabetes were significantly higher in the cannabis group (1,937; 2.2%) compared to the healthy group (518; 0.6%), with statistical analysis showing cannabis users at nearly four times the risk of developing diabetes compared to non-users.
While the authors note that more research is needed to fully explain the association between cannabis and diabetes, it may come down to insulin resistance and unhealthy dietary behaviours. Nevertheless, the study’s results have immediate implications for metabolic monitoring practices and public health messaging.
“As cannabis becomes more widely available and socially accepted, and legalized in various jurisdictions, it is essential to understand its potential health risks,” said lead author Dr Kamel. “These new sights from reliable real-world evidence highlight the importance of integrating diabetes risk awareness into substance use disorder treatment and counseling, as well as the need for healthcare professional to routinely talk to patients about cannabis use so that they can understand their overall diabetes risk and potential need for metabolic monitoring.”
The authors note that more research is needed on the long-term endocrine effects of cannabis use and whether diabetes risks are limited to inhaled products or other forms of cannabis such as edibles.
Despite the important findings, this is a retrospective study and cannot prove that cannabis use causes diabetes, and the authors cannot rule out the possibility that other unmeasured factors may have influenced the results despite efforts to reduce confounding bias via propensity score matching. This study has limitations due to lack of detailed cannabis consumption data and potential misclassification. The authors acknowledge inherent limitations of real-world data often result from inconsistent patient reporting in electronic medical records. They also note that there is a risk of bias because of imprecise measures of cannabis exposure and the reliance on participants to accurately report any cannabis use, even when they lived in places where the drug is illegal.

It is possible to be “fat but fit,” new research being presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna, Austria (September 15-19) suggests.
The study of tens of thousands of people in Denmark found that those with a BMI in the overweight category – and even some of those living with obesity – were no more likely to die during the five years of follow-up than those with a BMI of 22.5-

2 hours agoShareSaveYasmin RufoBBC NewsShareSaveBBCWhen life gets busy and stress levels rise, it’s not uncommon to find yourself walking into a room and forgetting why you went there, losing your train of thought mid-sentence or struggling to stay focused on simple tasks. Especially after the weekend, it can be hard to get back into work or study mode.This mental cloudiness is often called brain fog and while it isn’t a medical condition in itself, it refers to a collection of cognitive symptoms such as difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, and mental slowness.Common causes of it can include menopause or perimenopause, but it can also strike when you’ve got too much on your mind.Medical doctor and Morning Live expert, Dr. Tharaka has these four tips and a special acronym to help cut through the haze. 1. Be kind to yourselfBrain fog can happen to anyone and it’s not a personal failing or a sign that you’re not coping. Often, it’s simply your brain’s way of saying it’s tired, stressed or overstretched.Remind yourself that brain fog is usually temporary and it’s okay to slow down, delegate tasks or ask for help when you need it.If you are concerned then you should contact your GP.2. Create routinesReduce decision fatigue by having a set rhythm to your days – a predictable structure can take pressure off your working memory. Knowing what’s coming next stops your brain from constantly asking, “What am I doing today?”It’s worth creating a morning and evening routine and even something as simple as laying out clothes or prepping breakfast ahead of time frees your mind from constant decision-making.3. Take breaksGetty ImagesIt’s easy to fill your diary with back-to-back commitments – meetings, social events, errands and daily tasks – without leaving any breathing room. But constantly jumping from one thing to the next can leave your brain no time to reset, making brain fog more likely. Try deliberately scheduling short breaks between activities, even just 5–10 minutes to stretch, get a drink, step outside or sit quietly. Think of these firebreaks like mental buffers: they give your mind a chance to process what you’ve just done, let go of lingering stress and prepare for what’s next.4. Use calendars and remindersTrying to hold every appointment, task and reminder in your head can quickly lead to mental clutter and forgetfulness. Let tech do the remembering for you – use calendars and reminders to free up mental space.Schedule recurring tasks so they happen automatically – for example, block out lunch in your diary each day or set weekly reminders for bills and chores.This means you’re not constantly thinking, “What do I need to remember next?”SwansGetty ImagesAlongside these practical daily strategies, Dr T also recommends using his Swans acronym to support brain health and sharpen focus. Each letter stands for a key habit that can help clear the mental mist and keep your mind performing at its best:Sleep: Sleep is non-negotiable – it gives your brain time to rest and consolidate memories. Aim for between seven and nine hours each night.Water: Our bodies are about 60% water and even mild dehydration can make you feel unfocused so keep water nearby and sip it regularlyActivity: Moving your body boosts blood flow and oxygen to the brain, which helps you think more clearly. Try going on short walks, a light jog or regularly stretching Nutrition: Nourish your brain with whole foods rather than processed ones. Choline is a nutrient vital for brain health so eating food that is rich in it like eggs, fish and nuts can support concentration and focus.Stress: Chronic stress floods the body with cortisol – a hormone that helps regulate your body’s response to stress – and that can cloud your thinking. Find ways to lower stress through breathing exercises, mindfulness and hobbies.Use the NHS website to find out more about brain fog and how to manage it.

2 hours agoShareSaveBranwen JeffreysEducation Editor andErica WitheringtonShareSaveBBCWhen lockdown started, college student Sam was living with his mum because his parents were separated.Then his dad died unexpectedly, leaving him feeling that “something had been stolen” from him.His experience is one of many being highlighted as the Covid-19 public inquiry prepares to look at the pandemic’s impact on children and young people.A new report – seen exclusively by the BBC – includes individual accounts of 600 people who were under 18 during the pandemic.They include happy memories of time spent with family, as well as the impact of disruption to schools being moved online, social isolation and the loss of relatives.The inquiry will start hearing evidence on these issues from Monday 29 September.’I lost a relationship’Wigan resident Sam was 12 during the first lockdowns and says he found it hard to understand the rules that prevented him spending more time with his dad.His dad’s death left him struggling with regrets that he had “lost a relationship” because of the isolation before his father’s death.”I do feel deep down that something has been stolen from me,” he says.”But I do know that the procedures that we had to go through were right. It was a bad situation.”Now 17, Sam’s resilience has sadly been tested further after the loss of his mum, who recently died from cancer.But Sam says that strength he built up during Covid has helped give him “the tools to deal with grief alone”.’Trying to catch up on the lost moments’Kate Eisenstein, who is part of the team leading the inquiry, says the pandemic was a “life-changing set of circumstances” for the children and teenagers who lived through it.The impact of the pandemic set out in the testimony is hugely varied and includes happier memories from those who flourished in secure homes, enjoying online learning.Other accounts capture the fears of children in fragile families with no escape from mental health issues or domestic violence.Some describe the devastating sudden loss of parents or grandparents, followed by online or physically distanced funerals.Grief for family members lost during the pandemic is an experience shared with some of Sam’s college classmates.Student Ella told the BBC that losing her granddad during Covid had made her value spending more time with her grandma.It is one of the ways in which Ella says she is trying to “catch up on the lost moments” she missed during Covid.Living life onlineOne almost universal experience for children living through the pandemic was much of life shifting to online platforms. While this allowed family connections and friendships to be maintained, Ms Eisenstein said some children had darker experiences, spending up to 19 hours a day online, leaving them “really anxious”. “Some told us how they started comparing their body image to people online, how video games and social media distracted from their learning,” she said. Most worrying, she said, were the accounts revealing an increased risk of adults seeking to exploit young children online, including sending nude images and inappropriate messages. The remarkable variety of experiences, both positive and stressful, adds up to what she describes as “an unprecedented insight into children’s inner world”.Aaliyah, a student at Winstanley College near Wigan, says the social isolation she experienced aged 11 led to her spending hours looking at social media, which began altering her self-confidence. “With the content I was seeing online, I’d start to look in the mirror and go, ‘I could change that about myself,’ or ‘I don’t really like that about myself,'” she says.Lasting effectsThe inquiry is also expected to hear about the experiences of children still living with long Covid, like Avalyn, now 16, who became ill with the virus in October 2021. While schools were beginning to return to normal, Avalyn was struggling with a deep and debilitating fatigue, and eventually left school for home education. It took a year to get a formal diagnosis of long Covid and specialist advice. “I enjoyed being in school, I enjoyed being social and seeing people, and then suddenly that was taken away from me very quickly,” Avalyn says. Before long Covid, Avalyn says she was sporty at primary school and enjoyed acrobatics. Like lots of other children her age, Avalyn has shown determination and resilience to achieve the things that might not have been so difficult in other circumstances, and she has now passed four GCSEs. “I knew I wanted to do GCSEs to prove to myself especially that I still had the ability to do what everyone else was doing,” she says.She still goes to a performing arts group, which allows her to join in as much or as little as she can manage. Avalyn admits “it’s weird to say”, but in some ways she is “grateful” to have had long Covid, because of the things she has achieved during her long spells at home. She has written, illustrated and self-published two children’s books and spent more time on her art. While the path ahead is not straightforward, she says she is optimistic of finding a way to study and get into work. The inquiry plans to hear evidence on the impact of children and young people across four weeks from 29 September to 23 October.

8 hours agoShareSaveEmer MoreauBusiness reporterShareSaveBBCLethal children’s car seats are still appearing for sale on online marketplaces a decade after concerns were first raised by trading standards officers and a well-known consumer group.Which? warned in 2014 the fabric seats were potentially dangerous to children due to safety defects and were illegal to use in the UK following tests by Surrey Trading Standards, which dubbed the products “killers”.Which? is urging parents not to be tempted into buying cheap seats after it found they are still being sold via online sites including Shein and eBay, both of which said they took safety very seriously.Regulations state only EU-approved child car seats with R44 or R129 codes can be used in the UK.Approved seats carry a clear orange label, on which the codes are printed, to indicate they have been put through EU safety testing and can therefore be legally sold on the UK market.In 2014, Surrey Trading Standards tested a fabric seat which fell to pieces in a 30 mph accident. The crash test dummy of a three-year-old child was flung through the windscreen when the straps securing the seat failed.Which? said families struggling with living costs could be tempted by the cheaper products, which cost as little as £12.50, compared to the more expensive ones that retail in excess of £80.Stuart Howarth, a car seat safety advisor at Good Egg Safety, which campaigns on child safety, told BBC News he had seen a child using an unsafe seat that had “no support to the body” and “no way of securing it to the car safely”.”It’s just a lethal piece of material,” he said. “You might as well just sit on a settee cushion and hope for the best.”Which? said it found more than a dozen listings of illegal car seats on websites such as eBay, Little Dreams, ManoMano, Shein and Wish. One listing for a child’s car seat on eBay warned against using it in cars despite the product being described as suitable.The description in the listing read: “It is best not to use it on high-speed cars. “We recommend that it be used in non-motorized products such as electric vehicles, two-wheelers… Because it is not a child safety seat that complies with traffic.”In response, eBay said consumer safety “is a top priority”.”We swiftly removed these listings and notified buyers, and we continue to strengthen our preventative measures,” a spokesperson said.Which? said stricter rules were needed to “impose a clear and robust duty on online marketplaces to prevent the sale of unsafe products” and called for “strong penalties and rigorous enforcement”.Sue Davies, Which? head of consumer protection policy, said: “It is appalling that these deadly car seats are reappearing on online marketplaces more than a decade after Which? first exposed them, but it is not surprising.”She said children’s lives “will be at risk” until online retailers were forced to comply with product safety regulations.Which?Which? advised families to look for retailers who can provide guidance and help fit the seat. It suggested car seats should not be bought secondhand, as they might have been involved in an accident and damage to the seat may be unclear.Janis James, chief executive of Good Egg Safety, urged parents not to “skimp” on cash when purchasing car seats for children.In a statement, Shein said it was committed to “offering safe and reliable products to its customers”. The online retail giant said the product Which? found listed on its website had been “mislabelled” by a third-party seller and Shein had “taken action against the seller” after removing it from its platform.It said vendors were required to comply with the company’s rules and “stringent safety standards and must also abide by the relevant laws and regulations of the markets where we operate”.Little Dreams also told the BBC product safety was a “top priority”.ManoMano said its online marketplace was used by third party sellers to sell their own products.It added: “We rely on our sellers to provide a resolution to any product/fulfilment issues.”More on this story

Nearly 12% of Americans have used GLP-1 drugs for weight loss, including about one-fifth of women aged 50 to 64, according to a new RAND report.
Surveying a nationally representative sample of 8,793 Americans, researchers found that 11.8% have used GLP-1 agonists and 14% say they are interested in using the drugs. Meanwhile, 74% say they do not plan to take the medications.
Among those who have used GLP-1 drugs, about half report they have experienced nausea and about one-third experienced diarrhea — the two most-common side effects associated with the medications.
The report is the most-recent and largest survey to date that estimates how many Americans have used the drugs that have revolutionized weight loss care. The report outlines use of GLP-1 drugs by both age and sex.
The use of Ozempic and other GLP-1 medications has increased sharply in recent years since studies demonstrated the drugs can help people significantly aid weight loss. Since 2020, the number of prescriptions for the drugs has more than tripled.
RAND researchers surveyed participants of the RAND American Life Panel to ask about use of GLP-1 drugs and their experiences with side effects. The survey was performed during April and May of 2025.
The results show that women tend to use GLP-1 drugs at higher rates than men, although there is considerable variability within age groups.

Use of GLP-1 drugs is most common among those between the ages of 50 and 64, with the highest rate of use found among women in the age group. Among those 65 and older, use of GLP-1 drugs is somewhat higher for men than for women. Conversely, among those between the ages of 30 and 49, women are more than twice as likely to have used a GLP-1 than their male peers.
The RAND American Life Panel is a probability sample-based survey panel of about 11,000 active, regularly interviewed respondents aged 12 and older. The panel was developed by RAND in 2006.
The report, “New Weight Loss Drugs: GLP-1 Agonist Use and Side Effects in the United States,” is available at www.rand.org. Authors of the report are Robert Bozick, Shannon Donofry and Katherine M. Rancaño.
The publication is the first in what is planned to be a series of brief reports that highlights topline descriptive findings from surveys run on the RAND American Life Panel.
The RAND Education and Labor division is dedicated to improving education and expanding economic opportunities for all through research and analysis.

America’s cancer research system, which has helped save millions of lives, is under threat in one of its most productive moments.