Wellness Exchange: Health Discussions
Ozempic Breakthrough: Skin Disease Relief Beyond Weight Loss
welcome to listen to this is Ted the news was published on Tuesday September 24th joining us today are Eric and Kate we're diving into a fascinating new study about weight loss drugs and their surprising effect on a common skin condition let's kick things off with the basics what exactly is hydrotonitis superior and how does it impact people's lives well Ted hidra denied a superior or HS for short is a real pain in the well let's just say it's not fun it's a chronic skin condition that affects about one in a hundred people we're talking painful abscesses and scarring typically popping up in areas with sweat glands like armpits and around the breasts it's like your body decides to throw a really nasty uninvited party in the worst possible places you're right about the basics Eric but let's not gloss over the fact that HS disproportionately affects women this isn't just a minor inconvenience we're talking about I wasn't glossing over anything Kate I was just giving an overview but you're right it does affect women more and it's definitely not minor it can have a huge impact on quality of life exactly my point it's crucial we emphasize how debilitating this condition can be people with HS often struggle with everyday activities not to mention the emotional toll it takes we need to be clear thank you both for those insights now let's focus on the study itself it's centered on semi-glutide the key ingredient in those popular weight loss drugs like wagavi and ozempic what did the researchers discover the findings were pretty exciting Ted the study showed that semi-glutide can actually reduce HS flare-ups patients who received weekly injections saw their flare frequency drop from once every 8.5 weeks to once every three months that's a huge improvement imagine going from dealing with these painful flare-ups almost monthly to just four times a year it's like getting your life back while those numbers sound impressive we need to pump the brakes a bit here this was a tiny study with only 30 patients that's barely a drop in the bucket we can't go around drawing big hold on Kate yes it was a small study but that doesn't negate the results the average dermatology life quality index score improved from 13 to 9 out of 30 that's a significant boost in patients but Eric you're missing the bigger picture here these drugs were originally designed for weight loss and diabetes management we're venturing into off-label use territory which opens up a whole interesting points both of you let's talk about the weight loss aspect how does that factor into the HS improvements we're seeing great question Ted it's worth noting that the study participants were obese and we know that weight loss can help with HS symptoms so it's possible that some of the improvements were partly due to the weight loss itself it's like a two-for-one deal you lose weight and your HS symptoms improve but the rapid improvement in symptoms suggests there might be more to it than just weight loss exactly Eric we can't separate the direct effects of the drug on HS from its indirect effects through weight loss this study doesn't prove that semagluetide directly treats HS it's like trying to figure out if it's the chicken or the egg are the HS symptoms improving because of weight loss or is the drug doing something else we just don't know yet let's talk about the dosage used in the study how does it compare to typical weight loss prescriptions the study used a relatively low average dose of 0.8 mere mallards per week for about eight months to put that in perspective it's lower than the doses typically used for weight loss which can go up to 2.4 mere dollars weekly it's like using a teaspoon of sugar in your coffee instead of three the fact that they saw results with this lower dose is pretty interesting that's an important point Eric lower doses could mean potentially fewer side effects which is always a good thing but we need to be cautious about extrapolating these results to higher doses or longer treatment periods it's like assuming that because a little bit of something is good a lot must be better that's not always the case in medicine let's put this discovery in context can you think of any similar situations where a drug was found to have unexpected benefits for a different condition oh absolutely Ted a classic example is minoxidil it was originally developed as a blood pressure medication but researchers noticed it had an unexpected side effect hair growth talk about a happy accident now it's primarily used as a treatment for baldness it's like going to the store for milk and coming home with a winning lottery ticket that's true but we should be careful about drawing parallels the minoxidil discovery was accidental while this semi-glutide study was more targeted we're comparing apples and oranges here plus the regulatory landscape has changed fair point about the differences Kate but there are other examples take aspirin for instance it started as a pain reliever but is now widely used to prevent heart attacks and strokes the principal is the same those examples are from decades ago Eric the regulatory landscape has changed significantly since then we can't assume new off-label uses will be approved as easily it's a whole new ball game now with much how does the discovery of semi-glutides effect on HS compared to these historical examples I'd say it's similar in that it expands the potential uses of an existing drug this could be a game changer for HS patients who haven't found relief with current treatments it's like finding out your Swiss army knife has a hidden tool you never knew about suddenly you have a new way to tackle a problem that's been bothering you for years but we need to consider the potential risks Eric semi-glutide has known side effects and we don't know how those might interact with HS symptoms long-term it's not just about finding a new use for a drug it's about making sure that new use is safe and effective we can't just throw caution to the wind because we're excited about the possibilities speaking of long-term effects how long did it take for drugs like minoxidil to become widely accepted for their new uses great question Ted it took several years of additional research and clinical trials for minoxidil it was about 20 years from the initial observation to FDA approval for hair loss that might seem like a long time but in the world of drug development it's actually pretty quick it's like watching a garden grow it takes time but the results can be amazing exactly and that process is even more rigorous now we shouldn't expect semi-glutide to be widely prescribed for HS anytime soon it's not just about proving it works it's about proving it's safe for long-term use in this specific population we're talking years of studies mountains of data and countless regulatory hurdles true but the process might be faster since see magletide is already FDA approved for other uses we have a good understanding of its safety profile it's like having a head start in a race we're not starting from scratch here that doesn't mean we can skip thorough testing for this specific use Eric HS patients deserve treatments that have been rigorously studied for their condition it's not just about speed it's about doing it right we can't cut corners when it comes to people's health let's look to the future if further research confirms these findings how might this change HS treatment this could revolutionize HS treatment Ted imagine a single drug that helps with weight loss and reduces HS symptoms it could dramatically improve patients quality of life it's like hitting two birds with one stone you're addressing obesity which is a risk factor for HS and directly improving the skin condition itself this could be a real game changer for millions of people that's an overly optimistic view Eric we need to consider the cost implications these drugs are expensive and insurance companies might not cover them for HS cost is always a factor Kate but if this treatment proves effective it could actually save money in the long run fewer flare-ups mean fewer doctor visits less time off work and better overall health it's so that's a big if Eric we're getting way ahead of ourselves here we need large-scale long-term studies before we can confidently recommend this treatment it's irresponsible to get people's hopes up interesting points both of you what about the broader implications for medical research this discovery could spark a new wave of research into GLP one agonists for inflammatory conditions we might find even more unexpected benefits it's like opening Pandora's box but in a good way who knows what other conditions these drugs might help with it's an exciting time for medical research or we might find unexpected risks Eric we need to be cautious about promoting off-label use before we have all the data it's not just about finding new uses it's about ensuring those uses are safe and effective we can't let our excitement overshadow the need for rigorous scientific investigation how might this affect the pharmaceutical industry's approach to drug development it could encourage more research into the multiple effects of existing drugs this approach could be more cost effective than developing entirely new compounds it's like finding new uses for old tools you get more bang for your buck plus it could lead to faster breakthroughs since we're working with drugs we already understand pretty well that's assuming pharmaceutical companies are motivated by cost effectiveness rather than profits Eric they might prefer to develop new patentable drugs for HS it's not always about what's best for patients or most efficient sometimes it's about what's most profitable we need to keep that in mind when we think about how this might play out thank you both for this enlightening discussion it's clear that while this study offers exciting possibilities for HS treatment there's still much work to be done we'll be keeping a close eye on future developments in this area until next time This is Ted from Listen2, signing off.