Cardiovascular
Hitting urate targets with gout-lowering therapy is linked to lower cardiovascular risk in large UK study
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Adults with gout who reduced blood urate to guideline targets within a year of starting urate-lowering therapy had a lower risk of heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death over the next five years, according to an analysis of more than 109,000 patients in UK electronic health records published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
A large international randomized trial found that 4 grams a day of omega-3 fish oil was associated with a 43% lower rate of serious cardiovascular events among adults receiving maintenance hemodialysis. The PISCES study enrolled 1,228 participants at 26 sites in Australia and Canada; results were presented at the American Society of Nephrology’s Kidney Week 2025 and published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
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Brazil's Anvisa approved on Monday, February 2, 2026, the expansion of therapeutic indications for semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic. Wegovy can now be used to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes in adults with cardiovascular disease and overweight, while Ozempic is indicated for type 2 diabetes associated with chronic kidney disease. The agency is also reviewing a request for an oral version of Wegovy.
Researchers from the University of Barcelona and the University of Oregon have developed a DNA-based treatment that targets the PCSK9 gene to lower cholesterol levels without the side effects of statins. Using polypurine hairpins, the therapy increases cholesterol uptake by cells and reduces artery-clogging lipids in animal models. The findings, published in Biochemical Pharmacology, suggest a safer alternative for preventing cardiovascular diseases.
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Researchers at the University of Barcelona have discovered that combining two existing medications, pemafibrate and telmisartan, significantly reduces liver fat in animal models of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). This approach could offer a safer treatment option for the condition, which affects about one in three adults worldwide. The findings highlight the potential of drug repurposing to address a disease with limited current therapies.