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Weight Loss Therapies using GLP-1 agonists: Should We Have Expected them to Cause Gallstones ?

The short answer to this question is …Yes. To explain this more fully, we first need a little background… GLP-1 agonists are one of the most successful weight-loss inducing agents produced by big Pharma of recent times. Originally designed and developed as anti-diabetic agents, their ability to suppress appetite soon became the main focus of drug developers, resulting in regulatory approval of the first in class Semaglutide (marketed by Novo Nordisk as Wegovy) and then Tirzepatide (Mounjaro; Ely-Lilly). {Note the parallel here with Viagra, which was originally developed as a heart drug, but quickly morphed into the world's most frequently-used treatment for erectile dysfunction.} The prevalence of obesity in most developed western nations has ensured that both of these new medications are in high demand, far exceeding that originally anticipated for their anti-diabetic indication. This has resulted in a ‘dash for the cash’ by manufacturers, and the resulting shortages hav...
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Whither our UK NHS ?

The NHS is 75 years old, and one of our most prized institutions. As you'll see from the analysis below, it is now  sorely in need of medical assistance   itself . How can we save it from its terminal decline ? Editors note: This blog was first published in August 2022 - in view of the steady deterioration in the service since then, which has now reached crisis point, not least because of the ongoing industrial action, I've  updated it to reflect the changes. The Election result has finally introduced some real soul-searching amongst politicians as to why the current funding and organisational model of the NHS is failing...unfortunately this is likely to be a tough nut to crack without a radical change in its funding model - which any Labour government will find difficult to square with its ideology. We shouldn't therefore expect much progress in this direction, despite Labour's large majority. Nevertheless, I stand by the original recommendation of a radical funding mo...
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