pharmacology

Cancer patients receiving a type of immunotherapy known as Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor (ICI) have a higher risk of serious adverse events, such as aortic aneurysm rupture, interstitial lung disease, myositis and liver failure, according to a study published in PNAS. "Establishing formal contraindications for ICI users seems warranted," concludes the analysis, based on more than 290,000 cases from pharmacovigilance databases of the US Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organisation.

The use of the drug orforglipron reduces blood sugar levels and body weight more than semaglutide, the other available oral GLP-1 receptor agonist treatment, according to a phase III clinical trial. The trial, funded by Eli Lilly, involved 1,500 people with type 2 diabetes who took the drug for one year in five countries, and the results are published in The Lancet.

The combination of the antiretrovirals bictegravir and lenacapavir in a single tablet allows HIV treatment —previously based on multiple daily medications— to be simplified, according to the results of a new phase 3 clinical trial published in The Lancet. The trial, which included over 550 people living with HIV from 15 countries with a median age of 60, showed that the new treatment was just as effective at maintaining viral suppression as multi-drug regimens. Most participants were taking between two and eleven tablets daily, and around 40 % were on antiretrovirals more than once a day. The results were presented at the 2026 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Denver, USA.

The study of psychedelic drugs in pharmacological treatments had its eureka moment with chemist Albert Hofmann's famous bike ride under the influence of LSD in 1938 and then developed over decades, but with Richard Nixon it was shelved. In recent years, it has resurfaced in hospitals and laboratories around the world. Last week, the Congress of Deputies hosted a conference on these substances. We explain what they are, what they are used for, the current state of research, and their risks, with the help of expert sources.

Statins are a group of drugs widely used to lower cholesterol levels and reduce cardiovascular risk. Although they have been associated with various adverse effects, a meta-analysis of 19 clinical trials with more than 120,000 participants in total concludes that only four of the 66 side effects listed in the package inserts are caused by statins themselves and the risks are very low. The authors, who published their findings in The Lancet, recommend revising the current list of side effects on statin labels to better reflect the evidence so that patients and doctors can make clearer and more informed decisions about treatment.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist drugs, used to control obesity and type 2 diabetes, are associated with changes in food purchasing in favour of healthier options. This result, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, was obtained by analysing nearly two million shopping receipts from more than 1,100 participants in Denmark. Those who started treatment with GLP-1 drugs began to make purchases with fewer calories, sugars, saturated fats and carbohydrates, along with a modest increase in protein content. A decrease in the purchase of ultra-processed foods was also observed.

The use of ADHD medication increased ‘substantially’ in five European countries between 2010 and 2023 — including Spain — especially among adult women, according to a study funded by the European Medicines Agency. In Spain (based on data from the SIDIAP in Catalonia), the median age of people using these drugs during the study period was 14, similar to Germany and the United Kingdom, but younger than in Belgium (19) and the Netherlands (20). One-third of these people are women, and one-quarter had previously been prescribed antidepressants. The analysis is based on prescription data for five medicines and is published in The Lancet Regional Health Europe.

Several recent studies had concluded that the risk of gastric cancer doubled with the use of drugs such as omeprazole – proton pump inhibitors. A new study published in The BMJ states that there is no association between prolonged use of these drugs and the risk of gastric adenocarcinoma. The research used prospective data from registries in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden between 1994 and 2020. The study included more than 17,000 patients with gastric adenocarcinoma (other than cardia cancer) who had been exposed to these drugs for more than one year.

There is no link between the use of paracetamol during pregnancy and an increased risk of autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or intellectual disability among children, according to a meta-analysis published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women’s Health. 

Stopping weight loss drugs is followed by weight regain and reversal of beneficial effects on markers of cardiovascular and metabolic health, such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure, according to a meta-analysis published by The BMJ. The research includes 37 studies published up to February 2025 involving more than 9,300 people.