Pharmacology News

September 28, 2025

Top Headlines

Doctors Tested a Common Drug on COVID. the Results Are Stunning

Sep. 28, 2025 — Inhaled heparin significantly lowers the risk of death and ventilation in COVID-19 patients while also showing potential against other respiratory infections. With its unique triple-action benefits, it could serve as a powerful and accessible ...

New Inhaler Halves Childhood Asthma Attacks

Sep. 28, 2025 — A groundbreaking international study has shown that a 2-in-1 budesonide-formoterol inhaler is far more effective than the standard salbutamol inhaler in children with mild asthma, cutting attacks by nearly ...

Cocoa Supplements Show Surprising Anti-aging Potential

Sep. 27, 2025 — Daily cocoa extract supplements reduced key inflammation markers in older adults, pointing to a role in protecting the heart. The findings reinforce the value of flavanol-rich, plant-based foods for healthier ...

Scientists Uncover How to Block Pain Without Side Effects

Sep. 26, 2025 — Scientists have discovered a way to block pain while still allowing the body’s natural healing to take place. Current painkillers like ibuprofen and aspirin often come with harmful side effects because they shut down both pain and inflammation. ...

Cambridge Scientists Created a Gel That Could End Arthritis Pain

Sep. 25, 2025 — Cambridge scientists have created a breakthrough material that can sense tiny chemical changes in the body, such as the increased acidity during an arthritis flare-up, and release drugs exactly when and where they’re needed. By mimicking cartilage ...

Brain Fat, Not Just Plaques, May Be the Hidden Driver of Alzheimer’s

Sep. 24, 2025 — For decades, scientists believed Alzheimer’s was driven mainly by sticky protein plaques and tangles in the brain. Now Purdue researchers have revealed a hidden culprit: fat. They found that brain immune cells can become clogged with fat, leaving ...

Scientists Reveal Pill That Helps Shed 20% of Body Weight

Sep. 24, 2025 — A massive international study has shown that the experimental oral obesity drug orforglipron can help patients shed over 10% of their body weight, with nearly one in five losing 20% or more. Unlike most GLP-1 agonists that require injections, ...

A Hormone That Silences the Immune System May Unlock New Cancer Treatments

Sep. 22, 2025 — Scientists have discovered that cancer uses a hidden hormone to switch off the body’s natural defenses, allowing tumors to grow unchecked. By uncovering this secret signal, they found a way to block it and restore the immune system’s ability to ...

Simple Therapies Outperform Drugs for Knee Arthritis Pain Relief

Sep. 20, 2025 — A sweeping analysis of nearly 10,000 patients reveals that knee braces, hydrotherapy, and exercise stand out as the most effective non-drug therapies for knee osteoarthritis. Unlike common pain medications that carry risks, these low-cost and ...

Clear Skin in a Week with This Breakthrough Acne Patch

Sep. 20, 2025 — Researchers have created a two-stage acne patch with tiny arrowhead-shaped spikes that deliver healing compounds directly under the skin. Trials showed pimples vanished in seven days, and the technology may expand to treat other ...

Hardly Anyone Uses This Surprisingly Simple Fix for High Blood Pressure

Sep. 20, 2025 — Despite strong evidence that salt substitutes can safely lower sodium intake and reduce high blood pressure, very few Americans use them. A new analysis of nearly 20 years of national health data found that usage peaked at just over 5% and then ...

Smoking’s Hidden Gut Bacteria Trick May Lead to New Colitis Treatments

Sep. 19, 2025 — For decades, scientists have puzzled over why smoking makes Crohn’s disease worse but seems to protect people from ulcerative colitis. Now, researchers at RIKEN have discovered that smoking creates metabolites like hydroquinone that allow mouth ...

Latest Headlines

updated 12:06pm EDT

Alcohol’s Hidden Shortcut Lets Gut Bacteria Wreck the Liver

Sep. 19, 2025 — Alcohol-associated liver disease is becoming a massive health and economic burden, but researchers at UC San Diego may have uncovered a new way forward. They discovered that chronic alcohol use ...

Doctors Warn of a Stealth Opioid 20x More Potent Than Fentanyl

Sep. 18, 2025 — Nitazenes, a powerful and largely hidden class of synthetic opioids, are quickly becoming a deadly factor in the overdose crisis. Over 20 times stronger than fentanyl, these drugs often go undetected ...

Why So Many Young Kids With ADHD Are Getting the Wrong Treatment

Sep. 16, 2025 — Preschoolers with ADHD are often given medication right after diagnosis, against medical guidelines that recommend starting with behavioral therapy. Limited access to therapy and physician pressures ...

New Drug Could Be First to Stop Deadly Fatty Liver Disease

Sep. 16, 2025 — Scientists at UC San Diego have identified a new drug, ION224, that could transform the treatment of MASH, a dangerous form of fatty liver disease tied to obesity and diabetes. By blocking a key ...

Daily Eye Drops Could Make Reading Glasses Obsolete

Sep. 15, 2025 — Eye drops combining pilocarpine and diclofenac helped patients read extra lines on vision charts, with effects lasting up to two years. The treatment could revolutionize presbyopia care as a safe, ...

Most Quit Breakthrough Weight-Loss Drug Within a Year

Sep. 14, 2025 — A massive Danish study reveals that despite the remarkable weight-loss benefits of semaglutide, more than half of adults without diabetes stop using it within a year. High costs, unpleasant side ...

Don’t Toss Cannabis Leaves. Scientists Just Found Rare Compounds Inside

Sep. 10, 2025 — Scientists at Stellenbosch University have uncovered a rare class of plant compounds, flavoalkaloids, in Cannabis leaves for the first time. Using advanced two-dimensional chromatography and mass ...

Metformin’s Secret Brain Pathway Revealed After 60 Years

Sep. 10, 2025 — Metformin, long trusted for diabetes, turns out to work in the brain too. By shutting down Rap1 in the hypothalamus, the drug lowers blood sugar more effectively than previously understood, opening ...

Ozempic’s Hidden Pregnancy Risk Few Women Know About

Sep. 9, 2025 — Thousands of women are using GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic for weight loss without contraception, leading to unintended pregnancies and potential risks for unborn babies. Experts warn clearer medical ...

Hidden Gut Cells Could Transform Food Allergy Treatment

Sep. 8, 2025 — Scientists have uncovered a surprising new pathway behind life-threatening food allergies. Instead of histamine, a different chemical called leukotrienes drives severe reactions in the gut. These ...

Scientists Just Made CRISPR Three Times More Effective

Sep. 7, 2025 — Northwestern scientists have developed a new nanostructure that supercharges CRISPR’s ability to safely and efficiently enter cells, potentially unlocking its full power to treat genetic diseases. ...

Common Heart Drug Taken by Millions Found Useless, Possibly Risky

Aug. 31, 2025 — Beta blockers, used for decades after heart attacks, provide no benefit for patients with preserved heart function, according to the REBOOT trial. The massive study also found women faced higher ...

Strange New Bacteria Found in Amazon Sand Flies. Could It Spread to Humans?

Sep. 6, 2025 — A newly discovered species of Bartonella bacteria in Brazil’s Amazon sand flies shares DNA similarities with dangerous Andean strains. Scientists stress the need for further studies to see if it ...

Overworked Neurons Burn out and Fuel Parkinson’s Disease

Sep. 3, 2025 — Overactivation of dopamine neurons may directly drive their death, explaining why movement-controlling brain cells degenerate in Parkinson’s. Mice with chronically stimulated neurons showed the ...

Scientists Crack Indole’s Toughest Bond With Copper, Unlocking New Medicines

Aug. 26, 2025 — Scientists have cracked one of chemistry’s toughest challenges with indoles, using copper to unlock a spot once thought too stubborn to change. The discovery could pave the way for easier, cheaper ...

Common Painkillers Like Advil and Tylenol Supercharge Antibiotic Resistance

Aug. 26, 2025 — Painkillers we often trust — ibuprofen and acetaminophen — may be quietly accelerating one of the world’s greatest health crises: antibiotic resistance. Researchers discovered that these drugs ...

Tiny Green Tea Beads Trap Fat and Melt Away Pounds Without Side Effects

Aug. 24, 2025 — Researchers have created plant-based microbeads that trap fat in the gut, helping rats lose weight without side effects. Unlike current drugs, the beads are safe, tasteless, and easy to mix into ...

Is Ketamine the Answer for Chronic Pain? New Findings Cast Doubt

Aug. 18, 2025 — A sweeping review of 67 trials has cast doubt on the use of ketamine and similar NMDA receptor antagonists for chronic pain relief. While ketamine is frequently prescribed off-label for conditions ...

Trojan Horse Bacteria Sneak Cancer-Killing Viruses Into Tumors

Aug. 17, 2025 — Scientists have engineered a groundbreaking cancer treatment that uses bacteria to smuggle viruses directly into tumors, bypassing the immune system and delivering a powerful one-two punch against ...

A Safe Painkiller? New Research Raises Concerns About Tylenol’s Safety in Pregnancy

Aug. 21, 2025 — A large-scale review finds that acetaminophen use during pregnancy may increase the risk of autism and ADHD in children. The strongest studies showed the clearest links, pointing to biological ...

A Hidden Sugar Source in Ketchup, Salad Dressing, and Toothpaste

Aug. 25, 2025 — UBC researchers revealed that gut bacteria can digest cellulose-based food thickeners, once thought indigestible, by using enzymes activated by natural dietary fibers. This discovery suggests these ...

One Small Walking Adjustment Could Delay Knee Surgery for Years

Aug. 16, 2025 — A groundbreaking study has found that a simple change in walking style can ease osteoarthritis pain as effectively as medication—without the side effects. By adjusting foot angle, participants ...

The Parasite That Turns Off Your Body’s Pain Alarm and Sneaks in

Aug. 12, 2025 — Scientists have discovered a parasite that can sneak into your skin without you feeling a thing. The worm, Schistosoma mansoni, has evolved a way to switch off the body’s pain and itch signals, ...

Can a Diet Really Ease Lipoedema? Sunniva’s Journey to Pain Relief and Weight Loss

Aug. 10, 2025 — Sunniva Kwapeng struggled with lipoedema, a painful condition causing disproportionate fat accumulation, until finally being diagnosed in her 40s. An NTNU study found that a low-carb diet helped ...

Tiny Eye Implant Becomes the First FDA-Approved Therapy for Rare Blindness

Aug. 29, 2025 — For people with macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel), an orphan retinal disorder that gradually destroys central vision, there have long been no approved treatment options. But now, a new study ...

Scientists Just Found a Tiny Molecule That Could Change How We Lose Weight

Aug. 10, 2025 — Researchers at the Salk Institute have used CRISPR to uncover hidden microproteins that control fat cell growth and lipid storage, identifying one confirmed target, Adipocyte-smORF-1183. This ...

Lithium Deficiency May Be the Hidden Spark Behind Alzheimer’s

Aug. 29, 2025 — Harvard scientists have uncovered that lithium, a naturally occurring element in the brain, may be the missing piece in understanding Alzheimer’s. Their decade-long research shows that lithium ...

Powerful New Painkiller ADRIANA Shows Promise in Ending Opioid Dependence

Sep. 2, 2025 — Japanese scientists have developed ADRIANA, a non-opioid painkiller that could provide powerful relief without the dangers of addiction. With successful trials already completed, large U.S. studies ...

Brain Fog, Falls, and Fatigue? This App Helps Seniors Cut Risky Meds

Aug. 5, 2025 — McGill's MedSafer tool helps doctors identify and eliminate risky or unneeded medications in seniors, significantly improving patient outcomes. It aims to prevent harmful "prescribing ...

This Sugar Molecule Could Stop Type 1 Diabetes, by Fooling the Immune System

Aug. 2, 2025 — In a fascinating twist, Mayo Clinic researchers discovered that a sugar molecule cancer cells use to hide from the immune system might also protect insulin-producing beta cells in type 1 diabetes. By ...