Pharmacology News

September 26, 2026

Top Headlines

That Fresh Cleaning Smell Could Be Filling Your Home with Nanoparticles

Sep. 26, 2026 Researchers found that scented cleaners can react with ozone indoors to create billions or trillions of invisible nanoparticles that can penetrate deep into the lungs. The pollution forms within minutes and, in some cases, may produce an inhaled ...

Don’t Toss Cannabis Leaves: They May Contain Rare Compounds with Medical Potential

Sep. 25, 2026 Scientists discovered rare flavoalkaloids in Cannabis leaves for the first time, along with dozens of other phenolic compounds that had never been reported in the plant. The findings suggest that ...

This “Rare” Autism-linked Genetic Disorder May Be Far More Common Than Scientists Thought

Sep. 25, 2026 A major analysis suggests Phelan-McDermid syndrome, a genetic disorder closely linked to autism, may affect about 1 in 7,300 people and more than 45,000 Americans. Researchers warn that thousands of ...

CRISPR Could Help Doctors Attack Blood Cancer Without Destroying Healthy Cells

Sep. 25, 2026 Researchers used CRISPR to remove CD33 from donor stem cells, potentially giving doctors a way to attack aggressive blood cancers without destroying the healthy cells patients need after a ...

Scientists Thought They Knew How This 70-year-old Leukemia Drug Worked

Sep. 24, 2026 A 70-year-old leukemia drug is still revealing new secrets. Researchers found that removing a protein called NUDT5 protected cells from the drug, even though simply blocking the protein had little effect. The unexpected result points to a hidden ...

GLP-1 Weight Loss and Diabetes Drugs Linked to Nutritional Deficiencies in Nearly 1 in 6 Children

Sep. 23, 2026 Children taking GLP-1 medications (such as Victoza, Saxenda, Trulicity, and Ozempic) for weight loss, prediabetes, or type 2 diabetes may face an overlooked risk: nutritional deficiencies. A new ...

Breakthrough Drug Reverses Skin Aging and Dramatically Speeds Healing

Sep. 23, 2026 A topical drug that removes aging, damaged cells helped older mice heal skin wounds significantly faster. The treatment appeared to reactivate repair pathways involved in inflammation, collagen production, and new blood vessel ...

This Emerging Treatment Could Help People Avoid Knee Replacement Surgery

Sep. 22, 2026 A minimally invasive procedure called genicular artery embolization could offer a new middle ground between conservative treatments and knee replacement for osteoarthritis. By blocking tiny blood vessels associated with inflammation, GAE can ...

Brain Scans Reveal a Possible Cause of Long COVID Fatigue and Brain Fog

Sep. 21, 2026 Researchers have found evidence that long COVID may damage dopamine releasing neurons in the brain, potentially explaining persistent fatigue, low motivation, slowed movement, and memory difficulties. The discovery could lead to new treatments that ...

Stopping Ozempic May Raise Heart Attack and Stroke Risk

Sep. 21, 2026 A large study suggests the cardiovascular benefits of GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound can disappear surprisingly quickly when treatment stops. After two years off the medications, patients had a 22% higher risk of heart ...

Chronic Stress May Be Quietly Reshaping Your Heart

Sep. 21, 2026 Chronic inflammation tied to stress, lifestyle, mental health, and socioeconomic conditions may silently change the heart for years before any symptoms appear. People with the highest inflammation levels faced a 43% greater risk of heart attack and ...

Hidden Gut Defect That May Explain Why IBD Keeps Coming Back

Sep. 19, 2026 Researchers have uncovered a hidden molecular warning sign of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that can linger even when patients feel well and appear to be in remission. By studying around 900 human gut biopsies and patient-derived mini-intestines, ...

Latest Headlines

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Ozempic Can Change Your Body. Can It Change Your Life?

Sep. 17, 2026 Ozempic and other GLP-1 medications can improve blood sugar, weight, and cardiovascular health, but researchers found little evidence that they also improve mental health, employment, marriage, or ...

Scientists Find a Natural Gut Compound That Helps Heal the Intestine

Sep. 17, 2026 A natural compound produced by gut bacteria after digesting foods such as pomegranates, walnuts, and berries may help repair and protect the intestinal lining. The discovery reveals a surprising ...

Nearly 10,000 Patients Reveal What Works Best for Knee Arthritis Pain Relief

Sep. 14, 2026 A major analysis of 139 clinical trials involving nearly 10,000 people suggests that some of the simplest treatments may work best for knee ...

Scientists Discover Strange Link Between Low Vitamin D and Pain

Sep. 14, 2026 Low vitamin D levels may make recovery from breast cancer surgery more painful, according to a study of 184 women undergoing mastectomy. Patients with vitamin D deficiency were three times more ...

Scientists Find How “zombie” Cells Fuel Inflammation as We Age

Sep. 13, 2026 Scientists discovered that aging cells can use malfunctioning mitochondria to unlock inflammatory genes and keep the immune system stuck in a prolonged state of alert. Blocking one part of this ...

AI Uncovers Hidden Ozempic Side Effects Across 400,000 Reddit Posts

Sep. 13, 2026 AI analysis of 400,000 Reddit posts found that users of drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound reported unexpected symptoms including menstrual changes, chills, hot flashes, and ...

Ozempic and Wegovy May Raise Hair Loss Risk in Some Men

Sep. 12, 2026 GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound may increase hair-loss risk by 7% in men who are already genetically susceptible to male-pattern baldness. The findings suggest thinning hair may not ...

Scientists Discover a Hidden Switch That Shuts Down Inflammation

Sep. 12, 2026 Scientists have uncovered a natural braking system that helps the immune system switch off inflammation and prevent harmful immune cells from building up. Boosting this pathway in people reduced ...

Who Really Needs a Heart Calcium Scan?

Sep. 12, 2026 A 10-year study of more than 6,000 adults found that popular coronary calcium scans may add little to standard heart disease risk estimates for many people. But for patients with borderline or ...

Your Next Prescription Could Be Treating a Side Effect from the Last One

Sep. 11, 2026 A major Ontario study found 24 common medication chains in which one drug’s side effects can be mistaken for a new medical problem, leading to another prescription. Researchers say closer ...

UCLA Scientists Turn Cord Blood Into Powerful Cancer-Fighting T Cells

Sep. 10, 2026 UCLA researchers developed ready-made cancer-fighting T cells from cord blood stem cells that can attack solid tumors through two separate detection systems. In mice, a single dose controlled cancer ...

Ozempic and Wegovy Linked to Nearly 40% Fewer Asthma Attacks

Sep. 9, 2026 Semaglutide, the drug found in Ozempic and Wegovy, was linked to nearly 40% fewer asthma attacks in a large real-world study. It was also associated with about 20% fewer COPD flare-ups. Researchers ...

Compound in Blueberries May Help Muscle Cells Burn Excess Fat

Sep. 5, 2026 Scientists in Japan have identified a natural compound found in blueberries, grapes, and other berries that may help muscle cells burn excess fat instead of storing it. The compound, pterostilbene, ...

A Cancer Therapy Put Severe Rheumatoid Arthritis Into Remission

Aug. 29, 2026 CAR T-cell therapy dramatically reduced disease activity in six people with severe rheumatoid arthritis that had resisted other treatments, with three achieving medication-free remission. The ...

Ozempic and Wegovy May Have an Unexpected Mental Health Benefit

Sep. 8, 2026 Semaglutide, the drug behind Ozempic and Wegovy, may have benefits that extend well beyond weight loss and diabetes. In a large Swedish study of nearly 15,000 people with bipolar disorder, its use ...

Experimental Compound Helps Burn Fat Without Muscle Loss

Aug. 23, 2026 A decades-old compound may point to a new way of treating obesity by making the body burn more energy rather than simply reducing appetite. In mice, TOFA increased energy use by as much as 18%, ...

Gut Bacteria May Unlock a Hidden Benefit of Vegetables

Aug. 23, 2026 Gut bacteria can transform nitrate and plant-based iron from vegetables and other foods into protective molecules that may benefit the heart and metabolism. In experimental models, higher levels of ...

Vitamin C Won’t Prevent Most Colds, but It May Do One Small Thing

Aug. 27, 2026 The belief that huge doses of vitamin C can ward off colds was popularized more than 50 years ago by Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling. Since then, larger studies have found that vitamin C does not ...

Scientists Discover a Brain “brake” That Can Shut Down Chronic Pain

Aug. 27, 2026 Researchers discovered a brain-based “brake” that can shut down chronic nerve pain in mice by calming an overactive pain circuit. Targeting this system more precisely could one day lead to ...

Knee Osteoarthritis Isn’t Inevitable — Here’s What You Can Do

Aug. 20, 2026 Knee osteoarthritis can seriously affect mobility and quality of life, but its progression isn’t completely out of your control. Exercise, stronger leg muscles, a healthier diet, and even modest ...

One Injection Could Keep Osteoarthritis Drugs Working for Weeks

Aug. 31, 2026 Scientists have created an injectable gel that can remain inside arthritic joints for weeks, slowly releasing medication while also improving lubrication. The approach could make it easier to deliver ...

Ozempic Does Something Unexpected to the Brain’s Hunger Neurons

Aug. 20, 2026 Ozempic may work in the brain in almost the opposite way scientists expected, activating hunger-linked neurons that appear essential for sustaining fat loss. The surprising discovery in mice could ...

Childhood Trauma May Leave a Lasting “scar” Inside Brain Cells

Aug. 26, 2026 Early-life stress may physically alter how DNA is packaged in the brain, leaving stress-related genes primed to activate more easily years later. In mice, researchers were able to block this effect, ...

Common Supplements Rival Antibiotics for Severe Gum Disease

Aug. 30, 2026 Omega-3 and low-dose aspirin matched the effectiveness of antibiotics in a year-long study of patients with severe gum disease, with both approaches helping about 58% reach the treatment goal. The ...

A Drug Already Used for Osteoporosis Blocked Spinal Damage in a New Study

Aug. 6, 2026 Genetic changes may set off a chain reaction that causes the spine’s natural shock absorbers to harden and deteriorate. Zebrafish with a faulty collagen-related gene developed mineral buildup and ...

THC Medication Made PTSD Nightmares Disappear for More Than a Third of Patients

Aug. 5, 2026 A prescription form of THC helped many people with PTSD escape recurring trauma-related nightmares, with more than one-third reporting that the nightmares disappeared completely after ten weeks. The ...

Cialis Linked to Higher Glaucoma Risk in Large Study

Sep. 7, 2026 A large study of nearly 74,000 men suggests that long-term use of tadalafil, best known as Cialis, may be linked to a higher risk of glaucoma and other eye pressure problems. Men prescribed the drug ...

Two Deadly Flowers Could Inspire Powerful New Medicines

Aug. 3, 2026 Scientists have figured out how two famously poisonous plants create chemicals with surprising medical potential. After tracking thousands of genes in wolfsbane and larkspur, they identified six ...

Scientists Discover a Powerful New Antivenom Hidden in Rattlesnake Blood

Sep. 8, 2026 Researchers discovered that combinations of toxin-blocking proteins naturally found in rattlesnake blood can powerfully neutralize venom from several dangerous snake species. In lab tests, the ...

Scientists Discover How Gut Bacteria “train” the Intestine to Fight Inflammation

Aug. 20, 2026 A compound made when gut bacteria break down dietary fiber may do more than briefly calm inflammation—it could leave a lasting protective “memory” in the gut. Northwestern Medicine researchers ...