Analysis

Recent clinical trial data indicates a significant advancement in the treatment of deficient DNA mismatch repair (dMMR) stage 3 colon cancer, with Roche's (ROG.S) Tecentriq, when added to chemotherapy post-surgery, demonstrating a 50% reduction in cancer recurrence and death compared to chemotherapy alone. This development is poised to alter the standard of care for this patient subset, which constitutes approximately 15% of colon cancer patients. Separately, research presented in The BMJ suggests a potential shift in long-term cardiovascular care post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI); continuing P2Y12 inhibitors, such as AstraZeneca's (AZN.L) Brilinta, instead of switching to aspirin after initial dual anti-clotting therapy, was associated with a 23% lower risk of a composite of heart-related death, heart attack, or stroke, without an increased risk of major bleeding. This finding could influence prescribing guidelines for post-PCI patients. Conversely, a study in JAMA Ophthalmology has identified a potential concern for widely used GLP-1 agonists, including Novo Nordisk's (NOVOb.CO) semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and Sanofi's (SASY.PA) lixisenatide (Adlyxin). Long-term use of these diabetes and weight-loss drugs was linked to a small but statistically significant elevated risk of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in diabetic patients, with the odds doubling after at least six months of use and tripling with the longest duration, though the absolute risk remained low (0.2% in GLP-1 users vs. 0.1% in non-users). This finding warrants further investigation, especially given conflicting earlier research and the widespread use of GLP-1s.