Image by Getty / FuturismRx/MedicinesBroken ice cream machines aren't the only thing bedeviling stalwart fast food chain McDonald's.Financial services firm Redburn Atlantic put the company's stock in the bear category, coinciding with a slumpy week in which it lost about three percent of its value — because analysts are betting that GLP-1 agonist weight loss drugs like Ozempic are going to disrupt the fast food business model, CBS News reports.The eyebrow-raising conclusion comes as the analysts reason that people with lower incomes who go on the drugs will tend to shun food outside the home. Meanwhile, people at a higher income level who take Ozempic and similar go back to their food spending habits after a year or so."Behaviour changes extend beyond the individual user — reshaping group dining, influencing household routines and softening habitual demand," wrote the analysts, as reported by CBS. "A 1 percent drag today could easily build to 10 percent or more over time, particularly for brands skewed toward lower income consumers or group occasions."This could have a huge impact on the bottom line of fast food chains like McDonald's, which could stand to lose as much as million annually as they see the disappearance of 28 million visits from formerly hungry customers.This is all complete speculation at this point, because only about six percent of American adults are currently taking these weight loss medications. And they're prohibitively expensive, prices starting at around per month, meaning that extremely few poor people are currently able to afford them.But there's a movement by some policymakers to lower the price of the drugs, which have been proven to not just help people lose weight, but they come with a rash of benefits from preventing certain cancers to treating addictions, among other positives.So if lawmakers force a reduction in price in the future, expect fast food chains like McDonald's to be left holding the bag.And maybe that's a good thing, because the kind of fried foods that McDonald's traffics in are just plain bad for your health.More on Ozempic: Doctors Concerned by Massive Uptick in Teens Taking OzempicShare This Article #mcdonald039s #trouble #ozempic #takes #hold

There is growing evidence that Ozempic and other GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs might help people drink less alcohol, but more research is needed. #can #weight #loss #drugs #help

In recent decades, researchers have consistently explored new ways to tackle the global obesity epidemic. While existing methods show significant results, such as the dramatic, long-term weight loss from bariatric surgery or the flexible, non-invasive use of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, each approach has its drawbacks. Surgery can be risky and irreversible, while medications often bring unpleasant side effects and a risk of regaining weight once treatment stops.But what if we could combine the best of both? Imagine achieving the benefits of gastric bypass surgery without going under the knife — simply by taking a pill.A Boston-based biopharmaceutical companyis working on exactly that. The first-in-human study of their new treatment, known as SYNT-101, was presented at the European Congress on Obesityin Malaga, Spain. It demonstrated not only safety and good tolerance but also promising signs of appetite regulation and weight loss, without the side effects commonly seen with GLP-1 drugs.Bariatric Surgery vs. GLP-1 DrugsBariatric surgery remains the gold standard for significant weight loss. These procedures reduce stomach size or bypass parts of the small intestine, physically limiting nutrient absorption. But it’s a serious commitment, typically reserved for people with a BMI over 40 and requires lifelong lifestyle changes, medical supervision, and carries the inherent risks of major surgery.On the flip side, GLP-1 drugs offer a less invasive option for people with moderate weight gain. Available in pill or injection form, they’re easier to use but often cause side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. There’s also concern about losing lean muscle mass and regaining weight once the treatment stops.Faced with these extremes, many patients are left feeling stuck. That’s where SYNT-101 steps in, a new oral treatment that mimics gastric bypass without cutting or injections.Pill Mimics Gastric BypassSYNT-101 works by forming a temporary coating in the first part of the small intestine, rerouting how nutrients are absorbed. This “nutrient exclusion” triggers earlier satiety and helps regulate metabolic hormones.In animal studies, SYNT-101 led to an average weekly weight loss of 1 percent for six weeks and preserved 100 percent of lean muscle mass — better than GLP-1 drugs. In the human pilot study, nine healthy adultsreceived a single dose in liquid form at three increasing dosage levels.According to the press release, endoscopic imaging confirmed that the coating formed as expected. Blood tests showed increased leptinand reduced ghrelin, consistent with preclinical results. Glucose tolerance tests showed delayed glucose absorption, indicating that uptake was occurring later in the digestive tract.Importantly, there were no adverse events or gastrointestinal symptoms, and participants reported zero pain. Rahul Dhanda, CEO of Syntis Bio, summarized in the news release: “These data validate the potential of SYNT-101 to induce metabolic changes that support glycemic control, weight loss and energy balance.”Need Of Novel Treatment OptionsThe temporary lining lasts up to 24 hours. While the initial study used a liquid dose, the treatment is being developed as a once-daily pill for convenience.“We believe that SYNT-101 will provide a convenient, more sustainable oral alternative and/or complement to systemic therapies such as GLP-1 drugs,” said Dhanda in the statement. “The millions of people living with obesity need novel treatment options that are safe, effective and avoid the high costs and severe side effects that often accompany available treatment options.”Larger clinical trials are planned, and Syntis Bio aims to submit an Investigational New Drugapplication to the FDA in late 2025. As Dhanda added: “We are eager to replicate these data in our upcoming Phase 1 clinical trial and further explore the ability of SYNT-101 to produce sustainable, safe, effective weight loss by reducing fat, preserving lean muscle and stimulating natural production of satiety hormones to prevent weight regain.”Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery: Bariatric Surgery More Effective and Durable Than New Obesity Drugs and Lifestyle InterventionF1000 Reports Medicine: Quick fix or long-term cure? Pros and cons of bariatric surgeryHarvard Health Publishing: GLP-1 diabetes and weight-loss drug side effects: "Ozempic face" and moreHaving worked as a biomedical research assistant in labs across three countries, Jenny excels at translating complex scientific concepts – ranging from medical breakthroughs and pharmacological discoveries to the latest in nutrition – into engaging, accessible content. Her interests extend to topics such as human evolution, psychology, and quirky animal stories. When she’s not immersed in a popular science book, you’ll find her catching waves or cruising around Vancouver Island on her longboard. #gastric #bypass #pill #could #help

As the FDA halts the sale of Ozempic and Zepbound copycats, online clinics have begun offering liraglutide, an older GLP-1 medication injected daily instead of weekly. #blocked #selling #offbrand #ozempic #telehealth

This is today's edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. A US court just put ownership of CRISPR back in play The CRISPR patents are back in play. Yesterday, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said scientists Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier will get another chance to show they ought to own the key patents on what many consider the defining biotechnology invention of the 21st century. The pair shared a 2020 Nobel Prize for developing the gene-editing system, which is already being used to treat various disorders. But when US patent rights were granted in 2014 to Feng Zhang of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, the decision set off a bitter dispute in which hundreds of millions of dollars—as well as scientific bragging rights—are at stake. Read the full story.—Antonio Regalado To read more about CRISPR, why not take a look at: + Charpentier and Doudna announced they wanted to cancel their own CRISPR patents in Europe last year. Read the full story.+ How CRISPR will help the world cope with climate change. Read the full story.+ The US has approved CRISPR pigs for food. Pigs whose DNA makes them resistant to a virus could be the first big consumer product using gene editing. Read the full story. + CRISPR will get easier and easier to administer. What does that mean for the future of our species?Police tech can sidestep facial recognition bans now —James O'Donnell Six months ago I attended the largest gathering of chiefs of police in the US to see how they’re using AI. I found some big developments, like officers getting AI to write their reports. Now, I’ve published a new story that shows just how far AI for police has developed since then. It’s about a new method police are using to track people: an AI tool that uses attributes like body size, gender, hair color and style, clothing, and accessories instead of faces. It offers a way around laws curbing the use of facial recognition, which are on the rise.Here’s what this tells us about the development of police tech and what rules, if any, these departments are subject to in the age of AI. Read the full story. This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Two Trump officials were denied access to the US Copyright Office  Their visit came days after the administration fired the office’s head. (Wired $)+ Shira Perlmutter oversaw a report raising concerns about training AI with copyrighted materials. (WP $) 2 Google knew it couldn’t monitor how Israel might use its cloud technology But it went ahead with Project Nimbus anyway. (The Intercept)3 Spain still doesn’t know what caused its massive power blackout Investigators are examining generators’ cyber defences for weaknesses. (FT $)+ Could solar power be to blame? (MIT Technology Review)4 Apple is considering hiking the price of iPhones The company doesn’t want to blame tariffs, though. (WSJ $)+ Apple boss Tim Cook had a call with Trump following the tariff rollback news. (CNBC)+ It’s reportedly developing an AI tool to extend phones’ battery life. (Bloomberg $)5 Venture capitalists aren’t 100% sure what an AI agent isThat isn’t stopping companies from sinking millions into them. (TechCrunch) + Google is working on its own agent ahead of its I/O conference. (The Information $)+ What AI assistants can—and can’t—do. (Vox)+ Check out our AI agent explainer. (MIT Technology Review) 6 Scammers are stealing the identities of death row inmates And prisoners are unlikely to see correspondence alerting them to the fraud. (NBC News)7 Weight-loss drugs aren’t always enoughYou need long-term changes in health, not just weight. (The Atlantic $) + How is Trump planning to lower drug costs, exactly? (NY Mag $)+ Drugs like Ozempic now make up 5% of prescriptions in the US. (MIT Technology Review) 8 China’s e-commerce giants are racing to deliver goods within an hourAs competition has intensified, companies are fighting to be the quickest. (Reuters) 9 This spacecraft will police satellites’ orbits 🛰️ And hunt them down where necessary. (IEEE Spectrum)+ The world’s biggest space-based radar will measure Earth’s forests from orbit. (MIT Technology Review) 10 Is your beard trimmer broken? Simply 3D-print a new part. Philips is experimenting with letting its customers create their own replacements. (The Verge)Quote of the day “We usually set it up so that our team doesn’t get to creep in.” —Angie Saltman, founder and president of tech company Saltmedia, explains how her company helps store Indigenous data securely away from the Trump administration, the Verge reports. One more thing Meet the radio-obsessed civilian shaping Ukraine’s drone defenseDrones have come to define the brutal conflict in Ukraine that has now dragged on for more than three years. And most rely on radio communications—a technology that Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov has obsessed over since childhood. While Flash is now a civilian, the former officer has still taken it upon himself to inform his country’s defense in all matters related to radio. Once a month, he studies the skies for Russian radio transmissions and tries to learn about the problems facing troops in the fields and in the trenches.In this race for survival—as each side constantly tries to best the other, only to start all over again when the other inevitably catches up—Ukrainian soldiers need to develop creative solutions, and fast. As Ukraine’s wartime radio guru, Flash may just be one of their best hopes for doing that. Read the full story. —Charlie Metcalfe We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet 'em at me.) + Tune in at any time to the Coral City Camera, an underwater camera streaming live from an urban coral reef in Miami 🐠+ Inhuman Resources, which mixes gaming, reading, and listening, sounds nuts.+ This compilation of 331 film clips to recreate Eminem’s Lose Yourself is spectacular.+ Questions I never thought I’d ask: what if Bigfoot were British? Source: https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/13/1116357/the-download-crispr-in-court-and-the-polices-ban-skirting-ai/ #the #download #crispr #court #and #polices #banskirting