A large real-world study has linked semaglutide, the drug sold as Ozempic and Wegovy, to nearly 40% fewer asthma attacks. The same analysis found about 20% fewer flare-ups of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Researchers say GLP-1 drugs may reduce inflammation and body weight in ways that help the lungs. The findings add respiratory conditions to a growing list of possible benefits beyond diabetes and weight loss. Doctors caution that observational data cannot prove cause and effect.
The United States has recorded 3,134 confirmed measles cases in 2026 as of September 3, the highest yearly total in more than three decades, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases have been reported in 47 jurisdictions and 38 new outbreaks have been logged this year, with 95% of infections tied to those outbreaks. Public health groups warn the sustained spread puts US elimination status at risk. Outbreaks in Utah and South Carolina have driven hospitalisations, and Pennsylvania officials linked two infant deaths to the virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an advisory warning health care providers about a rise in reported human exposure to rabid or possibly rabid animals, along with mistakes in the treatment that follows. Rabies-related inquiries were 17 percent higher in July and August than in the same months of 2025. At least eight state health agencies reported heavier use of post-exposure prophylaxis and procedural errors. Use of rabies vaccines rose about 33 percent and human rabies immune globulin rose 76 percent year over year. The agency pointed to several high-profile outbreaks and mass exposure events, including one in North Carolina where more than 260 people were urged to seek care.
Research presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Barcelona found that people with asthma prescribed semaglutide, the drug sold as Ozempic and Wegovy, had almost 40% fewer asthma attacks than similar patients taking an older diabetes medicine. Researchers at Imperial College London used UK electronic medical records in four parallel analyses, each covering 20,000 to 22,000 people. Semaglutide was also linked to about 20% fewer COPD flare-ups. GLP-1 drugs are approved for type 2 diabetes and obesity, and asthma outcomes have not been measured in their clinical trials. The team says trials are needed to confirm the findings, and that the results should not change treatment decisions on their own.
Two people have died and more than three dozen have fallen ill in a Legionnaires' disease outbreak in Westchester County, north of New York City, health officials said. The victims included residents of White Plains and New Rochelle. At least 38 cases have been confirmed this summer. Legionnaires' disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria, which grow in warm water and spread through mist from cooling towers, showers and fountains. It does not pass from person to person. Older adults, smokers and people with weakened immune systems face the highest risk, and the disease is treatable with antibiotics when caught early. Investigators are testing water systems to find the source. A separate Harlem outbreak earlier this year sickened 81 people and killed three.
Higher blood levels of tyrosine, an amino acid widely sold in supplements marketed for focus and brain performance, are linked to a shorter lifespan in men, according to a new analysis of more than 270,000 participants in the UK Biobank. Genetic estimates suggest men with higher tyrosine levels may lose close to a year of life expectancy, the researchers reported in the journal Aging-US. No such link was found in women, who tend to have lower tyrosine levels than men. The study looked at naturally occurring tyrosine in the blood and did not test supplements directly, so the authors say people should not stop eating protein-rich foods, which are the main dietary source of the amino acid.
Blood markers of gut barrier damage begin rising two to three years before a woman's final menstrual period and stay elevated for years afterward, according to a study of 964 women followed for nearly 25 years. Researchers tracked two markers linked to intestinal barrier function: FABP2, which starts rising about 2.5 years before the final period, and sCD14, which rises about 2 years before. Both stabilized six to six and a half years after menopause at levels above their pre-menopause readings. The findings suggest the menopause transition is a long biological process that may help explain the chronic inflammation many women experience in midlife.
The Food and Drug Administration said American Regent is voluntarily recalling three lots of epinephrine injection vials distributed nationwide after customers reported leaking and cracked vials. The company found particulate matter including nylon, cellulose, acrylic, polyethylene and glass in the vials and could not assure their sterility. The recalled product is epinephrine injection USP 30 mg/30 mL (1 mg/mL) multi-dose vials sold under NDC 0517-3030-01, with lot numbers 25128L1C0, 25280L1C0 and 26108L1C0. Epinephrine is used to treat severe allergic reactions and cardiac arrest, so contamination poses a serious risk. American Regent said no adverse events have been reported and is arranging returns and replacements. Customers can call 800-645-1706 for questions.
Older adults who received the Shingrix shingles vaccine were 24 percent less likely to be diagnosed with dementia over four years than those who did not get the shot, a Brown University-led study of more than 500,000 people found. Dementia was diagnosed in 18.8 percent of vaccinated participants versus 24.6 percent of unvaccinated ones, a gap the authors said suggests about one in 17 cases may have been prevented. The study followed adults who entered skilled nursing facilities in the United States. Because it was observational, it cannot prove the vaccine protects the brain. The authors disclosed funding from GlaxoSmithKline, which makes Shingrix, and said the company had no control over the study design or the decision to publish.
Low levels of vitamin B12 and folate in fathers, as well as mothers, around the time of conception are linked to a higher risk of birth defects, a new study finds. Researchers led by Children's Hospital of Fudan University in Shanghai recruited couples planning pregnancy from 29 sites and published the results in Annals of Internal Medicine. Higher B12 before conception was tied to lower birth-defect risk for both parents: moderately high maternal levels were linked to 19 percent lower odds and high levels to 38 percent lower odds. Of more than 400 defects recorded, more than half affected the heart. The findings suggest the protective role of these vitamins reaches beyond neural tube defects.