This disease is costing Asean billions

DENGUE is no longer a seasonal nuisance – it has become a year-round public health crisis in Asean, with rising infection rates, unpredictable outbreaks, and worsening economic consequences. According to the Asean Bio-diaspora Virtual Centre and the World Health Organisation, more than 800,000 cases were reported in Asean countries in 2024, with Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philip-pines, and Thailand recording some of the highest numbers.
But beyond the hospital wards, dengue is draining our economies. A 2021 study published in The Lancet estimated the economic burden of dengue in South-East Asia exceeds US$1bil (RM4.7bil) annually, factoring in healthcare costs, lost productivity, school absenteeism, and vector control efforts.

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Malaysian Reserve

an hour ago

• Malaysian Reserve

Novo Nordisk advances early-stage obesity medication, amycretin, to phase 3 clinical development based on early-phase clinical trial results in people with obesity or excess weight, published in The L

Both subcutaneous and oral formulations will advance straight to phase 3 development based on completed clinical studies and feedback received from regulatory authorities1,2 PLAINSBORO, N.J., June 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Today, results from two early-phase clinical trials evaluating Novo Nordisk's amycretin, an innovative investigational obesity treatment designed to target appetite regulation, were published in The Lancet.1 In a phase 1b/2a clinical trial of 125 adults with overweight or obesity, once-weekly subcutaneous amycretin appeared to be safe and tolerable in trial participants, who also achieved significantly greater weight loss across the full range of doses investigated versus placebo.1 A related phase 1 trial of once-daily oral amycretin in adults with obesity or overweight also showed that treatment was safe and tolerable with an observed reduction in body weight compared to placebo.2 No weight loss plateau was observed in either trial at the end of the respective treatment durations.1,2 Data on subcutaneous amycretin is scheduled to be presented on Sunday, June 22nd, during a late-breaking poster session at the American Diabetes Association's® (ADA) 85th Scientific Sessions.1 'We are pleased with the promising results of amycretin and the feedback from regulatory authorities and are excited to advance both subcutaneous and oral versions of this molecule into phase 3 development for weight management. At Novo Nordisk, we understand that addressing obesity is a complex challenge that many patients face. These results reflect our robust pipeline in obesity, our focus on progressing scientific innovation and expanding the range of options available to patients and healthcare professionals,' said Martin Holst Lange, executive vice president for Development at Novo Nordisk. 'We remain steadfast in our mission to discover and develop therapies that can have a meaningful impact in the lives of those affected by obesity.' Results from the phase 1b/2a trial of subcutaneous amycretin showed treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were mild or moderate in severity and increased in frequency in a dose-dependent manner. The most frequent reported TEAEs were gastrointestinal in nature. Compared to placebo, participants receiving amycretin observed greater weight loss across the full range of doses investigated.1 Subcutaneous amycretin at multiple doses demonstrated greater weight reduction than placebo at the end of the trial. Participants who received the highest doses (up to 60 mg) reported body weight reductions of up to 24.3% versus 1.1% with placebo after 36 weeks of treatment. Results from this first-in-human phase 1b/2a study support further investigation of potential weight-loss efficacy of amycretin. Results from the published phase 1 trial of oral amycretin showed that the most common TEAEs were related to gastrointestinal symptoms (mainly nausea and vomiting) and decreased appetite; these were most frequent for the higher doses. Trial participants receiving the study treatment demonstrated significantly greater weight loss across the full range of doses investigated versus the placebo group.2 Exploratory results showed participants taking 100 mg per day of oral amycretin achieved a mean weight loss of 13.1% versus 1.2% with placebo after 12 weeks.2 Based on these phase 1 results, longer evaluation with more participants is warranted to substantiate the full efficacy findings of oral amycretin on body weight reductions and changes in metabolic parameters. Novo Nordisk will advance both subcutaneous and oral amycretin formulations straight to phase 3 development for weight management based on these and other completed clinical studies, as well as feedback received from regulatory authorities. About amycretinAmycretin is a unimolecular long-acting GLP-1 and amylin receptor agonist under development by Novo Nordisk, to provide a treatment for adults with overweight or obesity and as a treatment for adults with type 2 diabetes. Amycretin is under investigation for oral and subcutaneous administration, and is not approved in the US for weight loss. About the phase 1b/2a subcutaneous amycretin trialThe phase 1b/2a trial was a randomized, placebo-controlled, single-center, double-blinded study of 125 participants assessing the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and effects on body weight after subcutaneous administration of amycretin in people with overweight or obesity.1 Adults with a body mass index of 27-39.9kg/m2 and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) <6.5% were eligible for the trial.1 The trial was conducted in 5 parts: a single ascending dose (Part A) for determination of pharmacokinetics and starting dose for the first multiple dose cohort in which the safety and tolerability were explored using dose escalation until 36 weeks of total treatment duration (Part B).1 Lastly, in the multiple ascending dose – dose response parts, body weight loss was explored for up to 36 weeks of dosing by escalating to dose levels of 1.25 mg, 5 mg, and 20 mg, respectively, dosed for 12 weeks (Part E, D and C).1 About the phase 1 oral amycretin trial The phase 1 single-center, randomized, placebo-controlled study evaluated the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of single ascending doses (Part A) and multiple ascending doses (Part B, 10 days of treatment; Part C/D, 12 weeks of treatment) of 144 adult participants with overweight or obesity.2 The primary endpoint was the number of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) observed in the trial. The trial evaluated the single-ascending dose and multiple ascending doses for oral amycretin, up to 2 times 50 mg, in people with overweight or obesity, with a total treatment duration of up to 12 weeks.2 About obesityObesity is a serious chronic, progressive, and complex disease that requires long-term management.3-5 One key misunderstanding is that this is a disease of just lack of willpower, when in fact there is underlying biology that may impede people with obesity from losing weight and keeping it off.3,5 Obesity is influenced by a variety of factors, including genetics, social determinants of health, and the environment.6,7 The prevalence of overweight and obesity is a public health issue that has severe cost implications to healthcare systems.8,9 In the US, about 40% of adults live with obesity.10 About Novo NordiskNovo Nordisk is a leading global healthcare company that's been making innovative medicines to help people with diabetes lead longer, healthier lives for more than 100 years. This heritage has given us experience and capabilities that also enable us to drive change to help people defeat other serious chronic diseases such as obesity, rare blood, and endocrine disorders. We remain steadfast in our conviction that the formula for lasting success is to stay focused, think long-term, and do business in a financially, socially, and environmentally responsible way. With a US presence spanning 40 years, Novo Nordisk US is headquartered in New Jersey and employs over 10,000 people throughout the country across 12 manufacturing, R&D and corporate locations in eight states plus Washington DC. For more information, visit Facebook, Instagram, and X. Novo Nordisk is committed to the responsible use of our semaglutide-containing medicines which represent distinct products with different indications, dosages, prescribing information, titration schedules, and delivery forms. These products are not interchangeable and should not be used outside of their approved indications. Learn more at Contacts for further information Media: Liz Skrbkova (US)+1 609 917 0632USMediaRelations@ Ambre James-Brown (Global)+45 3079 9289Globalmedia@ Investors: Frederik Taylor Pitter (US)+1 609 613 0568fptr@ Jacob Martin Wiborg Rode (Global)+45 3075 5956jrde@ Sina Meyer (Global)+45 3079 6656 azey@ Ida Schaap Melvold (Global)+45 3077 5649 idmg@ Max Ung (Global)+45 3077 6414mxun@ References Dahl K, Toubro S, Dey S, et al. Amycretin, a novel, unimolecular GLP-1 and amylin receptor agonist administered subcutaneously: Results of a randomised, controlled, phase 1b/2a study. The Lancet. Published online: June 20, 2025. Gasiorek A, Heydorn A, Gabery S, et al. Safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of the first-in-class GLP-1 and amylin receptor agonist, amycretin: a first-in-human, phase 1, randomised, placebo-controlled study. The Lancet. Published online: June 20, 2025. Kaplan LM, Golden A, Jinnett K, et al. Perceptions of barriers to effective obesity care: results from the national action study. Obesity. 2018;26(1):61-69. Bray GA, Kim KK, Wilding JPH; World Obesity Federation. Obesity: a chronic relapsing progressive disease process. A position statement of the World Obesity Federation. Rev. 2017;18(7):715-723. Garvey WT, Mechanick JI, Brett EM, et al. American association of clinical endocrinologists and American College of Endocrinology comprehensive clinical practice guidelines for medical care of patients with obesity. Endocr Pract. 2016;22 (Suppl 3):1-203. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adult obesity facts. Last accessed: June 2025. Available at: World Obesity Federation. World Obesity Atlas 2023. Last accessed: June 2025. Available at: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Risk Factors for Obesity. Last accessed: June 2025. Available at: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Why it matters. Last accessed: June 2025. Available at: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Obesity and Severe Obesity Prevalence in Adults: United States, August 2021–August 2023. Last accessed June 2025. Available at: © 2025 Novo Nordisk All rights reserved. US25SEMO01477 June 2025

Malay Mail

13 hours ago

• Malay Mail

Warming planet, wheezing people: How climate change is triggering an allergy crisis

PARIS, June 20 — Runny nose, itching eyes, worsening asthma symptoms — the effects of hay fever are nothing to sneeze at, experts say, warning of an 'explosion' of allergies as climate change lengthens and intensifies pollen seasons. The UN's World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has found that a shifting climate has already begun altering the production and distribution of pollen and spores. As winter frost thaws earlier and spring weather gets warmer, plants and trees flower earlier, extending the pollen season, numerous studies have shown. Air pollution can also increase people's sensitivity to allergens, while invasive species are spreading into new regions and causing fresh waves of allergies. More and more people, particularly in industrialised nations, have reported developing allergy symptoms in recent decades. Around a quarter of adults in Europe suffer from airborne allergies, including severe asthma, while the proportion among children is 30 to 40 per cent. That figure is expected to rise to half of Europeans by 2050, according to the World Health Organisation. 'We're in crisis because allergies are exploding,' said Severine Fernandez, president of the French Allergists' Union. Whereas previously an allergic person would endure only what is commonly known as hay fever, albeit sometimes for years, 'now that person can become asthmatic after one or two years', Fernandez said. Climate change affects allergy patients in multiple ways, according to a 2023 report by the WMO. — Picture by Raymond Manuel 'Irritant pollen' Climate change affects allergy patients in multiple ways, according to a 2023 report by the WMO. Rising levels of carbon dioxide, one of the main heat-trapping gases produced by burning fossil fuels, boost plant growth, in turn increasing pollen production. Air pollution not only irritates the airways of people exposed, but it also causes stress to plants, which then produce more 'allergenic and irritant pollen'. Nicolas Visez, an aerobiologist at the University of Lille, said each plant species reacted differently to a variety of factors such as water availability, temperature and CO2 concentrations. Birch trees for example will wither as summers get hotter and drier, while the heat causes a proliferation of ragweed, a highly allergenic invasive plant. 'There's no doubt that climate change is having an effect,' Visez said. In a study published in 2017, researchers projected that ragweed allergies would more than double in Europe by 2041-2060 as a result of climate change, raising the number of people affected from 33 million to 77 million. The authors suggested that higher pollen concentrations as well as longer pollen seasons could make symptoms more severe. A bee feeds on the nectar and pollen of a scarlet powder-puff wildflower at Eaton Canyon in Pasadena, California June 3, 2023. A Europe-wide 'AutoPollen' programme under development aims to provide real-time data on the distribution of pollen and fungal spores. — AFP pic Allergy action A Europe-wide 'AutoPollen' programme under development aims to provide real-time data on the distribution of pollen and fungal spores. In Switzerland, a tie-up with MeteoSwiss allows patients and doctors to match personal allergy profiles with maps of specific allergens throughout the country. In parts of France, authorities have planted 'pollinariums', gardens packed with the main local allergen species. These provide information on the very first pollen released into the air so that people can start taking antihistamines and other protective measures in a timely manner. 'Hazelnuts have started to bloom as early as mid-December, which wasn't the case before,' said Salome Pasquet, a botanist with the association behind the pollen gardens. 'That's really because we've had very mild winters, so flowering has come earlier,' she said. Some countries are taking an interventionist approach — cutting off the pollen at the source. In Japan, the government announced a plan in 2023 to combat allergies caused by the archipelago's many cedar trees, which includes felling cedars to replace them with species that produce less pollen. Countries in Europe are also more mindful of species in the environment, both native ones that have been planted and invasive newcomers like ragweed. Preference is given to species with a lower allergenic potential, such as maple or fruit trees. 'The idea is not to stop planting allergenic species,' Pasquet said, but to be mindful of creating diversity and avoiding having 'places where there are rows of birch trees, as was the case a few years ago'. It was birch trees in a client's garden that originally set off symptoms for Simon Barthelemy, an architect who lives near Paris. 'I had a major eye allergy, and it's been a recurring problem every year since,' he said. 'I'm on antihistamines, but if I don't take them I get itchy eyes, I'm very tired, I cough... I can't sleep at night.' — AFP

The Star

13 hours ago

• The Star

Uncooked rice, ultra-processed food included in free meals programme

A student of state junior high school (SMPN) 1 Denpasar in Bali shows a variety of food items received as part of the government free meals programme on March 17, 2025. - Antara JAKARTA: The government's free nutritious meal programme has once again come under public scrutiny following reports of uncooked ingredients and ultra-processed foods being distributed in South Tangerang, Banten, as schools begin their holiday break this week. A foundation operating the Cempaka Putih Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) in East Ciputat, South Tangerang, Banten, admitted to including uncooked rice in its meal packages, alongside protein sources, fruit and ultra-high temperature milk so the food 'could be taken home and stored for longer periods'. The kitchen stated via its Instagram account, @sppg_yasmit_cemput, earlier this week that the menu was adjusted due to most schools being on break. However, the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) that oversees the programme emphasised that it had never instructed any SPPG to distribute raw food items. 'Distributing raw food is not part of the free nutritious meal policy. There should be no such initiative,' BGN head Dadan Hindayana told The Jakarta Post on Thursday (June 19), adding that the agency had ordered the Cempaka Putih SPPG to immediately halt the practice. 'SPPG units are responsible for continuing to provide meals during school holidays, but only if students and teachers are willing to come to the school. If they don't, then no service should be provided,' Dadan explained. While the BGN has yet to issue an official policy on how the free meals programme should operate during the school break, Dadan confirmed the agency was currently drafting technical guidelines to address such situations. 'If students are able to come to school, meals will be provided as fresh, ready-to-eat food,' the agency emphasised. Otherwise, the distribution will be adjusted to prioritise other eligible groups, including pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and toddlers. The programme, a flagship initiative from President Prabowo Subianto's election campaign last year, seeks to tackle the country's persistently high stunting rate, which affects more than 21 per cent of children across Indonesia's population of approximately 282 million. The government initially allocated Rp 71 trillion (US$$.3 billion) from the 2025 state budget for the programme, later increasing it by an additional Rp 100 trillion to expand its coverage. In May, it announced that the BGN would receive around Rp 217 trillion next year for the implementation of the free meals programme, the largest allocation among 98 ministries and agencies. Despite receiving high-level attention from the President, the programme continues to face challenges, including food safety concerns. The latest incident occurred at a kindergarten in Kulon Progo, Yogyakarta, where several students reportedly suffered vomiting and diarrhoea after consuming free meals on Tuesday. The Kulon Progo Health Agency promptly dispatched a team to investigate the incident. Agency head Sri Budi expressed hope that the responsible SPPG unit would learn from the case and improve its operational standards, particularly regarding sanitation, food ingredient selection and storage. 'Schools must also remain vigilant. They need to inspect the food provided to children to prevent similar incidents from recurring,' he said, as quoted by - The Jakarta Post/ANN