New Insight with Dr. Veeral Sheth

Don’t Miss a Beat

Crisis Point

Welcome to The HCPFive, your go-to roundup for the latest healthcare news and breakthroughs, curated specifically for busy healthcare professionals.

Each week, we highlight 5 key developments or headlines from healthcare that you need to know—whether it's a cutting-edge treatment, regulatory updates, or innovations shaping the future of medicine. This week's top stories include a trio of US Food and Drug Administration approvals for clesrovimab (Enflonsia) for preventing respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) lower respiratory tract disease in neonates and infants, glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (Mavyret) for acute 

, and prednisolone acetate ophthalmic suspension for steroid-responsive ocular inflammation, as well as a Fast Track Designation for mavorixafor for the treatment of 

paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH)

With The HCPFive, you'll get the essential takeaways to stay informed and ahead of the curve. Here’s your quick dive into the top stories for the week of June 8, 2025—let’s jump in!

FDA Approves Clesrovimab RSV Immunization for Newborns and Infants

One June 9, 2025, the FDA approved clesrovimab, under the name Enflonsia, for preventing RSV lower respiratory tract disease in neonates and infants who are born during or entering their first RSV season. The decision was based on data from the pivotal phase 2b/3 CLEVER trial evaluating a single dose of clesrovimab administered to preterm and full-term infants (from birth to 1 year of age), as well as the phase 3 SMART trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of ENFLONSIA versus palivizumab in infants at increased risk for severe RSV disease.

FDA Approves Glecaprevir/Pibrentasvir (Mavyret) Label Expansion for Acute HCV

On June 11, 2025, the FDA approved a label expansion for glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (Mavyret), an oral pangenotypic direct acting antiviral (DAA) therapy. With this decision, glecaprevir/pibrentasvir is now approved for the treatment of adults and pediatric patients ≥ 3 years of age with acute or chronic HCV infection without cirrhosis or with compensated cirrhosis. Of note, the decision makes glecaprevir/pibrentasvir the first and only DAA therapy approved to treat patients with acute HCV in 8 weeks with a 96% cure rate.

FDA Approves Prednisolone Acetate Ophthalmic Suspension for Ocular Inflammation

On June 12, 2025, the FDA approved prednisolone acetate ophthalmic suspension, USP 1%, a sterile, topical anti-inflammatory agent, for the treatment of steroid-responsive ocular inflammation. It is a self-administered eye drop intended for use 2-4 times daily. During the first 24 hours of treatment, this frequency may be increased if necessary.

In addition to the approval, parent company Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced a planned launch of the product for the third quarter of 2025.

FDA Grants Fast Track Designation to Mavorixafor for Chronic Neutropenia

On June 10, 2025, the FDA granted Fast Track designation to mavorixafor, an oral CXCR4 antagonist, for the treatment of 

. The agent is currently being examined in the ongoing phase 3 4WARD trial and was previously approved in 2024 for the treatment of WHIM syndrome (warts, hypogammaglobulinemia, infections, and myelokathexis) in patients ≥12 years of age.

Iptacopan (Fabhalta) Hits Primary Endpoint in Phase 3 APPULSE-PNH Trial

Positive results from APPULSE-PNH highlight the safety and efficacy of twice-daily oral monotherapy iptacopan (Fabhalta) in adults with PNH with hemoglobin (Hb) levels ≥10 g/dL who switched from the anti-C5 therapies eculizumab or ravulizumab.

Findings showed the vast majority of patients (92.7%) achieved Hb ≥12 g/dL, and none required transfusion during the study. Additionally, many patients treated with iptacopan also reported clinically meaningful improvements in fatigue. Novartis also noted maintenance of intravascular hemolysis control and resolved extravascular hemolysis control, demonstrated by lactate dehydrogenase levels and a reduction in absolute reticulocyte count. Iptacopan was well-tolerated and exhibited no new safety signals.

Articles

The recent FDA approvals and designations mark significant advancements in various therapeutic areas. Clesrovimab (Enflonsia) is now approved for RSV prevention in neonates and infants, while glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (Mavyret) has expanded its label to include acute HCV treatment. Prednisolone acetate ophthalmic suspension received approval for ocular inflammation, and mavorixafor gained Fast Track designation for chronic neutropenia. Additionally, iptacopan (Fabhalta) demonstrated efficacy in PNH patients, achieving primary endpoints in the phase 3 APPULSE-PNH trial, with notable improvements in hemoglobin levels and fatigue reduction.

Stay updated with the latest healthcare breakthroughs, including FDA approvals and new phase 3 clinical trial data, in this week's essential news roundup.

News

news page, resources on the topics of disease- and specialty-specific medical news and expert insight can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on health care research, treatment, and drug development.

Clinical

clinical page is a resource for content on every specialty, disease, and topic available on our medical news site.

FDA News

Hepatology

Hematology

Sleep

On the HCPLive sleep page, resources on the topics of medical news and expert insight into sleep medicine can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on sleep apnea, insomnia, narcolepsy, and more.

The HCPFive: Top News for Healthcare Providers from the Week of 06/08

Victoria Johnson joined the MJH Life Sciences in 2020 and has written for NeurologyLive, CGTLive, and now HCPLive. You can reach her at vjohnson@mjhlifesciences.com

Over the last decade, the landscape of respiratory care has undergone a dramatic transformation, driven by advances in the understanding of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) pathophysiology and the emergence of 

. Where treatment once centered largely on inhaled corticosteroids and bronchodilators, the field has entered a new era defined by phenotypic precision, biomarker-driven strategies, and earlier, more tailored intervention. For clinicians and patients alike, this progress has shifted expectations for disease control and long-term outcomes, particularly in populations that previously had few effective options.

In asthma, the approvals of biologics like dupilumab (Dupixent), benralizumab (Fasenra), and most recently tezepelumab (Tezspire) have allowed treatment to move beyond allergen or eosinophil-based models toward broader and more inclusive criteria. Tezepelumab’s 2021 FDA approval, in particular, marked a turning point as the first biologic approved for severe asthma regardless of baseline eosinophil count.

 These developments have redefined what “uncontrolled” asthma means and raised the bar for treatment goals—including reduced exacerbation rates, improved lung function, and steroid-sparing potential. As a result, allergists and pulmonologists are increasingly aligned in a shared, multidisciplinary approach to asthma management, focused on identifying the right therapy for the right patient as early as possible.

COPD, historically considered less amenable to targeted therapy, has begun to follow a similar trajectory. In 2024, dupilumab became the first biologic approved for eosinophilic COPD in the US, signaling new therapeutic possibilities in a field where treatment had long stagnated.

 At the same time, a growing understanding of COPD endotypes and inflammatory mechanisms is prompting a reevaluation of how the disease is diagnosed and managed. These changes are leading to greater overlap in how clinicians think about asthma and COPD care and are presenting new challenges in integrating advanced therapeutics into real-world workflows.

To explore these evolving questions and clinical implications, HCPLive convened a clinical forum event featuring expert perspectives from pulmonologists and allergists at the forefront of respiratory care, led by Igor Barjaktarevic, MD, PhD, Director of Bedside ultrasound and Medical Director of Liver-transplant Intensive Care Units at Ronald Reagan Medical Center, and Medical Director of COPD at the David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA).

The panelists discussed how asthma is now widely accepted as a heterogeneous disease, with type 2 inflammation (especially eosinophilic) being the most actionable phenotype for biologic intervention. They touched on biomarkers such as eosinophils, IgE, and FENO as being essential, though imperfect, tools for guiding therapy. They also emphasized increasing interest in personalized combinations or early biologic use in difficult-to-treat asthma.

“If you pick the right biomarker, it's not just a number. It's actually a target and something that you can follow over time to ascertain if the disease state is improving. So, I think a couple of points there I would kind of solidify is that we now know that asthma is heterogeneous. You see a lot of patients with shortness of breath, chest tightness, wheezing, and cough. If you zoom in, they do not have the same inflammatory state, and if you're able to find a biomarker to hone in on which kind of inflammation is going on, you can just identify that patient and find a target,” Lorraine Anderson, MD, allergist-immunologist at UCLA said.

Moving on to COPD, they acknowledged that it is even more heterogeneous than asthma and is now recognized to include a significant subset of patients with eosinophilic inflammation who benefit from therapies traditionally used in asthma. Dupilumab and mepolizumab both show efficacy in patients with ≥300 eosinophils/μL, but their relative positioning and long-term roles are still debated. Biomarker development remains a challenge, with limited predictive reliability and interference from factors like smoking.

“Asthma is in young population. COPD is usually in the older population. So that's a big difference in terms of inflammation. They're far gone. So, then you feel the rush to reverse, which sometimes is not reversible. Asthma, you want to prevent chronic steroid use because they're in a young age. So, I think inflammation is very different in the 2 diseases,” participants said.

They also touched on bronchiectasis, asthma-COPD overlap, and fixed obstruction in non-smokers, and looked forward to upcoming research into biologics' potential in these settings.

“We’re seeing more bronchiectasis because it's being identified. These people were being labeled as chronic bronchitis before COPD. And so, and there is one phenotype of COPD in bronchiectasis, right? There is the COPD patient with bronchiectasis, that's one of the many potential etiologies of bronchiectasis, right? But yes, it's a hot topic right now because we're going to finally have a targeted drug specifically for bronchiectasis,” participants said.

Overall, the participants emphasized that biologics and personalized medicine, especially biomarker-guided approaches, are growing in importance across conditions, although the field must keep in mind the limits of current trial designs and the gap between real-world patients and study populations.

FDA Approves Tezspire™ (Tezepelumab-ekko) in the U.S. for Severe Asthma. News release. Amgen. December 17, 2021. 

https://www.amgen.com/newsroom/press-releases/2021/12/fda-approves-tezspire-tezepelumabekko-in-the-us-for-severe-asthma

Dupixent® (dupilumab) Approved in the U.S. as the First-ever Biologic Medicine for Patients with COPD. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. September 27, 2024. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/09/27/2954552/0/en/Dupixent-dupilumab-Approved-in-the-U-S-as-the-First-ever-Biologic-Medicine-for-Patients-with-COPD.html.

Advancements in respiratory care have significantly transformed asthma and COPD management, emphasizing phenotypic precision and biomarker-driven strategies. The introduction of biologics like dupilumab, benralizumab, and tezepelumab has expanded treatment options, particularly for severe asthma and eosinophilic COPD. These developments have redefined disease control expectations and fostered a multidisciplinary approach to care. Despite progress, challenges remain in biomarker reliability and integrating advanced therapies into clinical practice. The field continues to explore personalized medicine's potential, especially in conditions like bronchiectasis and asthma-COPD overlap.

Explore the latest advancements in biologic therapies for asthma and COPD discussed in a recent clinical forum highlighting personalized medicine and biomarker-driven strategies for improved patient outcomes.

Asthma

The HCPLive asthma page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on asthmatic disease. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for allergic and severe asthma, and more.

Pulmonology

Infectious Disease condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on respiratory health. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for asthma, COPD, interstitial lung disease, COVID-19, and more.

COPD

COPD condition center page, resources on the topics of medical news and expert insight into chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on COPD research, treatment, and drug development.

Biologics and Beyond: Clinical Perspectives on Managing Complex Airway Inflammation

Classifying Obesity as a Chronic Disease with W. Timothy Garvey, MD

 in Philadelphia, PA, W. Timothy Garvey, MD, professor and university professor, Department of Nutrition Sciences, University of Alabama in Birmingham and director of UAB Diabetes Research Center in Birmingham, Alabama, presented the results of the Lancet Commission on Obesity and how these findings will influence the treatment of 

Given the limitations surrounding BMI measurement of obesity, the Lancet Commission aimed to better define obesity as a condition of illness that comes as a direct result of excess adiposity and its effect on the function of tissues and organs. The Commission initially intended to establish specific criteria for diagnosis, thereby facilitating further therapeutic interventions and public health strategies.

Garvey spoke on several of the contributions he believed were made by the Commission during the process, namely the indication of the various complications of obesity that were used to qualify it as a disease. He noted lymphedema, intracranial pressure, 

heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

, and arterial pressure, among others, as being directly caused by excess adiposity.

“These are complications that are integral to the state of excess adiposity,” Garvey told 

. “And what stronger statement is there that obesity is a disease when you can link it to these types of changes in function and structure of organs that produce symptoms?”

Garvey also spoke on the Commission’s development of a separate category of obesity-related diseases. These were described as diseases whose pathophysiology can overlap with the defined components of obesity. He gave the example of 

“So, on the obesity side, you have obesity-induced insulin resistance, but patients have to have a decreased insulin secretory capacity in order to produce hyperglycemia and overt diabetes,” Garvey said. “It required a defect in insulin secretion as well as obesity-induced insulin resistance. So that’s an example of an obesity-related disease.”

Notably, one of the Commission’s core decisions proved to be rather controversial in the medical sphere. Garvey expounded on this, explaining the difference drawn between preclinical and clinical obesity as defined by the Lancet Commission. This decision separated the notion of obesity as a risk factor from the actual diseases it can facilitate, establishing it as a disease in its own right.

“Well, preclinical obesity is a state of excess adiposity without complications,” Garvey told 

. “Patients can be active, they feel fine, they can be exercising every day, be productive individuals in society, even though they have excess body weight. It is a state of increased risk.”

Garvey noted that preclinical obesity still requires evaluation, counseling, and eventually some form of intervention, given that it could progress to clinical obesity at any time. However, Garvey did state that not all patients with preclinical obesity need aggressive therapies in the same way as patients with clinical obesity.

“If you have complications or obesity-related diseases, that tells you that the adiposity that’s presented is harming the health of the person, and now therapy is clearly warranted – medication, bariatric surgery, lifestyle intervention, etc,” Garvey said. “We treat the disease with weight loss, not just to lose X amount of pounds, but to achieve sufficient weight loss to prevent or treat the complications that might arise.”

Garvey expressed his interest in the studies that have been undertaken in response to the Commission. He hopes that the field is moving in the direction of preventative measures and treatment, given the new mentality of obesity as a chronic disease.

“I think we’ve seen this complication-centric approach to care is now being integrated into phase 3 development programs for new pharmaceutical medications,” Garvey said. “I think that’s where the field is going, and I think it’s a good thing we’re now treating obesity as a disease. Obesity is now on par with the way we treat other chronic diseases as well.”

Garvey reports the following disclosures: Boehringer-Ingelheim, Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, Merck & Co., Inc., Neurovalens, Fractyl Health, Inc., and others.

Garvey W. The Lancet Commission on Obesity. Presented at the 9

 Annual Heart in Diabetes Conference in Philadelphia, PA, June 6-8, 2025.

Rubino F, Cummings DE, Eckel RH, et al. Definition and diagnostic criteria of clinical obesity [published correction appears in Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2025 Mar;13(3):e6. doi: 10.1016/S2213-8587(25)00006-3.]. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2025;13(3):221-262. doi:10.1016/S2213-8587(24)00316-4

Videos

The recent Lancet Commission on Obesity has repositioned the former risk factor as a disease, indicating and emphasizing a variety of complications.

Conference

 conference coverage page features articles, videos, and expert-led live coverage from major medical meetings throughout the year.

Cardiology

Cardiology condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on cardiovascular and cardiometabolic diseases. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for heart disease and cardiovascular events, as well as associated diabetes, renal failure, and more...

Endocrinology

The HCPLive endocrinology page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on endocrine system conditions. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for diabetes, hormonal disease, and more.

Obesity Management

Obesity Management condition center page, resources on the topics of medical news and expert insight into clinical weight management can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on obesity research, treatment, and drug development.

Abigail Brooks is an assistant editor for 

She joined MJH Life Sciences in August 2023 shortly after graduating from Monmouth University where she earned her BA in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations/Journalism and later an MA in Interactive Digital Media. She enjoys traveling, running, and reading books. She can be reached at abrooks@mjhlifesciences.com.

Credit: Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes

 treatment with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) is associated with a reduced risk of several extrahepatic manifestations (EHMs), according to findings from a recent study.

Leveraging data from the BC Hepatitis Testers Cohort, the study found successful DAA treatment leading to sustained virologic response (SVR) was linked to lower risks of 

, major adverse cardiac events (MACE), and neurocognitive disorders, but not 

According to the World Health Organization, globally, an estimated 50 million people have chronic HCV infection, with about 1 million new infections occurring per year. Although there is no effective vaccine against HCV, DAAs can cure more than 95% of persons with infection.

“Studies following the advent of DAAs suggested that HCV cure achieved through DAA treatment may be associated with reduction of EHMs,” Naveed Zafar Janjua, MBBS, DrPH, an executive director of data and analytic services at the BC Centre for Disease Control and a clinical associate professor in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia, and colleagues wrote, describing inherent limitations to existing research and a lack of data on certain extrahepatic manifestations.

 “To advance our understanding of the protective effects of DAAs against extrahepatic manifestations, it is critical to assess diverse extrahepatic manifestations, particularly within large, population-based cohorts.”

Seeking to address these gaps in research, investigators conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study using data from the BC Hepatitis Testers Cohort, which includes > 1,300,000 people tested for HCV in British Columbia between 1990 and 2015. The study population included individuals diagnosed with chronic HCV by March 2020. Investigators matched people treated with DAAs to those who were never treated by the year of their first HCV RNA diagnosis, within a 12-month time frame, in a 1:1 ratio without replacement using prescription-time distribution matching.

SVR was determined by a negative HCV RNA test ≥ 10 weeks post treatment. Individuals were classified as treated and SVR, treated and no SVR, or untreated.

Investigators categorized EHMs into 5 groups:

Hospitalized stroke, including hemorrhagic, ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack

MACE, including acute myocardial infarction, angina, heart failure, peripheral vascular disease, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, coronary artery bypass graft, and stroke

Neurocognitive disorders, including dementia, delirium, and Alzheimer disease

Among the 22,576 individuals included in the study, the mean age at HCV diagnosis was 42.0 (Standard deviation, 12.0) years and the majority of the cohort was male (66.2%). In total, 1953 patients received DAA treatment and achieved SVR, 386 received treatment but did not achieve SVR, and 10,237 never received treatment.

While there were no statistically significant differences in EHM prevalence among those who achieved SVR versus those who did not, incident cases varied. Among the overall study population, individuals in the untreated group and those in the treated and no SVR group had greater incident rates of EHMs compared with those who were in the treated and SVR group, except for type 2 diabetes.

The incidence rates per 1000 person-years in untreated versus treated with SVR groups were as follows:

CKD/ESKD: 21.0 (95% CI, 19.0-23.1) vs 14.7 (95% CI, 13.4-16.1)

Stroke: 8.9 (95% CI, 7.7-10.2) vs 6.3 (95% CI, 5.5-7.2)

MACE: 26.7 (95% CI, 24.5- 29.1) vs 19.3 (95% CI, 17.8-20.9)

Neurocognitive disorders: 19.2 (95% CI, 17.3-21.2) vs 10.3 (95% CI, 9.2-11.5)

Type 2 diabetes: 6.4 (95% CI, 5.4-7.7) vs 9.2 (95% CI, 8.1-10.4)

After adjusting for confounders, investigators found successful HCV treatment with DAA was associated with reduced risks of incident CKD/ESKD (adjusted cause-specific hazard ratio [acsHR], 0.54; 95% CI, 0.47-0.63), stroke (acsHR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.54-0.81), MACE (acsHR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.52-0.66), and neurocognitive disorders (acsHR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.45-0.66) compared with no treatment. Of note, type 2 diabetes risk was not reduced (acsHR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.84-1.29).

“The potential extrahepatic benefits of HCV treatment highlighted in this study provide additional rationale for enhanced efforts to identify and overcome barriers to care, including reducing stigma, increasing clinician awareness, addressing socioeconomic challenges, and implementing innovative care models to improve overall health of people affected by HCV,” investigators concluded.

Jeong D, Wong S, Karim ME, et al. Direct-Acting Antivirals and Risk of Hepatitis C Extrahepatic Manifestations. 

World Health Organization. Hepatitis C. Newsroom. April 9, 2024. Accessed June 12, 2025. 

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hepatitis-c

Successful treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) significantly reduces the risk of several extrahepatic manifestations (EHMs) such as chronic kidney disease, stroke, major adverse cardiac events, and neurocognitive disorders. However, it does not impact the risk of type 2 diabetes. The study utilized data from the BC Hepatitis Testers Cohort, highlighting the importance of addressing barriers to care and enhancing treatment access. The findings underscore the broader health benefits of achieving sustained virologic response (SVR) through DAA therapy.

Successful HCV treatment with DAAs was associated with reduced risks of CKD, stroke, major adverse cardiac events, and neurocognitive disorders.

Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C page, resources on the topics of medical news and expert insight into HCV can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on hepatitis C virus research, treatment, and drug development.

Successful HCV Treatment with DAAs Linked to Lower Extrahepatic Manifestation Risk

Dual Agonists and Upstream Obesity Treatment with Kausik Ray, FMedSci

 in Philadelphia, PA, Kausik Ray, FMedSci, the immediate past president of the European Atherosclerosis Society, director of the Imperial Centre for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and the Imperial Clinical Trials Unit-Global, and professor of public health and honorary consultant cardiologist at the Imperial College London, discussed the future of dual receptor agonists in treating 

Dual receptor agonists, such as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, have become wildly popular in both the medical and consumer field. With obesity prevalence rapidly increasing in the US, more dual agonist treatments are being developed to target every stage of the disease, from lipid production to glycemia and metabolism regulation. Dual receptor agonists are now being repurposed in an attempt to prevent the causes of obesity rather than the effects.

Ray discussed the various approaches currently in use to treat everything from abnormal lipid counts to obesity insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. In the past, clinicians have typically employed a “downstream” method of treatment, targeting triglyceride abnormalities. Ray also acknowledged the diminishing returns that this method provides.

“So, we know, for example, that if you change triglycerides, you lower them by about 25%, and let’s say that doesn’t result in APOV or LDL lowering, then you’re not changing clearance, you’re just remodeling, and that doesn’t reduce cardiovascular outcomes,” Ray told 

. “So, people have moved towards using newer agents, like ANGPTL3.”

These dual receptor agonists, a category that also includes GLP-1 receptor agonists, typically target the APOV pool. As a result, they have an effect on VLDL particles and can influence many of the outcomes of obesity in addition to its symptoms.

“So, we showed, for example, that if you target ANGPTL3 with a drug called solbinsiran, for example, you reduce not only those anthrogenic lipids, but you actually also reduce fatty liver,” Ray said. “I’m mentioning that because we know that fatty liver, MASLD, is associated with obesity and insulin resistance.”

This, Ray suggests, is the alternative “upstream” treatment by which clinicians can take out the underlying cause of these diseases – insulin resistance – and thereby treat the mechanism for obesity and all its related conditions.

“So, what we think that these drugs probably do is improve insulin sensitivity, to reduce the LDL production,” Ray said. “And then also through maybe changing ANGPTL3 and some of these other regulatory proteins in the triglyceride pathway, they probably then help that remodeling to a favorable lipid profile.”

Ray also spoke about upcoming dual agonists in the pipeline and their chances of breaking the cycle between obesity and dyslipidemia. Ray explained that most give a roughly 20% weight loss.

“We saw this trend with the single agonist, but they have less weight loss,” Ray said. “And so, it’s possible that you need a much bigger weight loss to try and break that cycle. And then we have the triple agonist coming down the pipeline, which gives an even bigger opportunity to test this.”

Ultimately, Ray expressed an interest in future trials, possibly combining dual receptor agonists with other medications to expand the impact on lipids.

“I think what I’d be interested in is to see what the effect is of combination therapy with an ANGPTL3 and one of these dual agonists on fatty liver disease, on lipids, for example,” Ray said. “Is it a gain of a doubling, for example? Because if that is the case, we’ve got some really powerful treatments for these people.”

Ray K. Obesity and Dyslipidemia – Can We Finally Break the Cycle with Dual Agonists. Presented at the 9

 Annual Heart in Diabetes Conference in Philadelphia, PA, June 6-8 2025.

Rodriguez R, Hergarden A, Krishnan S, et al. Biased agonism of GLP-1R and GIPR enhances glucose lowering and weight loss, with dual GLP-1R/GIPR biased agonism yielding greater efficacy. Cell Rep Med. Published online May 30, 2025. doi:10.1016/j.xcrm.2025.102156

By targeting insulin resistance at its source, dual receptor agonists may have a more efficient method of tackling the growing obesity problem, as well as its cardiovascular effects.

New findings reveal upadacitinib's effectiveness in treating giant cell arteritis, highlighting reduced infection rates with shorter glucocorticoid tapering.

Rheumatology

Rheumatology condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on rheumatologic disease. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for arthritis, gout, nr-AxSpA, and more.

New Data Further Support Safety of Upadacitinib With 26-Week GC Taper for Giant Cell Arteritis

Ryan Livingston joined the MJH Life Sciences team in March of 2025, shortly after graduating from TCNJ with a bachelor’s degree in English. He enjoys creative writing, reading, and scuba diving. He can be reached at rlivingston@mjhlifesciences.com.

Parent company Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced intentions to launch the topical anti-inflammatory agent in the third quarter of 2025.

Ophthalmology

Ophthalmology page, resources on the topics of medical news and expert insight into ophthalmic disease can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on eye disease research, treatment, and drug development.

An ongoing phase 1 study aims to prove the safety and tolerability of VAS-101, as well as its effect on blood flow dynamics, red blood cell sickling, and oxygen dissociation.

Sickle Cell

Sickle Cell condition center page, resources on the topics of medical news and expert insight into sickle cell disease can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on sickle cell research, treatment, and drug development.

VAS-101 (Vasceptor) Receives Orphan Drug Designation for Sickle Cell Disease

Tim Smith joined the MJH Life Sciences team as an assistant editor for HCPLive in August 2022. He graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in political science, working in multimedia journalism as a staff writer prior to joining MJH. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, watching TV, listening to podcasts, and rock climbing. You can contact him at 

These data suggest that smoking history did not impact rates of malignancy, MACE, and VTE among those with atopic dermatitis treated with upadacitinib.

Atopic Dermatitis

Atopic Dermatitis condition center page, audiences can find a variety of coverage mediums for medical news and updates, including articles, video interviews, podcasts, and breaking news on dermatitis research, treatment, and drug development.

Dermatology

The HCPLive dermatology page is a resource for medical news and expert insights on skin disease. This page features expert-led coverage, articles, videos and research on the therapies and development of treatments for dermatologic conditions, and more.

Upadacitinib Safe for Up to 6 Years for Atopic Dermatitis, Regardless of Smoking History

Ioana Preston, MD, is an associate professor of medicine and director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Center at Tufts Medical Center.

Preston describes lasting unmet needs in pulmonary arterial hypertension and reviews new pooled data supporting sotatercept’s long-term safety and efficacy.

Long-Term Sotatercept Data Support Durability for PAH, with Ioana Preston, MD

Novartis has announced the safety and efficacy of iptacopan, a twice-daily oral monotherapy for adult patients who switched from eculizumab or ravulizumab.

Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria

Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria Condition Center page, visitors can find resources on the topics of medical news and expert insight into PNH. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on PNH research, treatment, and drug development.

The findings are the latest from a series of trials seeking to decrease treatment burden for patients with uncontrolled gout.

Gout

On the HCPLive gout page, resources on the topics of medical news and expert insight into gouty arthritis can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on gout, and more.

Higher Dose Pegloticase Q4W Feasible for Uncontrolled Gout

The label expansion makes glecaprevir/pibrentasvir the first and only oral 8-week pangenotypic treatment option approved for people with acute or chronic HCV.

In this Q&A interview at RAD 2025, Tiffany Mayo, MD, highlights the biggest takeaways from her talk on complex cases in atopic dermatitis and hair loss.

Complex Cases in Atopic Dermatitis and Hair Loss, with Tiffany Mayo, MD

Panelists discuss how early intervention is crucial since psychosis causes brain atrophy over time, and clinicians should ask broader questions like "what would you change about your life" to identify negative and cognitive symptoms that patients prioritize, while maintaining an aspirational and empowering approach to treatment goals.

Video Series

Peers Perspectives

Schizophrenia

The HCPLive schizophrenia page is a resource for medical news and expert insights on the mental disorder. This page features expert-led coverage, articles, videos and research on the therapies and development of treatments for schizophrenia, and more.

Latest News

The HCPFive: Top News for Healthcare Providers from the Week of 06/08

Biologics and Beyond: Clinical Perspectives on Managing Complex Airway Inflammation

Classifying Obesity as a Chronic Disease with W. Timothy Garvey, MD

Successful HCV Treatment with DAAs Linked to Lower Extrahepatic Manifestation Risk

Dual Agonists and Upstream Obesity Treatment with Kausik Ray, FMedSci