The HCPFive: Top News for Healthcare Providers from the Week of 11/1

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 96-week durability data for GSK’s bepirovirsen (Hibsago) in chronic hepatitis B, an AHA 2026 analysis linking GLP-1 receptor agonists to lower diabetes and cardiovascular risk than metformin in prediabetes, the phase 3 ZEUS miss for Novo Nordisk’s ziltivekimab in ASCVD and CKD, and two previews of the 2026 GOLD International COPD Conference and the 2027 GOLD report update.

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 November 1, 2026 — let’s jump in!

1. Bepirovirsen Functional Cure Durable Through Week 96 in Chronic Hepatitis B

End-of-study results from the phase 3 B-Well trials, presented at The Liver Meeting 2026 in Denver, showed 91% of patients who achieved functional cure with GSK’s bepirovirsen (Hibsago) maintained it through week 96, 48 weeks after stopping all HBV treatment. At week 72, 19% of bepirovirsen recipients achieved functional cure versus none of 614 placebo recipients, rising to 26% among those with baseline HBsAg ≤1,000 IU/mL. HBV DNA suppression off all treatment was maintained through week 96 in 96% of participants with HBV DNA below the lower limit of quantification at week 72.

2. GLP-1 RAs Linked to Lower Diabetes, CV Risk than Metformin in Prediabetes

In a retrospective TriNetX analysis of 256,492 propensity-matched adults with prediabetes and obesity, presented at AHA 2026, GLP-1 RAs were associated with 1.5 times higher odds of normoglycemia reversion, a 31% lower risk of progression to type 2 diabetes, and a 41% lower risk of all-cause mortality versus metformin. GLP-1 RAs were also associated with lower rates of acute heart failure (HR, 0.74), ischemic stroke (HR, 0.80), and acute myocardial infarction (HR, 0.84). The study is observational and has not been peer reviewed, and investigators said prospective randomized trials are needed to confirm causality.

3. ZEUS: Ziltivekimab Fails to Reduce Cardiovascular Events in ASCVD and CKD

Full results from the phase 3 ZEUS trial showed Novo Nordisk’s ziltivekimab, a monthly IL-6 inhibitor, did not reduce 3-point MACE versus placebo in 6,376 patients with ASCVD, CKD, and hsCRP ≥2 mg/L (17.6% vs 17.7%; HR, 0.99; P=.84) over a median 33 months. The drug lowered IL-6 and hsCRP as expected, but the biomarker effect did not translate into fewer cardiovascular events. Two ziltivekimab outcomes trials remain ongoing, HERMES in heart failure and ARTEMIS after acute MI, with readouts expected in the first half of 2027.

4. 2027 GOLD Report Update Preview: Changes in COPD Treatment, Biologics

HCPLive previewed what to expect from the 2027 GOLD report update, including changes to COPD treatment and the role of biologics. The update follows GOLD leadership’s clarification of its 2026 guidance on initial pharmacologic therapy, published in the European Respiratory Journal.

5. Conference Preview: 2026 GOLD International COPD Conference

HCPLive previewed the 2026 GOLD International COPD Conference, with sessions covering underdiagnosis, exacerbations, mucus, and biologics. The program also includes a preview of the 2027 GOLD report.