2023 was a significant year in terms of medical advancements. Here’s a recap of 5 standout breakthroughs.
1. An over-the-counter nasal spray Narcan was approved. The Narcan spray, aka naloxone can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose within minutes. Officials hope that this easier access to Narcan can help fight the opioid epidemic, that has claimed the lives of 645,000 from 1999 – 2021 due to overdoses.
2. The Alzheimer’s drug Lecanemab (brand name Leqembi) won full FDA approval in July. Lecanemab removes amyloid plaques that build up in the brain for those that have Alzheimer’s disease. Clinical trials have been promising and although the drug doesn’t stop the disease, a recent trial showed Lecanemab slowed cognitive decline by 30 percent for participants over an 18 month period compared to those taking the placebo.
3. The Food and Drug Administration approved the world’s first CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing therapy for sickle cell disease. This treatment works by using the gene-editing tool CRISPR to edit the DNA found in a patient’s stem cells to remove the gene that causes the disease.
4. In June, the FDA approved the first gene therapy for children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Due to a faulty gene, people with this muscle-wasting disease don’t make the protein dystrophin, which helps keep muscle cells intact. This latest therapy helps the body produce a version of the missing protein.
5. Weight-loss and diabetes drugs Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro became very sought after in 2023. Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro are all injectable drugs that can be used to treat type 2 diabetes and they have also been shown to lower the risk of heart attack or stroke however they do come with side effects. They are also used off-label for weight loss in patients who are overweight or obese with diabetes or hypertension. In studies, patients with or without type 2 diabetes lost weight with semaglutide (Brands: Ozempic, Wegovy). Overall, adult patients have seen a 15% weight loss with Wegovy and a 6% to 7% weight loss with Ozempic.
