The Scan by 2 Minute Medicine®: Attacking Allergies, Shedding Light on Lung Cancer, New Year New Goals and Unoriginal Ozempic

The Scan by 2 Minute Medicine® is a pop-culture medical newsletter and exclusive benefit for 2 Minute Medicine Plus subscribers.

Attacking Allergies

The Story: Xolair, also known by its generic name omalizumab, is an injectable medication used to treat asthma, hives, and other conditions. Recently, Xolair has been explored as a method to treat food allergies, specifically allergies to peanuts, eggs, milk, and other common foods.

What are allergies?

Allergies, though often unwelcome and irritating, arise from an ancient system designed to protect us. When the immune system, reacts to foreign substances that do not cause harm in most people, allergies follow. Given the danger posed by many allergies, developing tools to fight them is of utmost importance. Current treatments for food allergies include antihistamines, as well as epinephrine autoinjectors used to deliver a dose of epinephrine in cases of severe allergies. Xolair, if approved, would be the first medication to reduce allergic reactions to multiple foods after unintentional consumption or exposure to these foods.

How does Xolair fit in?

Food allergies are particularly dangerous, as they can be life-threatening. As a result, the best treatment is to avoid foods that one is allergic to, though accidental ingestion of allergen-containing foods is always possible. Xolair is an anti-IgE antibody, meaning that it interrupts the action of unnecessary antibodies produced in response to the allergen, thereby reducing the severity of allergy symptoms. In a clinical trial, patients receiving Xolair were able to consume higher doses of allergen-containing foods than patients not receiving Xolair. This news carries hope for families and individuals with food allergies, that a treatment is on the horizon.

Shedding Light on Lung Cancer:

Andre Braugher, who played the lovable Captain Holt in the TV series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, passed away last month after a battle with lung cancer. Lung cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in the United States, with over 200,000 new cases in 2023.

It is estimated that nearly 2.2 million cases worldwide were diagnosed in 2020. In these cases, the cells of the lung begin to grow abnormally, and can eventually spread to other areas of the body where they do not normally grow, and disrupt the normal functioning of those areas. Lung cancers can be diagnosed through common imaging techniques, and if a cancer is suspected based on imaging, a biopsy may be done to better understand the cancerous cells and develop a treatment plan.

Lung cancers are treated using a variety of methods, including surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Surgery aims to remove the cancer tissue physically, while radiation therapy uses high-energy beams to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy uses medications to kill cancer cells and can be used in conjunction with other treatments. Though commonly thought of as a disease caused by smoking, lung cancer can affect anyone. Kate Micucci, known for her role as Lucy in the TV series The Big Bang Theory, was recently diagnosed with lung cancer despite never smoking. In addition to smoking increasing the risk of developing and dying from lung cancer, socioeconomic factors play a role in these risks. Individuals with lower income or in rural areas have an increased risk of developing lung cancer, highlighting the key role that social determinants of health play when facing lung cancer.

New Year New Goals:

As we usher in 2024, many goals and resolutions for the new year have been set, and according to research, these resolutions are notoriously difficult to maintain. One study saw that individuals framing their goals as approaching something had higher rates of success than those framing goals as avoiding something.

It is normal to feel that achieving goals is difficult, and one purported reason is that we simply forget these goals. Getting caught up in everyday life can lead people to forget their goals, and one tool to fix this is known as cognitive offloading. This refers to reducing the amount of mental energy expended in a task, by using physical reminders, such as writing information down or using a calendar for reminders. This practice is associated with enhanced performance in short-term memory tasks in laboratory settings and may be helpful when setting goals as a means to remind a person of those goals.

Another difficult aspect relating to achieving goals is the time it takes! A study from 2009 showed that there is considerable variation in the amount of time it takes an individual to form a habit, ranging from 18 to over 250 days. Knowing this, it may be beneficial to set smaller, micro-goals on the way to the bigger goals.

Though change is difficult, it can be modeled in a way known as the transtheoretical model of change.  Of the 5 stages, the pre-contemplation stage is before an individual identifies that they want to make a change, and comes before the contemplation stage, where the individual realizes that there is a behavior to change. Next, the preparation stage is where the person recognizes that a change must be made and begins preparing to make such a change, the stage where many New Year resolutions come from. Finally, it is during the action and maintenance stages that change is made and maintained. Support during these stages is highly valuable for the maintenance of new behaviors, and is part of the recipe for successful goal setting!

Unoriginal Ozempic:

As shortages of weight loss wonder drug Ozempic continue, counterfeit production of Ozempic is becoming increasingly prevalent. Ozempic is typically sold as an injectable form of semaglutide, but counterfeit Ozempic injections do not carry the same manufacturing standards and as such, the FDA is warning against the use of counterfeit Ozempic.

Though recently touted for its weight loss benefit, Ozempic is traditionally used in patients with diabetes, to reduce their blood sugar. By activating the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor, Ozempic can help the body’s natural processes to improve blood sugar levels, as well as improve heart health, in patients with diabetes. Ozempic can be used alongside other diabetes medications, such as metformin, to further improve blood sugar control in patients.

Due to its potential ability to induce weight loss, the rising popularity of the drug may have contributed to shortages seen around the world. This shortage has led to frustrations from patients and physicians alike and has opened the door for fake versions to enter the market. In Chicago, one man used what he thought was an Ozempic pen, but was a counterfeit pen filled with insulin. This posed a threat to his life, as shortly after he entered a coma due to excessively low blood sugar. Fortunately, he received timely care and was able to recover, but this situation highlights some clear dangers.

Despite this shortage, turning to alternate forms of Ozempic is not the answer. The highly realistic fake versions of Ozempic have the potential to endanger lives. The quality and safety of ingredients used to manufacture the fake products are not known, and therefore pose risks, including infection risks due to poor sterility, amongst other risks.

To help improve this supply shortage, manufacturers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, companies that produce Mounjaro and Ozempic respectively, are spending billions of dollars to match the demand for these critical drugs. Recent results from trials indicate that tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Mounjaro, may be effective in weight loss, potentially adding another medication to the weight loss arsenal. Until the availability of these medications is consistent, remaining vigilant and avoiding unlicensed medication is important to ensure safety.

©2023 2 Minute Medicine, Inc. All rights reserved. No works may be reproduced without expressed written consent from 2 Minute Medicine, Inc. Inquire about licensing here. No article should be construed as medical advice and is not intended as such by the authors or by 2 Minute Medicine, Inc