First clinical trial for nasal COVID-19 vaccine; CDC recommends new COVID shots; Weight loss drugs linked to vision loss – Morning Medical Update

First clinical trial for nasal COVID-19 vaccine

Earlier this month, the National Institutes of Health announced the first human trials studying a possible nasal COVID-19 vaccine had opened. The clinical trial has enrolled participants at three sites across the US, with researchers believing the vaccine candidate may provide better protection against new variants than current COVID-19 vaccines given via an injection.

“The concept is that we're looking for next generation vaccines," John Brownstein, an epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital, said. “Throughout the pandemic, we had the incredible scientific breakthrough of COVID vaccines that happened, that got into production incredibly quickly and were safe and effective. But of course, we also recognize that there are challenges of the existing vaccines.”

Find out more about the nasal COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial here.

CDC recommends new COVID shots

The CDC is now recommending that Americans six months and older get an updated COVID-19 vaccine this fall, regardless of if they’ve been vaccinated against the virus previously. The recommendation comes amidst a wave of new COVID variants this summer, which has become a familiar pattern in the US.

Data showed that COVID-related emergency room visits after June 22 increased by 23% compared to before, with deaths increasing by over 14%. Vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer will target the KP.2 strain of COVID-19, which is the second most common strain of the virus in the US as reported by the CDC.

Read more about when and where to get an updated vaccine in this article.

Weight loss drugs linked to vision loss

A potential link between the diabetes and weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, semaglutide, and a rare eye disease that causes blindness was found in a new study. The condition – nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) – affects around 2.3 people per 100,000 in the US.

Researchers found that people with diabetes who were prescribed Ozempic and Wegovy were more than four times more likely to develop NAION compared to people with diabetes on other medications. Meanwhile, people prescribed the drugs to treat obesity were over seven times more likely to receive a NAION diagnosis than people taking other weight loss drugs.

Joel Kopelman, an oculofacial plastic surgeon, said, “Patients with diabetes are already at higher risk for vascular complications, and any additional factors that could affect blood flow to the optic nerve might increase the risk of NAION.”