FDA Turns Down TransCon PTH; Black Market Hormones; Pandemic Thyroid Tumors

Denmark’s Ascendis Pharma announced that the FDA declined to approve the company’s new drug application for the hypoparathyroidism drug palopegteriparatide (TransCon PTH) due to manufacturing concerns.

Workdays missed because of menopause symptoms cost the U.S. an estimated $1.8 billion annually. (Mayo Clinic Proceedings)

In states that limit care, transgender people are turning to ordering hormones from foreign websites. (AP)

Both Black and white patients with chronic kidney disease reaped the benefits of dapagliflozin (Farxiga), including reduced risks for progressive kidney disease, kidney failure, cardiovascular events, and all-cause mortality, according to a post hoc secondary analysis of the DAPA-CKD trial. (JAMA Network Open)

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” have been found in freshwater fish in nearly every state. (CBS News)

More aggressive thyroid tumors may be popping up after surgical interventions for indeterminate thyroid nodules took a back seat during the COVID-19 pandemic. (The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology)

People with type 2 diabetes who had higher thyroid-stimulating hormone levels — but still within the normal range — had an increased risk for diabetic retinopathy. (Diabetes/Metabolism Research & Reviews)

Among postmenopausal women, bone anabolic treatments were more effective than bisphosphonates in preventing clinical and vertebral fractures. (The BMJ)

Over 5,000 tons of volatile Prop 65 toxic, endocrine-disrupting chemicals were released from products in the state of California in 2020. “Although Prop 65 has reduced the public’s exposure to toxic chemicals both through litigation and by incentivizing companies to reformulate their products, people continue to be exposed to many unsafe chemicals,” said study author Claudia Polsky, JD, of UC Berkeley School of Law. (Environmental Science & Technology)

Following in the U.S.’s footsteps, English kids as young as 12 might soon be able to receive semaglutide (Wegovy) for weight loss. (The Guardian)