NEWS 7
Mounjaro provided significant benefits to patients with moderate to severe OSA and obesity: 1, 2 *
ausdoc. com. au 18 JULY 2025
NEWS 7
Doctors demand right to rebel
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Carmel Sparke DOCTORS are demanding protection
from actions by the UK medical watchdog after a GP was suspended over her climate change and animal rights protests.
Back in 2023, Dr Sarah Benn was arrested by police when she sprayed chalk on gates and a wall at Sequani Limited in Ledbury, a company involved in animal testing.
She was subsequently handed a community order for criminal damage and told not to enter Sequani Limited
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or go near it. Restrictions were also placed on her access to spray paint.
But Dr Benn had previous criminal convictions, including jail time for taking part in three Just Stop Oil protests— convictions that led to a five-month suspension by a medical tribunal. Her latest actions have been condemned by the General Medical Council, which recently told the medical tribunal that Dr Benn lacked insight, minimised the seriousness of her misconduct and used her position as a doctor to bring additional
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attention to climate change. According to the BBC, Dr Benn said the case centred on the expectation that a doctor should uphold the law, but she said the exceptional circumstances of the climate emergency had compelled her to break the law.
She reportedly said her criminal act had posed no risk to others, did not affect her ability to practise medicine, and was not dishonest, aggressive or deceitful but was“ motivated by conscience and a desire to make the world a kinder place”.
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Doctors have voted for a series of motions for last month’ s British Medical Association conference in Liverpool, asking it to back medical activists.
Regarding climate change, one motion said it was a clear public health emergency that justified non-violent direct action by doctors.
It also called for“ explicit protections within employment contracts … to ensure doctors do not face career detriment for engaging in non-violent climate advocacy”.
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JUST STOP OIL
Dr Sarah Benn.
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Mounjaro provided significant benefits to patients with moderate to severe OSA and obesity: 1, 2 *
Significant reductions in AHI of-55.0 to-68.2 % at week 52 1 †
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vs-5.0 to-6.4 % reductions from baseline with placebo in Study 1( not on PAP therapy) and Study 2( on PAP therapy), respectively. Key secondary endpoint, p < 0.001 vs placebo, adjusted for multiplicity. 1, 2
* p < 0.001 vs placebo, adjusted for multiplicity, for changes in AHI and body weight. 1, 2
SURMOUNT-OSA
Significant reductions in body weight of-18.1 to-20.1 % at week 52 1, 2 ‡
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vs-1.3 to-2.3 % reductions from baseline with placebo in Study 1( not on PAP therapy) and Study 2( on PAP therapy), respectively. Key secondary endpoint, p < 0.001 vs placebo, adjusted for multiplicity. 1, 2
Scan the QR code to learn more about Mounjaro
Safety profile consistent with previous placebo-controlled clinical trials of Mounjaro 1, 2 §
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The most common adverse events were gastrointestinal in nature, were generally mild to moderate in severity and occurred most often during dose escalation. 2
The AHI classifies obstructive sleep apnoea severity as mild( ≥5 to < 15 events / h), moderate( ≥15 to < 30 events / h), and severe( ≥30 events / h), as measured by polysomnography. 3
SURMOUNT-OSA included two 52-week Phase 3, randomised, placebo-controlled studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of Mounjaro MTD( 10 mg or 15 mg) in adults with moderate to severe OSA and obesity not on PAP therapy( Study 1; n = 234) or on PAP therapy( Study 2; n = 235), as an adjunct to reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. 2
AHI: apnoea-hypopnoea index. MTD: maximum tolerated dose. OSA: obstructive sleep apnoea. PAP: positive airway pressure.
References: 1. MOUNJARO ® Approved Product Information. 2. Malhotra A et al. N Engl J Med 2024; 391( 13): 1193 – 205( including supplement). 3. Chang JL et al. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol 2023; 13( 7): 1061 – 482.
© 2025 Eli Lilly Australia Pty Ltd. Mounjaro ® is a registered trademark of Eli Lilly and Company. Eli Lilly Australia Pty Ltd. ABN 39 000 233 992. Level 9, 60 Margaret St, Sydney NSW 2000. Telephone: 1800 454 559. Date of preparation: June 2025. PP-TR-AU-0669. 2008098.
| THE | WINTER SEASON SPECIAL
‘ Flu quadruples stroke risk in next 28 days’
Mohana Basu PATIENTS with influenza have a 4.7- fold increased risk of stroke in the 28 days following initial infection, according to a new meta-analysis.
Published in Cardiovascular Research, the systematic review and meta-analysis also found that the risk of AMI may increase fivefold after a flu infection.
It examined 48 studies published between 1978 and 2024, finding high-certainty evidence linking flu to stroke and moderate-certainty evidence linking it to AMI.
SARS-CoV-2 also emerged as a significant trigger for both stroke and AMI in the weeks following infection, said the researchers from the University of Melbourne and Royal Children’ s Hospital.
In both cases, the mechanism was an inflammatory response that accelerated clot formation and destabilised arterial plaques, leading to cardiovascular events, they said.
Evidence for other respiratory infections was either limited or inconsistent.
The researchers found that CMV was associated with an increased risk of stroke, while respiratory syncytial virus( RSV) and Coxsackie B were possible triggers for AMI.
However, these findings were generally based on lower-quality data, including older studies that predated modern diagnostic tools, such as troponin testing.
“ Enteroviruses, particularly Coxsackie B, may trigger AMI,” the researchers said.
“ This association was surprising given that the current paradigm has described enteroviruses as cardiotropic, causing inflammation and tissue damage to the myocardium, rather than as a contributor to atherosclerosis.”
However, they said some cases labelled as AMIs may have been myocarditis in several Coxsackie B studies from the’ 70s and’ 80s.
Overall, most studies involved older adults or people with preexisting cardiovascular risk factors, so the findings may not apply to younger or healthier populations, the researchers said. Cardiovasc Res 2025; 17 Jun.