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Weight Loss Drug Cut Heart Failure Risk by 38% in Trial

An injection pen of Zepbound, Eli Lilly’s weight loss drug, is displayed in New York City, US, December 11, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
An injection pen of Zepbound, Eli Lilly’s weight loss drug, is displayed in New York City, US, December 11, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
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Weight Loss Drug Cut Heart Failure Risk by 38% in Trial

An injection pen of Zepbound, Eli Lilly’s weight loss drug, is displayed in New York City, US, December 11, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
An injection pen of Zepbound, Eli Lilly’s weight loss drug, is displayed in New York City, US, December 11, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

Trial results show Eli Lilly's weight loss drug Zepbound reduces the risk of hospitalization, death and other outcomes for obese adults with a common type of heart failure, the company said on Thursday as it continues to build a case for the medication's wider health benefits.

The drug, also known as tirzepatide, reduced the risk of a composite of heart failure urgent visit or hospitalization, oral diuretic intensification or cardiovascular death by 38% compared to a placebo, according to Reuters.

The trial enrolled 731 patients across 10 countries who have heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and obesity.

The condition "accounts for nearly half of all heart failure cases, and in the US almost 60% of those impacted also live with obesity," Jeff Emmick, Lilly senior vice president, product development, said in a statement.

Lilly said the study also showed the drug significantly improved heart failure symptoms and physical limitations.

Heart failure is a condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. It is associated with a high burden of symptoms and physical limitations affecting daily life, including fatigue, shortness of breath, reduced ability to exercise and swelling of extremities.

Trial patients on tirzepatide were given weekly injections of the highest dose they could tolerate, up to 15 milligrams, and were followed for a median of two years.

The drug led to 15.7% weight loss in the combined population of people with and without type 2 diabetes, compared with 2.2% for the placebo, Lilly said. For the non-diabetes patients, weight loss was 13.9%.

Zepbound, also sold under the brand name Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes, is part of a top-selling class of drugs designed to mimic the action of the GLP-1 hormone, which helps regulate blood sugar, slow digestion and decrease appetite.

Lilly said the most common side effects for trial patients on tirzepatide were diarrhea, nausea, constipation and vomiting.

The company said it plans to submit the heart failure results to the US Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory agencies starting later this year. The findings will also be presented at an upcoming medical meeting and submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.

Novo Nordisk has reported data showing its GLP-1 weight loss drug Wegovy reduces heart failure symptoms.

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Saudi Arabia: AlUla Advances to 85th Place in IMD Smart City Index 2026

AlUla seeks to become an ideal destination for living, working and visiting. SPA
AlUla seeks to become an ideal destination for living, working and visiting. SPA
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Saudi Arabia: AlUla Advances to 85th Place in IMD Smart City Index 2026

AlUla seeks to become an ideal destination for living, working and visiting. SPA
AlUla seeks to become an ideal destination for living, working and visiting. SPA

AlUla has recorded the highest improvement in the IMD Smart City Index 2026, advancing from 112th place in 2025 to 85th this year, placing it among the most improved cities globally in this edition of the index.

This result reflects AlUla's ambition to become an ideal destination for living, working and visiting.

This achievement is a continuation of the comprehensive and sustainable development objectives pursued by the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) since its establishment, and in line with the AlUla vision, which targets the development of infrastructure, improvement of services, and enhancement of quality of life for the people and residents of AlUla, whilst preserving the unique natural and cultural environment of the governorate.

This year's edition of the index measures city performance across key pillars including quality of life, service efficiency, technology, environmental sustainability, and smart governance.

These pillars are central to the commission's priorities and are being continuously advanced in partnership with stakeholders across the public and private sectors.

On the quality of life front, RCU continues to develop services for the people and residents of AlUla, spanning education, healthcare, infrastructure, and public utilities, within an approach that balances urban development requirements with the preservation of the destination's identity.

Sustainability also serves as a foundational pillar within the comprehensive development framework for the governorate. In this regard, RCU has announced the lifting of the suspension on land sales and transactions in central and southern AlUla, a strategic step that opens the door for citizens and investors to participate in real estate activities within a regulated environment.

On the education front, RCU has established an integrated system that encompasses a language institute offering instruction in five languages, a scholarship program that has benefited more than 690 students, teacher qualification programs in which more than 800 educators have enrolled, and community activities that have engaged approximately 7,400 students.

In the area of transport, RCU has completed the expansion of AlUla International Airport, increasing its annual passenger capacity from 400,000 to 700,000, doubling the number of passport control lanes, and integrating smart technologies to enhance the passenger experience, alongside the introduction of smart mobility solutions within the governorate.

RCU continues to develop infrastructure through the construction of power stations and water storage facilities, as well as the enhancement of public utilities, all within the framework of the second masterplan, "Path to Prosperity", which aims to elevate quality of life and advance community development

This progress aligns with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 and reflects the accelerating transformation AlUla is undergoing across urban development and sustainability, supporting its ambitions to establish itself as a leading international cultural and tourism destination, and contributing to its growing presence on global smart city rankings.

Varieties

Argentine MPs Approve Bill to Allow Mining in Glaciers

FILE PHOTO: A general view of the Perito Moreno glacier, near the city of El Calafate in the Patagonian province of Santa Cruz, Argentina April 21, 2025. REUTERS/Bernat Parera/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A general view of the Perito Moreno glacier, near the city of El Calafate in the Patagonian province of Santa Cruz, Argentina April 21, 2025. REUTERS/Bernat Parera/File Photo
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Argentine MPs Approve Bill to Allow Mining in Glaciers

FILE PHOTO: A general view of the Perito Moreno glacier, near the city of El Calafate in the Patagonian province of Santa Cruz, Argentina April 21, 2025. REUTERS/Bernat Parera/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A general view of the Perito Moreno glacier, near the city of El Calafate in the Patagonian province of Santa Cruz, Argentina April 21, 2025. REUTERS/Bernat Parera/File Photo

Argentine MPs approved a bill early Thursday promoted by President Javier Milei that authorizes mining in ecologically sensitive areas of glaciers and permafrost, and has outraged environmentalists.

The amendment to the so-called Glacier Law, which was already approved by the Senate in February, would make it easier to mine for metals such as copper, lithium and silver in frozen parts of the Andes mountains, said AFP.

The Chamber of Deputies, Argentina's lower house of Congress, approved the amendment with 137 votes in favor, 111 against and three abstentions after nearly 12 hours of debate.

Environmentalists say the reforms will weaken protections for crucial water sources.

Thousands of people took part in a demonstration on Wednesday afternoon outside parliament, marked by isolated skirmishes with police.

Some held aloft banners with slogans such as "Water is more precious than gold!" and "A glacier destroyed cannot be restored!"

Seven Greenpeace activists were arrested earlier in the day after scaling a statue outside parliament and unfurling a banner urging lawmakers "not to betray the Argentine people."

The passage of the amendment is a new coup for Milei, who pushed through looser labor laws in February despite repeated street protests.

Nicolas Mayoraz, an MP from Milei's ruling La Libertad Avanza party, assured lawmakers that combining "environmental protection and sustainable development is possible."

Environmental activist Flavia Broffoni rubbished the government's position.

"The science is clear...there is absolutely no possibility of creating what they (the government) call a 'sustainable mine' in a periglacial environment," she told AFP after addressing the protest outside parliament.

- Lithium race -

There are nearly 17,000 glaciers or rock glaciers -- a mix of rock and ice -- in Argentina, according to a 2018 inventory.

In the northwest of the country, where mining activity is concentrated, glacial reserves have shrunk by 17 percent in the last decade, mainly due to climate change, according to the Argentine Institute of Snow Science, Glaciology and Environmental Sciences.

Milei, a free-market radical who does not believe in man-made climate change, argues the bill is necessary to attract large-scale mining projects.

Argentina is a major producer of lithium, which is critical to the global tech and green energy sectors.

The Central Bank has estimated, based on industry forecasts, that the country could triple its mining exports by 2030.

"Environmentalists would rather see us starve than have anything touched," Milei has argued.

Supporters of the reform argue that it will clear up ambiguities in the current law, from 2010, on which periglacial areas -- areas on the edges of glaciers -- can be economically developed.

"We want legal certainty, we want clear definitions," Michael Meding, director of the Los Azules copper mining project in San Juan, told AFP.

Enrique Viale, president of the Argentine Association of Environmental Lawyers, told AFP that the reform threatened the water supply of "70 percent" of Argentines.

Under the current law, a scientific body designates protected glaciers and periglacial environments.

The reform would give individual provinces more powers to decide which areas need protection and which can be exploited for economic purposes.

It has been backed by the governors of northern Andean provinces with strong mining sectors, namely Mendoza, San Juan, Catamarca and Salta.

Varieties

Artemis Crew's Families Enthralled by Messages from Space

TOPSHOT - This screen grab from NASA's feed released on April 3, 2026, shows the four Artemis II crew members (L-R) Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II mission specialist, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander, Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist and Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot as they head to orbit the Moon for the first time in more than half a century. The spacecraft lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 18:35 EDT the previous day. (Photo by Handout / NASA TV / AFP)
TOPSHOT - This screen grab from NASA's feed released on April 3, 2026, shows the four Artemis II crew members (L-R) Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II mission specialist, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander, Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist and Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot as they head to orbit the Moon for the first time in more than half a century. The spacecraft lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 18:35 EDT the previous day. (Photo by Handout / NASA TV / AFP)
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Artemis Crew's Families Enthralled by Messages from Space

TOPSHOT - This screen grab from NASA's feed released on April 3, 2026, shows the four Artemis II crew members (L-R) Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II mission specialist, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander, Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist and Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot as they head to orbit the Moon for the first time in more than half a century. The spacecraft lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 18:35 EDT the previous day. (Photo by Handout / NASA TV / AFP)
TOPSHOT - This screen grab from NASA's feed released on April 3, 2026, shows the four Artemis II crew members (L-R) Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II mission specialist, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander, Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist and Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot as they head to orbit the Moon for the first time in more than half a century. The spacecraft lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 18:35 EDT the previous day. (Photo by Handout / NASA TV / AFP)

A week after astronaut Jeremy Hansen blasted off on the historic Artemis II mission to the Moon, his wife Catherine recalled the anxiety and thrill of witnessing the journey from afar.

The Canadian obstetrician-gynecologist told AFP that she has closely followed the mission carrying her husband among a crew of four, hanging onto every update during family phone calls and from NASA mission control.

"It's incredible to me to know that they were up close," said Catherine, wearing rocket-shaped earrings during a video call.

Lifting off from Florida, Hansen became the first non-American to journey toward the Moon as the crew reached a record-breaking distance of 250,000 miles (400,000 kilometers) from Earth.

Catherine and her children followed the lunar flyby from NASA mission control in Houston on Monday, and later heard Hansen share his observations in a family call.

"Jeremy was describing... the fact that it looks so three-dimensional, like this globe outside the window," recalled his wife.

"He certainly will continue to describe to us and everyone else what it felt like to be that close to that celestial body."

- 'Emotional' -

Catherine said, before liftoff, her husband gave her a pair of powerful binoculars to follow the space voyage.

"Our family would lie down and look at various places on the Moon that he would identify based on his mapping and his study guides," she said.

Some of those sites were later observed up close by the Artemis II crew.

As the astronauts flew on the far side of the Moon, they lost connection with Earth for some 40 minutes during an expected communications blackout.

That was the moment Catherine got especially anxious. "I wanted to be there for that, because as someone who has never flown in space, I wanted to make sure they actually reacquired signal."

As onlookers held their breath, she was surprised by the "energy in mission control."

"There was no stress or anxiety. Everyone just trusted that this is what's going to happen: they're going to lose signal and come back again," she said.

"It has been a very emotional week."

Catherine and their three children also recorded videos that Jeremy was able to watch near the Moon.

"When you're out in deep space by the Moon, and you are listening to a video they recorded for you before you launch. That's something," the Canadian astronaut told a press conference.

- 'Get him home safely' -

"There's been a lot of happiness and excitement, a lot of joy" but also "some anxiety and some wanting to get him home safely," Catherine said.

She is now preparing for the moment when the crew splashes down in the Pacific Ocean, expected for Friday.

The Artemis II, the first mission to carry humans around the Moon in more than 50 years, was considered a risky first spaceflight for Jeremy.

Described by NASA as a "test mission," the flight aimed to verify the reliability of the rocket and Orion capsule, which had not carried humans before.

At the moment of liftoff, Catherine was with her children and the other astronauts' families near the launch pad in Florida.

"It was absolutely incredible. And I think everyone is sort of at a loss for words," she recalled.

"I don't think anyone was quite prepared."