Read AMA Morning Rounds®’ most popular stories in medicine and public health from the week of Dec. 22, 2025–Dec. 26, 2025.
More older Americans are quitting GLP-1s, related weight loss drugs
The New York Times (12/21, Span) reports on an increasing number of “older adults who begin taking GLP-1s and related drugs...and then stop taking them within months. That usually means regaining weight and losing the associated health benefits, including lower blood pressure, cholesterol and A1c.” A recent study published in JAMA Cardiology “found that among Americans over 65 with diabetes, about 60% discontinued semaglutide within a year.” Another study published in JAMA Network Open this year found that “patients over age 65 were 20 to 30% more likely than younger ones to discontinue the drugs and less likely to return to them.” According to the Times, “some patients find that medication-induced weight loss lessens rather than improves fitness, because another side effect is muscle loss.” Additionally, “the high rate of GLP-1 discontinuation may also reflect shortages; from 2022 to 2024, these drugs temporarily became hard to find.”
You may also be interested in: What doctors wish patients knew about healthy aging.
Different psychiatric conditions may be driven by similar genetics
HealthDay (12/19, Thompson) reported a study suggests that “psychiatric conditions as varied as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder might be driven by very similar genetic underpinnings.” According to researchers, “mental health problems can be sorted into five general genetic categories, each with a shared ‘genetic architecture’ driving people’s illness.” The five general categories involving 238 genetic variants includes: disorders with “compulsive features” like anorexia, Tourette disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder; “internalizing” disorders like depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder; substance use disorders; neurodevelopmental conditions “like autism and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder;” and bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. With that said, “70% of the genetic signal associated with schizophrenia is also associated with bipolar disorder, the study said.” The study was published in Nature.
Passive infant immunization with nirsevimab offered greater RSV protection than maternal vaccination, study finds
MedPage Today (12/22, Henderson) reports a study found that “infants given the monoclonal antibody nirsevimab (Beyfortus) to provide passive immunity against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) had a lower rate of related hospitalizations and severe outcomes than those whose mothers got immunized with the RSVpreF vaccine (Abrysvo).” Researchers observed that “among more than 42,000 infants immunized with nirsevimab at birth during the first RSV season after its availability, hospitalization for RSV-associated lower respiratory tract infection was a relative 26% less likely compared with those who got immunity passed on from maternal vaccination (adjusted HR 0.74).” They noted that “compared with maternal vaccination, infant immunization with nirsevimab also was associated with a lower risk of severe outcomes, including pediatric ICU admission (adjusted HR 0.58), ventilator support (adjusted HR 0.57), and oxygen therapy (adjusted HR 0.56).” The study was published in JAMA.
You may also be interested in: RSV vaccines: Questions patients may have and how to answer.
Adults hospitalized with COVID-19 disproportionately affected by chronic kidney disease
HCP Live (12/22, Hillenbrand) reports a multi-state cross-sectional study found that “adults hospitalized with COVID-19 were disproportionately affected by chronic kidney disease (CKD), underscoring its continued association with severe outcomes in the later stages of the pandemic.” According to researchers, “the prevalence of chronic conditions like CKD, diabetes, and coronary artery disease is higher among hospitalized” patients with COVID-19 “than in the general population.” They noted the “hospitalization risk for COVID-19 increases with the number of chronic conditions, with older age being the strongest risk factor.” Overall, “the study underscores the importance of vaccination and prompt antiviral treatment for high-risk groups, particularly those with chronic conditions.” The study was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
FDA approves Novo Nordisk’s oral semaglutide pill
Reuters (12/22, Fick, Sunny, Wingrove, Santhosh, Roy) reports the FDA on Monday approved Novo Nordisk’s weight-loss pill, “giving the Danish drugmaker a leg up in the race to market a potent oral medication for shedding pounds as it looks to regain lost ground from rival Eli Lilly. The pill is 25 milligrams of semaglutide, the same active ingredient in injectable Wegovy and Ozempic, and will be sold under the brand name Wegovy.” According to Reuters, the pill was “approved for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or overweight and at least one related health condition, broadening the potential patient pool at a time when insurers, employers and governments are wrestling with spiraling health care costs related to obesity.”
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