Putting the brakes on prostate cancer; McKinsey to pay $650 million to resolve criminal and civil investigations; BMI and obesity decreased in the U.S. – Morning Medical Update

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New research into the development of prostate cancer

Prostate cancer disrupts the body’s natural functions within the prostate, reworking the androgen receptor to accelerate tumor development. Research out of Weill Cornell Medicine and published in Nature Communications has paved the way for future diagnostic tests that could guide treatment and help drug developers identify methods to stop the disease.

“It’s pretty well known in the field that the androgen receptor gets hijacked in a variety of ways and starts taking on new functions to drive prostate cancer cell growth,” Christopher Barbieri, MD, PhD, senior author of the study, said in a university release.

McKinsey to pay $650 million to resolve investigation into company’s work with Purdue Pharma

McKinsey & Company Inc. (McKinsey), a global management consulting firm, has agreed to pay $650 million to resolve a criminal and civil investigation into their consulting work with the opioids manufacturer, Purdue Pharma L.P. (Purdue). McKinsey advised Purdue on steps to “turbocharge” sales of their extended-release opioid drug, OxyContin, in 2013. This is the first time a management consulting firm has been held criminally responsible for advice resulting in the commission of a crime by a client. Additionally, a former senior partner at McKinsey, who had worked on Purdue matters, was charged with obstruction of justice in Virginia.

BMI and obesity in the U.S. decreased in 2023 for the first time in over a decade

A study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Health Forum, found that body mass index (BMI) and obesity among U.S. adults decreased in 2023 for the first time in more than a decade. The most notable decrease was in the Southern U.S., which also had the highest observed dispensing rate of GLP-1RA, per capita. The study’s authors do note that dispensing is not a direct indicator of uptake, and the South also experienced disproportionately high COVID-19 mortality among individuals with obesity.