Recent Postings

The glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist semaglutide is widely used for type 2 diabetes or for chronic weight management. Learn about the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved formulations of semaglutide, their indications, safety concerns, and the need for continued long-term treatment to maintain the benefits. Public Citizen’s Health Research Group recommends that these drugs only be used for an FDA-approved indication and in conjunction with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.

The “From the Editor” column discusses the four articles about semaglutide and tirzepatide in this issue, and why we are removing the Do Not Use designation for semaglutide, tirzepatide, and the GLP-1 drug class. We continue to recommend that you Do Not Use compounded semaglutide, tirzepatide or other GLP-1 products.

In 2022 the FDA approved tirzepatide, marketed as MOUNJARO and administered as a subcutaneous injection, for type 2 diabetes. In 2023 the FDA approved the same drug, marketed as ZEPBOUND, for chronic weight management. In 2025 tirzepatide overtook semaglutide as the most prescribed GLP-1 drug. Learn about the effectiveness of tirzepatide, its safety and adverse events. As is the case with semaglutide, we recommend that tirzepatide only be used for an FDA-approved indication and in conjunction with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.

GLP-1 drugs are associated with an increased risk of gastrointestinal adverse events, including serious conditions such as pancreatitis and biliary disease. A November 2025 study in the Annals of Internal Medicine compared the gastrointestinal safety of dulaglutide (TRULICITY), subcutaneous semaglutide (OZEMPIC, WEGOVY) and tirzepatide (MOUNJARO, ZEPBOUND) in adults with type 2 diabetes. The study found that the drugs have similar gastrointestinal safety profiles.

In August 2025 the FDA granted accelerated approval to injectable semaglutide (WEGOVY) to treat metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) in adults with moderate to advanced fibrosis (excessive scar tissue in the liver). Learn about the evidence supporting this approval and why Public Citizen’s Health Research Group has designated semaglutide for MASH as Do Not Use for Seven Years.

“Long COVID,” the long-lasting illness that can occur after infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is perplexing, variable in presentation and difficult to treat. Although there are no specific drug treatments for long COVID, learn about the four medications that a project at the National Institutes of Health has identified as leading candidates for further study.

The “From the Editor” column discusses a troubling hepatitis B vaccine study that is funded in part by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with an unsolicited $1.6 million grant to the University of South Denmark and is planned for the West African nation of Guinea-Bissau. Although it is uncertain whether the study will be conducted, the research funds would be better used to help Guinea-Bissau make a birth dose of the vaccine available to all newborns.

A new analysis of data from the Women’s Health Initiative trials assessed the effects of patient age and timing of treatment on the cardiovascular risks of menopausal hormone therapy. The 2025 study found that hormone therapy may be safer and more effective for postmenopausal women in their fifties and those who start treatment within a decade of menopause onset, and less safe and less effective for older women and those who start treatment more than 10 years after menopause begins.

Artificial-intelligence (AI)-enabled wellness and companion chatbots are computerized devices that simulate human conversations with the people that use them. Although their benefits and risks remain uncertain, the chatbots are increasingly used; they may be especially risky for young people and individuals with mental health conditions. None of these devices have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for psychotherapy.

In 2025 the Food and Drug Administration approved nerandomilast (JASCAYD), an oral drug, for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and progressive pulmonary fibrosis, two serious and progressive lung diseases with limited treatment options. Although trials have shown that the drug can modestly slow the rate of lung function decline, a benefit for acute exacerbations, respiratory hospitalizations, or death has not been established. Public Citizen’s Health Research Group has classified the drug as Do Not Use for Seven Years.

In November 2025 Public Citizen petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to improve the pregnancy warning labels for common antidepressants. We urged the agency to require balanced, evidence-based pregnancy warnings in the product labels of serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants: selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors.

The “From the Editor” column discusses the FDA’s highly unusual action in September 2025 to initiate the approval of leucovorin calcium tablets (previously marketed as WELLCOVORIN and generics) for patients with cerebral folate deficiency, a rare neurological condition that affects the transport of folate into the brain and has autism-like features.

Parkinsonism is not a diagnosis, but rather a term used to describe a set of symptoms. These symptoms include stiffness (rigidity), slowness of movement (bradykinesia), and shaking body parts (often referred to as resting tremor). Although these symptoms are most associated with Parkinson’s disease, the second most common reason for these symptoms is drug-induced parkinsonism. Learn about drugs that can cause parkinsonism.

Although hormone panel tests are advertised to support a woman’s menopause transition and to personalize treatment approaches, these tests, which are often expensive, are unnecessary for assessing menopause, treating menopausal symptoms, or guiding menopausal hormone therapy.