Looking at 2025: Health Breakthroughs of Hope and Promise

 

1. Healthcare in 2024 saw huge progress across various fields, with many new treatments and technologies that are changing how we treat and manage health conditions.
2. After the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, attention shifted to dealing with the rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
3. Big advances were made in weight loss treatments, cancer treatments, gene editing, and Alzheimer's disease.
4. These progress offers real hope for the future of healthcare.

Weight Loss Treatments: Breakthroughs Changing Lives

1. GLP-1 Drugs: Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound

   1. Ozempic (semaglutide) by Novo Nordisk, first approved by the US FDA in 2017 for treating type 2 diabetes, gained popularity for its off-label use in helping people to  lose weight.
   2. In 2021, Novo Nordisk introduced Wegovy, a pen-injection version of semaglutide, which became the first FDA-approved drug for long-term weight loss in almost a decade.
   3. Zepbound, approved in November 2023 by Eli Lilly, contains tirzepatide, another drug similar to semaglutide.
   4. It’s used to treat obesity and works by making people feel fuller by boosting two hormones (GLP-1 and GIP).

2. Trial Results in 2024

   1. In March 2024, the FDA approved Wegovy to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes in overweight or obese adults with heart disease.
   2. The approval followed results from the SELECT trial, which showed a 20% reduction in heart-related risks.
   3. Novo Nordisk also released findings from its FLOW trial, showing that semaglutide (1.0 mg) helped reduce kidney problems by 24% in people with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD).
   4. REDEFINE trial: In December 2024, Novo Nordisk shared results from its REDEFINE 1 trial testing CagriSema, a combination of cagrilintide and semaglutide, for weight loss.
   5. After 68 weeks, this drug showed much better weight loss compared to a placebo.
   6. Zepbound was also approved to treat obesity and sleep apnea (a condition where a person stops breathing during sleep).
   7. In clinical trials, 50% of patients no longer had sleep apnea symptoms after one year. On average, patients lost up to 20% of their body weight.
   8. SUMMIT trial: In August 2024, Eli Lilly released results from a trial of tirzepatide to treat heart failure and obesity.
   1. Heart failure makes it hard for the heart to pump blood, leading to tiredness and difficulty exercising. Lilly plans to seek approval for this new use soon.

3. Cheaper Generics on the Way

   1. The patent for semaglutide (Ozempic and Wegovy) is set to expire in early 2026, and generic drug manufacturers, particularly in China, are preparing to create cheaper versions.
   2. In India, tirzepatide (Mounjaro) was approved for long-term weight management, but the company must conduct a post-marketing trial to study the drug’s long-term effects. It is expected to be available in India in 2025.
   3. Indian generic drug makers are preparing to produce affordable GLP-1 weight loss drugs once patents expire, with several companies conducting trials to prove their versions are safe and effective.

Cancer Treatment: Immunotherapy and Personalized Medicine

Immunotherapy is a new way of treating cancer by helping the body’s immune system recognize and fight cancer cells. These treatments are less invasive and more effective than traditional methods.

1. CAR-T Cell Therapy:

   1. India’s First Homegrown CAR-T Cell Therapy, NexCAR19, was launched in 2024. Developed by Indian biotech companies in collaboration with academia, this therapy uses T-cells (a type of white blood cell) from the patient’s own blood. These cells are modified to target and destroy cancer cells.
   2. NexCAR19 is now the most affordable CAR-T therapy in the world, making advanced cancer treatments more accessible in India and globally.
   3. Immuneel Therapeutics, a Bengaluru-based biotech company, is conducting clinical trials for another CAR-T therapy called IMAGINE.
   4. Aurigene Oncology, a part of Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, released positive results in October 2024 from a trial of a CAR-T therapy for multiple myeloma (a type of blood cancer). The therapy is now in Phase 2 of trials.

2. Personalized Cancer Vaccines (CVLP in UK):

   1. In 2024, the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP) was set up in England to focus on creating personalized cancer vaccines using mRNA technology.
   2. The first clinical trials focused on creating tailored vaccines for bowel cancer. These vaccines analyze a patient’s tumor to find unique mutations, helping the immune system fight the cancer more effectively. The trial will expand to other cancers like pancreatic and lung cancer by 2026.
   3. This is one of the largest personalized cancer vaccine projects and could revolutionize cancer treatment in the future.

3. HPV Vaccine Rollout in India:

   1. India will begin a nationwide HPV vaccination campaign in 2025 to protect against strains of the human papillomavirus that cause cervical cancer and other cancers like those in the anus, vagina, and throat.
   2. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among Indian women, and India has 20% of the world’s cases. The HPV vaccine aims to reduce the 1.25 lakh new cases of cervical cancer diagnosed every year and save 75,000 lives.

Alzheimer’s Disease: New Hope with New Drugs

In 2024, new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease offered hope for slowing cognitive decline, especially in the early stages of the disease.

1. FDA-Approved Drugs:

   1. Leqembi (lecanemab) and Kisunla (donanemab-azbt) are new drugs that clear amyloid plaques in the brain, which are believed to cause the memory loss seen in Alzheimer’s.
   2. These drugs are used to slow down memory loss in people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, including those with mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia.

2. Challenges in India:

   1. Alzheimer’s disease affects around 5.3 million people in India.
   2. While these new treatments offer hope, cost and accessibility could be challenges for many people in India, as these drugs may be too expensive for most.

Gene Editing: Groundbreaking Advances

Gene editing therapies made major progress in 2024, offering hope for the treatment of genetic disorders and other chronic conditions.

1. Cell-Based Gene Therapies:

   1. In December 2023, the FDA approved two new cell-based gene therapies to treat sickle cell disease (SCD) in people aged 12 and older.
   2. These therapies involve changing the patient’s cells to help their body fight the disease more effectively.
   3. Verve Therapeutics, a Boston-based company, announced experimental treatments called VERVE-101 and VERVE-102 that target the PCSK9 gene in the liver.
   4. These therapies are designed to permanently lower cholesterol by deactivating the gene responsible for making “bad” cholesterol.

2. Impact of Gene Editing:

   1. These gene editing therapies aim to permanently deactivate the PCSK9 gene, which could help patients with high cholesterol and heart disease by keeping their cholesterol levels in check.

Looking ahead to 2025, healthcare continues to evolve with groundbreaking advances offering new hope. From revolutionary weight loss treatments and personalized cancer vaccines to gene editing therapies and breakthroughs in Alzheimer's care, the future of medicine is brighter than ever. These innovations not only promise better treatments but also greater accessibility, creating possibilities for improved global health outcomes.

 

Also Read
UPSC Prelims Result	UPSC Daily Current Affairs
UPSC Monthly Mgazine	Previous Year Interview Questions
Free MCQs for UPSC Prelims	UPSC Test Series
ENSURE IAS NOTES	Our Booklist