Multidisciplinary






Non-diabetic overweight or obese adults experienced a greater reduction in weight and cardiometabolic measures with the addition of tirzepatide to their lifestyle interventions, findings of the SURMOUNT-1 trial showed.



Initially approved to improve glycaemic control and reduce cardiovascular death in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D), the SGLT-2* inhibitor empagliflozin reduced hospitalization for heart failure (HFH) or cardiovascular death and delayed renal function decline when added to recommended therapy in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) in the EMPEROR-Reduced** trial. The EMPEROR-Preserved** trial has now shown that the benefits of empagliflozin extend to patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).


In his welcome speech, Datuk Dr Zulkifli Ismail highlighted the inclusion of two new vaccines in Malaysia’s National Immunisation Programme (NIP) and its impact on local vaccination practices. Subsequently, Dr Asiah Kassim delivered a presentation on the importance of paediatric pneumococcal vaccines in preventing childhood respiratory infections, followed by a second lecture from Dato’ Dr Musa Mohd Nordin on optimising immunisation for children based on current data surrounding hexavalent combination vaccines.




Non-diabetic overweight or obese adults experienced a greater reduction in weight and cardiometabolic measures with the addition of tirzepatide to their lifestyle interventions, findings of the SURMOUNT-1 trial showed.

In patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) with insufficient response to conventional synthetic (cs) or biologic (b) disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), the JAK*1/2 selective inhibitor baricitinib reduced the frequency and delayed time to disease flares, according to a phase III trial presented at EULAR 2022.


Vitamin D deficiency is common in modern society, particularly among older people who are homebound. Vitamin D supplements in older people may have a role in preventing serious complications of COVID-19, according to data presented at AIM 2022.

A real-world study during Hong Kong’s Omicron BA.2 wave showed that both molnupiravir and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir effectively lowered the risks of disease progression and all-cause mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients not requiring oxygen supplementation on admission. However, mortality risk reduction was larger with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir vs molnupiravir.


Patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) with no prior exposure to biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) experience improvements in their condition when treated with bimekizumab, according to results of the phase III BE OPTIMAL trial.