Sunday, 6 September 2026
UK venlafaxine shortage, Liposuction trial in lipoedema, Etentamig myeloma trial results
- 01
UK venlafaxine 75 mg immediate-release shortage expected until November
Venlafaxine 75 mg immediate-release tablets are expected to be unavailable across the UK until November. The Department of Health and Social Care issued a tier 2 medium-impact supply alert. The shortage affects only the 75 mg immediate-release formulation, which is taken multiple times daily. Venlafaxine is mainly used for depression but is also prescribed for anxiety, panic attacks and menopausal hot flushes in women with breast cancer; prescribing data show 488,814 patients in England took the medicine in 2025–26.
via BMJ
- 02
Liposuction improved pain and quality of life in lipoedema trial
Liposuction reduced leg pain and improved quality of life more than conservative therapy in patients with lipoedema. The multicentre randomised controlled trial was conducted in Germany. Liposuction was also associated with a higher rate of serious adverse events. The authors described it as a potentially promising treatment option, although the source gives limited detail on outcomes and harms.
via The Lancet
- 03
Etentamig cuts progression or death risk in phase 3 trial
Etentamig reduced the risk of progression or death by 60% versus standard regimens in a phase 3 trial of people with multiple myeloma that had progressed after two or more lines of therapy, AbbVie said. The trial enrolled 421 participants, with 393 evaluable at an average of 11 months after a planned interim analysis prompted investigators to unblind the study. Responses occurred in 74% of etentamig recipients compared with 46% of those receiving standard therapies. Among etentamig recipients, 28% developed cytokine release syndrome and one developed ICANS, while most cytokine release syndrome cases were mild. AbbVie said the safety profile could support use beyond specialised centres and plans to discuss the results with regulators.
via BioPharma Dive
- 04
Visudyne shortage continues to disrupt patient treatment planning
Limited availability of Visudyne has affected the planning, prioritisation and prescribing of patient treatment. EMA said it would update its shortage catalogue once the shortage was fully resolved. The agency is expanding the European Shortages Monitoring Platform to improve exchanges between industry and regulators and support timely measures on medicine availability. The source gives limited detail on the timing of resolution or measures specific to Visudyne.
- 05
Boston Scientific restores most shipments after cyberattack
Boston Scientific has begun restoring shipments for most products at its major distribution centres globally, about a week after a cyberattack disrupted manufacturing, order processing and shipping. The medical device maker is progressively moving customer orders through fulfilment as systems are validated and brought back online, but said clearing the backlog would take time. Customers can submit orders electronically, while full shipping capabilities for other products and sites are still being restored. The company is investigating the attack with CrowdStrike and other external experts and said it had growing confidence that unauthorised access was limited to selected internal-facing IT infrastructure. Boston Scientific has not determined whether the incident will have a material impact and declined to say whether manufacturing remained affected.
via MedTech Dive
- 06
Coroner warns over unchecked excessive working hours for doctors
Doctors working excessive hours without proper employer checks face a “significant risk of future deaths”, a coroner warned in a prevention of future deaths report. The warning followed the death of Naeem Ahmed, 50, who was found in the anaesthetists’ on-call room at Poole Hospital on 21 June 2025 beside two syringes and a half-empty bottle of whisky. Postmortem tests showed fentanyl use and an alcohol level about half the drink-drive limit, with combined alcohol and fentanyl toxicity recorded as the cause of death. The inquest ruled the death was by misadventure and heard that Ahmed had worked nine consecutive 13-hour hospital shifts. The source gives limited further detail about his work schedule or the employer checks involved.
via BMJ
MDDR is a news digest for medical professionals. It is not medical advice and should not be relied on for clinical decision-making.