In a randomised trial followed for a median of 11 years, 58% of people with type 2 diabetes who had metabolic surgery met the remission threshold, against 3% on intensive medical and lifestyle care, Diabetes Care reports. Investigators call ARMMS-T2D the largest and longest such trial.
Read more at Bioengineer.org →
Britain's MHRA approved Johnson & Johnson's oral drug Icotyde for people aged 12 and older weighing at least 40 kg with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. In four late-stage trials in 2,500 people, it beat placebo after 16 weeks. It was approved in the US earlier this year.
Read more at The Hindu →
Incyte said its targeted drug, combined with chemotherapy, induced lasting tumour responses in certain patients with pancreatic cancer, supporting its decision to move to a late-stage trial. Rivals including Revolution Medicines, Verastem and Hengrui are chasing RAS mutations too. The full STAT+ piece is for subscribers.
Read more at STAT →
The FDA published draft guidance that would streamline approvals of some individualised gene therapies, a win for rare disease advocates who have criticised its approach. 'It's sort of putting a flag in the ground,' said Paul Scribner of the PKD Foundation. The full STAT+ piece is for subscribers.
Read more at STAT →A randomised phase 1 trial by scientists in Shanghai and Guangzhou found that more than half of type 1 diabetes patients given gingival mesenchymal stem cells improved to varying degrees, and one stopped insulin completely. The results appeared in Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy on September 30.
Read more at South China Morning Post →An analysis of more than 91,000 people presented at the ESC Congress 2026 found patients who consistently took blood pressure medication had an 11% lower incidence of major cardiovascular events. Among those who took it less regularly, researchers found no statistically significant reduction.
Read more at indicanews.com →The 2024 to 2025 Pfizer-BioNTech KP.2 COVID-19 vaccine was not linked to a higher risk of any of 20 pre-specified adverse events of special interest, a safety study in Vaccine found. Myocarditis and pericarditis remain identified risks of the original vaccine, the authors note.
Read more at drugtopics.com →A new alpha-emitting radiopharmaceutical therapy for advanced prostate cancer was well tolerated with no dose-limiting toxicities and showed encouraging signs of antitumour activity in an early-phase trial, according to The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. Only the summary was available to us, and the trial is early stage.
Read more at Medical Xpress →Researchers at Bournemouth University found that autistic people consistently experience more severe menopausal symptoms than non-autistic people, with poorer wellbeing and quality of life as a result, Medical Xpress reports. Only the summary of the report was available to us, so sample details are not given here.
Read more at Medical Xpress →Researchers at VIB-KU Leuven reduced the spread of glioblastoma by interrupting specific interactions between the brain's immune cells and tumour cells, a study in Cancer Cell reports. They say it points to a possible strategy that could make these brain tumours easier to remove. This is early research.
Read more at Medical Xpress →In Norway's randomised CARBFUNC trial, more than doubling saturated fat intake on a low-carb diet over two years produced favourable changes in several cardiovascular risk markers without raising apoB, the main suspected risk factor, new analyses show. The headline itself calls the effects on cholesterol mixed.
Read more at Medical Xpress →Phesi analysed 47,011 patients with advanced HR+/HER2- breast cancer and found 85% were seen in community practice and 15% in academic centres, which may limit access to trials. A separate 2024 US analysis put community trial enrolment at 4.1%, against 7.1% overall.
Read more at pharmafile.com →Artiva Biotherapeutics said it is winding down after two patients died in a Phase 2 trial of its NK cell therapy for autoimmune diseases. It said one death was likely linked to chemotherapy given before treatment, and the other was not related to treatment, though its cause is undetermined.
Read more at STAT →Bristol Myers Squibb disclosed that a Phase I trial of zola-cel in multiple sclerosis, halted earlier this year, included a previously undisclosed death from septic pneumonia. The patient had late-onset motor symptoms after infusion that did not resolve with corticosteroids and intravenous immunoglobulin, a spokesperson said.
Read more at bioxconomy.com →
The Supreme Court questioned the Centre over the gap between medicines' maximum retail price and their price to retailers. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority appeared 'totally defunct' and that hospitals cannot survive through 'dacoity'.
Read more at health.economictimes.indiatimes.com →
NFHS-5 found 71.4% of women aged 15 to 49 in West Bengal were anaemic, the highest among major states. NFHS-6 omitted anaemia from this year's fact sheets, the first national survey since the late 1990s without an estimate. Nobody can now tell if it improved.
Read more at The Hindu →
NITI Aayog member Prof Dr M Srinivas told FICCI HEAL 2026 that every hospital should meet a basic minimum standard of quality and patient safety. 'The world should recognize that Indian hospitals have a minimum standard of patient care,' he said, also backing interoperable digital records.
Read more at VOH Network →
Keralam became the first state to unanimously pass a comprehensive law protecting senior citizens from abuse and exploitation and improving access to healthcare and social security. The Senior Citizens (Care and Protection of Rights) Bill, 2026, passed after amendments from both ruling and opposition members were accepted.
Read more at health.economictimes.indiatimes.com →
Tobacco use is declining in India and the US, but disadvantaged and rural people remain disproportionately affected, a comparative analysis presented at NAPCON found. Smokeless tobacco and bidis are the main concern in India, cigarettes and e-cigarettes in the US. The paper studied national survey data from both.
Read more at The Hindu →The All India Ophthalmological Society, which has over 30,000 members, has developed a Vision Growth Card with Mankind Pharma to standardise myopia tracking. Like a height and weight growth card, families and eye doctors use it to record a child's eye health over time, as short-sightedness rises among Indian children.
Read more at India Today →Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda launched a national capacity-building programme for professionals in drug de-addiction services, aiming to train 10,000 by March 2029 through six central institutions. It covers prevention, identification, assessment, treatment and management of substance use disorders.
Read more at VOH Network →The six-month interim tenure of Professor Nikhil Tandon as AIIMS Delhi director was due to end on Tuesday, with no regular appointment yet. More than 60 candidates applied by August 2, sources said, and the appointments committee of the cabinet decides. The institute faces faculty exits and vacancies.
Read more at The Times of India →A survey of 2,633 adults across 1,118 households in Udupi taluk, Karnataka, estimated a 7.06% prevalence of non-communicable neurological disorders, BMC Public Health reports. Participants were screened with the NIMHANS protocol, with specialists confirming positive screens. Community data on this in India has been limited.
Read more at Bioengineer.org →India's national telemedicine service eSanjeevani has facilitated more than 50 crore teleconsultations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in the 139th Mann Ki Baat. He also pointed to more than 1.9 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs expanding access to primary healthcare.
Read more at digitalhealthnews.com →With Delhi's AQI at 178 on Monday morning, doctors advise pregnant women to take extra care, since fine particulate matter can irritate airways and affect maternal health. Dr Harish Verma of ShardaCare Healthcity says PM2.5 can reach deep into the lungs and may enter the bloodstream.
Read more at The Indian Express →Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava asked government health institutions to move beyond symbolic cleanliness drives and deliver visible, verifiable improvements in sanitation and upkeep. She was reviewing Special Campaign 6 ahead of a sanitation drive on October 27. Symbolic, it appears, has been noticed.
Read more at health.economictimes.indiatimes.com →Keralam's Health Minister K. Muraleedharan defended the switch to a generic drug for spinal muscular atrophy in the Assembly and said the state would try to cut its price further. The eventual aim is to offer it free to all SMA patients, he said, replying to an opposition motion.
Read more at The Hindu →Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda reviewed clinical services, medical education, research and planned improvements at ABVIMS and Dr RML Hospital in New Delhi on October 23. RML Hospital recorded 19.4 lakh outpatient visits in 2025, according to the report.
Read more at Nation Path India →
Congo's cumulative Ebola cases reached 10,060 as of October 25, with 4,887 deaths, a fatality rate of 48.6%, according to Reuters and Xinhua. The outbreak, declared in Ituri on May 15, now affects eight provinces and 66 health zones. It is the second largest on record.
Read more at Seoul Economic Daily →
A team of Ebola scientists will travel to Nigeria to investigate how the country's first patient in more than a decade caught the Bundibugyo species, Africa CDC chief Jean Kaseya said. The team will also check for possible links with Kenya's cases. 'We have so many unknowns,' he said.
Read more at The Hindu →The UK health department found that 90,835 of 118,756 responses to its 2023 consultation on disposable vapes, 76%, came from bots, research in Tobacco Control shows. Nearly all answered the same question. The attempt to block the bill failed. Public consultation has rarely been this public, or this automated.
Read more at The Guardian →WHO's vaccine advisers say countries could consider routine HPV vaccination for girls from age 4 where it helps lagging coverage. SAGE chair Anthony Scott said 165 countries use the vaccine but global coverage is 33%, against a 90% target. Girls aged 9 to 14 remain the priority.
Read more at nst.com.my →
The price of the RTS,S malaria vaccine will fall about 40% to around Sh800 a dose, which Gavi and Unicef say will save about $50 million from 2027 to 2029. Production moved from GSK to India. Kenya has already begun switching to a cheaper alternative, so its gain is unclear.
Read more at the-star.co.ke →Offering the HPV vaccine at ages 9 to 10 rather than 11 to 12 leads to a meaningful rise in starting and completing the series, including by age 13, according to a study presented at IDWeek. Only the summary of the Medical Xpress report was available to us.
Read more at Medical Xpress →More than half of children under 5 exposed to hepatitis B are exposed by someone in their household other than their birth mother, a study presented at IDWeek in Washington found. Only the summary of the Medical Xpress report was available to us, so sample size is not given here.
Read more at Medical Xpress →Most fresh fruit and vegetables imported into the United States come from foreign facilities that federal inspectors have rarely, if ever, visited, an investigation finds, after a summer of produce outbreaks exposed gaps in FDA oversight. Only the summary of the report was available to us.
Read more at Medical Xpress →Psychiatrists at the Yaba Research Conference asked Nigeria's government to allocate at least 2.5% of the health research budget to mental health research, against 0.1% now. They said Africa has 17% of the world's population but produces 1.8% of global mental health research and gets 0.3% of funding.
Read more at healthwise.punchng.com →Israel's Health Ministry warned against the 'Revival Miracle' hair straightening product after a woman was hospitalised at Rambam Hospital. Inspectors found it was sold without a licence and its label lists glyoxylic acid, banned in straightening products in Israel. Salons and the public were told to stop using it.
Read more at ynetnews.com →Bangladesh nearly doubled the health ministry's development allocation, but its Health Services Division spent Tk 107 crore of Tk 6,014 crore, or 1.78%, from July to September, The Daily Star reports. The other division spent 1.86%. The money has been allocated with great confidence.
Read more at The Daily Star →Hospitalisations for serious heart infections associated with drug use are declining after years of increases in the US, mostly because of fewer opioid-associated cases, a national study found. A growing share of cases now involves stimulants. Only the summary of the Medical Xpress report was available to us.
Read more at Medical Xpress →Namibia's Ministry of Health and Social Services has halted recruitment of new staff, leaving unemployed qualified nurses waiting until the financial year starting April 2027. Executive director Penda Ithindi cited the government's limited finances and adverse external economic developments. N$259 million had been allocated for health worker recruitment.
Read more at allafrica.com →The British Virgin Islands has kept HPV vaccination coverage above 90% for at least two consecutive years, which PAHO recognised during Vaccination Week in the Americas 2026, its health ministry said. The territory aims to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem, said minister Vincent O. Wheatley.
Read more at gov.vg →
Bengaluru preventive healthcare startup Cent, cofounded by Practo founder Shashank ND, raised $15 million in equity and debt led by Blume Ventures and South Park Commons. It is expanding imaging and diagnostics for early detection, and did not disclose its valuation or the equity and debt split.
Read more at The Economic Times →Care recommended by AI systems costs significantly more than care documented by physicians, a study in NEJM AI shows, mainly because AI suggests tests doctors do not order. The headline puts it at three times the cost. The tool built to save time is generous with other things.
Read more at techtarget.com →
The National Health Authority says the standalone ABHA app will be discontinued from 31 October 2026, and citizens should move to Aarogya Setu 2.0 to keep using ABDM digital health services. Aarogya Setu 2.0 now handles creating and managing health accounts. The super app has eaten its sibling.
Read more at ehealth.eletsonline.com →Coherence raised a $45 million Series A co-led by Founders Fund and the OpenAI Startup Fund for an implantable device that records electrical biomarker signals to track how tumours change. The money funds the first chronic human trial of its brain-computer interface in glioblastoma. Lux Capital and 8VC also invested.
Read more at itbrief.com.au →
AIIMS Nagpur is set to introduce the da Vinci robotic surgery system for soft tissue operations within a month, with ₹38 crore sanctioned. It will allow minimally invasive procedures on organs such as the prostate, uterus and bladder. A robotic system for bone surgeries has run there for seven months.
Read more at thehitavada.com →NITI Aayog member Prof Dr M Srinivas told FICCI Heal 2026 that data from the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission will be a 'gamechanger' for India and the Global South. 'Once this data is harnessed, AI can be optimally utilised,' he said. The data, for its part, awaits harnessing.
Read more at health.economictimes.indiatimes.com →Eight more eastern Ontario hospitals, including Montfort, Queensway-Carleton and the Royal, have joined the Atlas Alliance's shared digital health record, giving patients access through the MyChart portal. The hospitals say a patient's information follows them whichever partner hospital they visit.
Read more at ctvnews.ca →Security researcher Abhinav Agarwal found four vulnerabilities in HAPI FHIR, the open source framework behind Smile Digital Health's Smile CDR clinical data platform. They could allow cross-tenant data access, unauthorised disclosure of patient records and service disruption. HAPI FHIR is widely used elsewhere too.
Read more at hipaajournal.com →Researchers report a wearable EEG patch that recorded stable brain signals over 24 hours, including during sleep, Medical Xpress reports. Traditional EEG systems are often uncomfortable and limited to controlled testing environments. Only the summary of the report was available to us.
Read more at Medical Xpress →Researchers at Skoltech's Biomedically-Informed AI Laboratory and the University of Sharjah improved computer vision algorithms that look for signs of epilepsy and multiple sclerosis on brain MRI scans, finding previously missed signs, Medical Xpress reports. Only the summary of the report was available to us.
Read more at Medical Xpress →Researchers from the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden and the Else Kröner Fresenius Center for Digital Health at TU Dresden have built a 3D-printed implant prototype that records brain activity and delivers targeted cooling. It is a prototype. Only the summary of the report was available to us.
Read more at Medical Xpress →Tanzanian healthtech Medikea closed a $1.2 million pre-seed round backed by Baobab Network, Catalyst Fund and develoPPP Ventures, with Madica putting in $200,000. It is opening clinics in Arusha and Morogoro, taking its network to four, and plans 10 by the end of 2027.
Read more at thecondia.com →The UK's Cyber Security and Resilience Bill has reached the House of Lords report stage and would let regulators bring designated critical suppliers into scope, which could include pharma, biotech and life sciences firms. The 2024 Synnovis attack disrupted pathology services across London hospitals.
Read more at htworld.co.uk →A scoping review of 48 studies found evaluations of digital health tools for older adults in long-term care homes are fragmented and poorly aligned with how care is delivered. Only 15 used a formal evaluation framework, BMC Health Services Research reports. It did not test whether any tool improved outcomes.
Read more at Bioengineer.org →
One in two new mothers in a Cyprus University of Technology study reported symptoms of depression and anxiety that need further assessment, based on questionnaires from 474 mothers. The researchers note these are symptoms, not diagnosed disorders, and say perinatal mental health services need strengthening.
Read more at en.philenews.com →Kansas State University research in Nature Mental Health, using data from the NIH All of Us programme, suggests physical activity may be especially beneficial for people with a genetic predisposition to depression, potentially reducing risk and easing symptoms. It looked at adults with major depressive disorder.
Read more at eurekalert.org →
A University of Evora review in Frontiers in Psychology of exercises for people over 55 found sensorimotor training was the best way to improve strength, balance and mobility. The training requires coordination between the nervous system and muscles and is often used for musculoskeletal problems like back pain.
Read more at womanandhome.com →
News outlets and clinical studies report positive psilocybin effects at nearly the same rate, a JAMA Network Open review found. Papers stress small samples and design flaws, while news stories often present benefits as established and extend them to conditions with little trial backing. We have read this sentence carefully.
Read more at psypost.org →Seed oils have become the online enemy of the moment, but Australia's dietary guidelines say they are basically fine, limited only because they are high in calories. 'There's no convincing evidence,' said Prof Lauren Ball of the University of Queensland. The activewear has not been consulted.
Read more at The Guardian →In a 10-year trial of adults with stage 3 chronic kidney disease and metabolic acidosis, a group assigned fruit and vegetables had fewer hospital trips, while a group on a standard kidney medication did not. Results came at Kidney Week, and the report notes gaps in the fine print.
Read more at health.yahoo.com →Forty per cent of women undergoing IVF in Australia experience clinical levels of anxiety and depression, 7NEWS reports, with one in every 16 babies now born through fertility treatment. A new study is looking at how to address the mental health toll on IVF patients.
Read more at 7news.com.au →Dr Anup Taksande of KIMS Hospitals, Thane, says some symptoms may point to underlying cardiovascular problems and should not automatically be blamed on age. Erectile dysfunction is neither inevitable nor necessarily normal with age, he says, and in some men may be an early sign of heart disease.
Read more at The Indian Express →KFF Health News explains B.R.A.I.N., an acronym patients can use to question doctors before agreeing to a major medical decision. It opens with Gina Conley, who felt unheard during a labour full of interventions she had not wanted, and later became a birth doula to help other women.
Read more at KFF Health News →Northeastern University's Donald Robinaugh says mental health professionals should treat all symptoms of conditions such as generalised anxiety disorder and depression, not only the diagnostic label. Symptoms can include a racing heart over everyday tasks, worthlessness, panic or irrational anger over small things.
Read more at news.northeastern.edu →Dr Surabhi Siddhartha of Motherhood Hospitals, Kharghar, says periods not returning nine months after a C-section is not necessarily a cause for alarm, especially for breastfeeding mothers. The reason for the delay matters, she tells The Indian Express, so it is worth understanding what is behind it.
Read more at The Indian Express →A matched analysis of 4,976 adults in Spain's 2023 Health Survey found foreign-born men had lower rates of low emotional wellbeing, 8.8% against 13.0%, and fewer depressive symptoms, 22.7% against 28.9%, despite socioeconomic disadvantages. Differences among women were smaller and less consistent.
Read more at Bioengineer.org →Working night shifts during pregnancy is linked to a higher risk of neurodevelopmental abnormalities detected by screening in the child by age 4, research in Occupational and Environmental Medicine finds. It is an observational link. Only the summary of the Medical Xpress report was available to us.
Read more at Medical Xpress →An analysis of 708 clinical records at Casey House, a Toronto specialty hospital, found better mental health and more stable housing were associated with more favourable substance use ratings. Health care access had a smaller and less consistent link. The study is cross-sectional, so it shows association only.
Read more at Bioengineer.org →Healthcare and pharma roles checked today, health tech included. Every listing links to the original posting. No referral needed, for once.
Health conferences coming up, each checked against its own page this morning. Hydrate between sessions.
It sits on your phone like an app and has never once asked for an update.
iPhone