Category: Health

In its 2024 Annual Report, released on Tuesday, the INCB explains that unlike plant-based drugs, these substances can be made anywhere, without the need for large-scale cultivation, making them easier and cheaper for traffickers to produce and distribute. The rise of powerful opioids like fentanyl and nitazenes – potent enough to cause overdoses in tiny […]

As the European Commission rushes to meet its March 11 deadline for presenting the Critical Medicines Act, the EU’s pharmaceutical industry is raising alarms about the rushed timeline and lack of proper evaluation. Originally promised by Health Commissioner Oliver Várhelyi within the first 100 days of his mandate, the proposal aims to address critical shortages […]

A recent study published in The Lancet Public Health highlights both progress and ongoing challenges in addressing global suicide rates. While the global suicide rate has dropped by nearly 40% since 1990, suicide remains a major public health crisis, causing about 740,000 deaths annually—equivalent to one death every 43 seconds. The study, led by IHME […]

A groundbreaking study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has uncovered critical early warning signs of multiple sclerosis (MS), revealing how lesions—key markers of the disease—form in the brain. Using an animal model that mimics human MS, researchers have developed a four-dimensional brain map that could revolutionize how we detect and treat the disease […]

In recent months, disease surveillance has identified increases in cases and fatalities on three occasions across different areas of the country, which triggered follow-up investigations to confirm the cause and provide needed support, WHO said in a statement. Symptoms include fever, headache, chills, sweating, stiff neck, muscle aches, multiple joint pain and body aches, a runny […]

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming a cornerstone of modern healthcare, revolutionizing everything from patient care to hospital operations. With its ability to analyze vast amounts of data and learn from patterns, AI is reshaping the medical field in ways that were once thought impossible. From preventing falls to reducing hospital readmissions, AI is not […]

UNAIDS said that at least one status report on the impact of cuts has been received from 55 different countries up to the start of this week. That includes 42 projects that are supported by the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and 13 that receive some US support. Two days after President […]

In an alert on Tuesday, UN aid coordinators OCHA said that six humanitarian workers have been killed since January – the latest victim was shot during clashes last week near a hospital in Masisi Territory about 80 kilometres west of Goma, in North Kivu. The same clashes reportedly killed three other civilians and injured a […]

The agency is this week celebrating the 20th anniversary of the entry into force of its Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) – one of the most widely embraced UN treaties in history. The Convention provides a legal framework and a comprehensive package of evidence-based tobacco control measures which include large pictorial health warnings […]

The findings, published in Nature Medicine on Monday, warn that if current trends continue, the world will see 3.2 million new breast cancer cases and 1.1 million related deaths each year by mid-century. The burden will be disproportionately felt in low- and middle-income countries, where access to early detection, treatment and care remains limited. “Every […]