The US Food and Drug Administration has approved TNKase or Tenecteplase, which is a thrombolytic or clot-dissolving agent, for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke in adults.

Ischemic strokes happen when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel in your brain. It can cause permanent brain damage and death. If enough brain cells die, you can also lose the abilities or body functions those cells control. They are also the most common types of stroke, with 80% of all strokes being ischemic strokes.

How is TNKase administered?

It is delivered as a single five-second intravenous bolus, which is faster than the standard of care Activase or alteplase, which is administered as an intravenous bolus followed by a 60-minute infusion. The manufacturer of TNKase, Genetech said a new 25-mg vial configuration will also be available in the coming months.

How Was TNKase approved?

The approval came at the backdrop of a study that compared TNKase to Activase in patients with acute ischemic stroke. These patients also presented with a disabling neurological deficit. Results show that TNKase was comparable to Activase in terms of efficacy and safety.

How Common Are These Strokes?

In the United States it self, it affects more than 795,000 people each year and is the leading cause of long-term disability. It is also the fifth leading cause of death. Since brain damage can happen if this progresses rapidly, one needs an immediate, fast-acting medical care.

TNKase thus provide a faster and simpler administration which can be critical for anyone. The chief medical officer and head of global product development at Genetech, Levi Garraway, MD., PhD., said, "Today's approval is a significant step forward and underscores our commitment to advancing stroke treatment options for patients."

What Are The Symptoms Of Ischemic Strokes?

Some of the most common symptoms include weakness or paralysis on one side of your face and body. You may also feel trouble speaking or have loss of speech, also known as aphasia. You may faced slurred or garbled speaking, also known as dysarthria. Other symptoms include loss of muscle control on one side of your face, or sudden worsening or loss of your senses, including vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.

Other symptoms include:

• Loss of coordination or clumsiness
• Blurry vision or double vision
• Dizziness or vertigo
• Nausea and vomiting
• Neck stiffness
• Mood swings or sudden personality changes
• Confusion or agitation
• Seizures
• Memory loss (amnesia)
• Headaches which are sudden and severe
• Passing out or fainting
• Coma

Are There Any Warning Signs?

While these are symptoms one has who is prone to this condition. However, often, many may confuse it with other illnesses. It is best to keep an eye out for warning signs. These could be looking out for yourself or your loved one. Note if there is a sudden loss of balance. Look out for sudden vision loss or changes in one or both eyes. Look for a droop on one or both sides of your face, especially when you smile. Raise both arms and see if one arm sags or drops in a way it usually does not. Note for your speech. Are you as fluent? Are you have trouble speaking? If you see any of such signs, start tracking it and talk to your healthcare provider.

A personalized mRNA cancer vaccine developed by pharma giants Moderna and Merck has shown promise for patients with melanoma, a potentially deadly form of skin cancer, in a late-stage trial.

The vaccine, called intismeran autogene, or mRNA-4157/V940, is custom-made for each patient using the unique genetic blueprint of their tumor.

The Phase 3 results build on earlier Phase 2b findings and showed that the combination of intismeran and Keytruda reduced the risk of cancer recurrence or death by 49% and reduced the risk of distant cancer spread or death by 59% up to five years.

“These Phase 3 findings represent a pivotal moment for the field of cancer research. For many years, the idea of creating an mRNA treatment designed specifically for an individual patient's cancer was aspirational. We are now helping turn that vision into a reality,” said Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna.

Trial Shows Longer Cancer-Free Survival

The Phase 3 INTerpath-001 trial met its primary endpoint of recurrence-free survival (RFS) and a key secondary endpoint of distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS).

Intismeran autogene in combination with Keytruda demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in RFS and DMFS compared with Keytruda alone.

The findings were seen in patients with stage IIB, IIC, III, or IV cutaneous melanoma who had undergone complete surgical removal of their cancer and had not previously received systemic therapy.

The companies, however, aim to continue evaluation of other key secondary endpoints, including overall survival.

What Is Intismeran Autogene?

Intismeran autogene is an experimental "neoantigen therapy" that uses specific mutations in a patient’s tumor to train the immune system to recognize and fight cancer cells.

The treatment is designed using a patient’s tumor sample to identify the unique mutational signature, or “fingerprint,” of their cancer and generate an anti-tumor immune response.

Each therapy contains synthetic mRNA coding for up to 34 neoantigens and is tailored to the unique biology of an individual patient’s tumor.

After administration, the RNA-encoded neoantigen sequences are translated in the body and presented to the immune system, helping generate specific T-cell responses against cancer cells.

How Was the Phase 3 Trial Conducted?

• 1,137 patients with high-risk, resected stage IIB-IV melanoma took part in the trial.
• Participants were randomly assigned 2:1 to receive either:
• Intismeran autogene + Keytruda
• Keytruda alone
• Intismeran was given every three weeks for up to nine doses.
• Keytruda was given every six weeks for up to nine cycles, for about one year.
• The trial assessed the safety and effectiveness of the combination compared with Keytruda alone.

Were There Any Safety Concerns?

The safety profiles of intismeran autogene and Keytruda in the trial were consistent with those observed in previously reported studies of the combination. No new safety signals were observed.

“Intismeran in combination with pembrolizumab has the potential to establish a new treatment paradigm in the adjuvant melanoma setting, helping patients remain cancer-free for longer,” said Professor Georgina Long, the study’s principal investigator and medical director of Melanoma Institute Australia.

Long said the results “represent a landmark moment for adjuvant melanoma treatment.”

Hair loss is one of the recent and increasingly discussed concerns among people taking popular weight-loss medicines like Ozempic and Zepbound.

A new study has compared hair loss risk linked with these two drugs to obtain a clear picture of whether one drug is more likely to trigger shedding than the other.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, examined the risk of new-onset hair loss among people taking semaglutide or tirzepatide, the active ingredients in Ozempic/Wegovy and Zepbound/Mounjaro, respectively.

The findings emerge at a time when hair loss due to GLP-1 treatment is widely discussed. Even though the findings indicate, the absolute risk of hair loss due to GLP-1 remains relatively low.

Ozempic Vs Zepbound: Which Drug Poses Higher Risk?

The study compared people who were prescribed semaglutide and tirzepatide and looked at newly diagnosed hair loss. The researchers found an association between use of both medications and hair loss, including conditions like telogen effluvium, a form of temporary shedding that can occur after a major physical or metabolic stress.

However, the researchers say that the findings not be interpreted as proof that either drug directly damages hair follicles. The study was based on electronic health data, which helped researchers identify an association but could not establish that the medication itself was the cause of hair loss.

Also read: Nestlé Customizes Drinks For Ozempic, Wegovy Consumers: What Are Protein And Nutrition Needs of GLP-1 Users?

Why Can Weight-Loss Drugs Cause Hair Shedding?

One of the leading explanations suggests that the hair loss has more to do with the rapid change in metabolic health which helps with the weight loss. Researchers have not found evidence that the drug directly attacks the hair follicles.

When the body undergoes a sudden metabolic change, more hair follicles can prematurely enter the resting phase of the hair-growth cycle. Several months later, those hairs can shed. This effect is known as telogen effluvium.

Reduced food intake can also mean some people consume less protein, iron and other nutrients which are essential for for healthy hair growth. These factors could contribute to shedding during a phase of major weight loss.

Previous clinical data have reported hair loss in around 3% of adults taking Wegovy compared with 1% taking placebo, while Zepbound trials reported hair loss in about 4%-5% of users compared with 1% with placebo.

Also read: Paris Jackson Undergoes ‘Painful’ ECT for Depression: Can Electroconvulsive Therapy Reduce Suicide Risk?

Temporary Hair Loss Due To Metabolic Shift

Telogen effluvium is generally a temporary form of hair shedding. Hair follicles remain intact, meaning they can return to their normal growth cycle once the rapid weight loss stabilises.

Hair shedding may become noticeable several months after weight loss begins, rather than immediately after starting the medication. Regrowth can then take several additional months.

However, not every case of hair loss during GLP-1 treatment is necessarily telogen effluvium. Other forms of alopecia can have different causes and require different treatment.

The new findings come amid growing scrutiny of hair loss as a potential adverse effect of GLP-1 medicines.

A separate large study published in The BMJ in July 2026 also found that adults with type 2 diabetes taking GLP-1 receptor agonists had a slightly higher risk of alopecia compared with people taking other diabetes medicines.

Researchers have stressed that more research is needed to understand whether the medicines themselves contribute to hair loss or whether the shedding is related to rapid weight loss and metabolic or nutritional changes.

China has reported a rare human case of H1N2v swine flu, underscoring the risk of zoonotic transmission and the importance of continued surveillance of swine-origin influenza viruses.

Swine flu is caused by type A influenza viruses that mainly infect pigs. Human infections are rare and usually occur after close contact with infected pigs. When these viruses infect humans, they are known as variant viruses.

H1N2v differs from seasonal human H1N2 influenza. The “v” stands for variant, indicating a virus of swine origin.

China Reports Human H1N2v Case

China reported its first human H1N2v infection in a 2-year-old boy from Yunnan province.

China notified WHO on February 3, 2026, after the infection was laboratory-confirmed on February 2. The child developed mild illness on January 20 and had reported exposure to domestic pigs before becoming ill.

A study by Chinese CDC researchers, published in Frontiers in Public Health on July 29, found:

• The boy lived near pigs, chickens and pigeons.
• A pig owned by his great-uncle died around the time the child became ill.
• Influenza A was detected in samples from the child and the deceased pig.
• Investigators considered the pig a plausible source, although the exact transmission route could not be established.
• 30 close contacts were monitored; none tested positive or developed influenza-like illness.
• No secondary infections were identified, with no evidence of human-to-human transmission.

No Evidence Of Sustained Human Spread

Dr Amit Prakash Singh, Consultant – Internal Medicine at CK Birla Hospital, Delhi, told HealthandMe that H1N2v is a swine-origin influenza virus that can occasionally infect humans, usually after exposure to infected pigs or contaminated environments.

“As no secondary cases or sustained human-to-human transmission were identified, this should not currently be viewed as a pandemic threat,” he said.

People with frequent pig exposure, young children, older adults, pregnant women and those with underlying health conditions may need greater caution, he added.

Prevention includes avoiding close contact with sick animals, practicing hand hygiene and respiratory precautions, and seeking medical attention for persistent or severe flu-like symptoms.

Previous H1N2v Cases

H1N2v infections have been reported sporadically in the US and Europe, particularly following exposure to pigs.

• CDC surveillance lists 44 confirmed H1N2v infections in the US since 2010 through May 2026.
• During the 2024–25 influenza season, one H1N2v infection was reported in an adult from Iowa. The patient was hospitalized and recovered.
• CDC reported two H1N2v infections during the 2025–26 season by May 2026.

Human H1N2v infections remain rare. Greater concern would arise if there were evidence of sustained person-to-person transmission or changes that allow the virus to spread more efficiently among humans.

H1N2v Symptoms

According to the US CDC, illness caused by variant influenza viruses has generally been mild, with symptoms similar to seasonal flu. These can include:

• Fever
• Tiredness
• Loss of appetite
• Cough
• Runny nose
• Sore throat
• Eye irritation
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea

However, serious illness requiring hospitalization and, in some cases, resulting in death has also been reported.

How Is H1N2v Diagnosed And Treated?

Variant influenza A infection can be diagnosed through respiratory testing. Four antiviral drugs are recommended in the US for treating influenza: oseltamivir, peramivir, zanamivir and baloxavir, the CDC said.