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.

In a bid to address ‘overuse’ of psychiatric medications, US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr has launched a new plan that aims to promote appropriate psychiatric prescribing and drive deprescribing when clinically indicated.

Kennedy announced the efforts to curb psychiatric overprescribing at a MAHA Institute summit on mental health and overmedicalization.

“Today, we take clear and decisive action to confront our nation’s mental health crisis by addressing the overuse of psychiatric medications—especially among children,” said Kennedy.

“We will support patient autonomy, require informed consent and shared decision-making, and shift the standard of care toward prevention, transparency, and a more holistic approach to mental health,” he added.

Agencies within the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are collaborating to leverage their collective expertise and align their efforts to evaluate prescription patterns for psychiatric medications, their benefits and potential harms, and to elevate the role of non-medication treatments and scalable, evidence-based solutions to improve mental health.

The HHS has planned a multipronged approach, including education and outreach, program and policy actions, and research-to-practice efforts, to prevent the unnecessary initiation of psychiatric medications and support the tapering and discontinuation for patients not experiencing clinical benefit.

Also read: Ibogaine: Why Donald Trump Is Pushing US FDA To Fast-track This Psychedelic

SSRI's The Main Target

The initiative focuses on the most widely prescribed class of psychiatric medications, first-line treatments for depression and anxiety that include Zoloft, Lexapro, Paxil and Prozac. In 2025, 16.6 percent of U.S. adults, or roughly one in six, reported currently taking an SSRI, the New York Times reported.

SSRIs—short for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors—are among the most widely prescribed antidepressants in the world. The drugs work by increasing serotonin, a neurotransmitter that plays a role in mood regulation, emotional processing, and impulse control. By preventing serotonin from being reabsorbed too quickly, SSRIs maintain higher levels of the chemical in the brain, which can improve symptoms of depression and anxiety for many patients.

Like any medication, SSRIs come with side effects—such as nausea, sexual dysfunction, and insomnia—but they are generally considered safe and effective when prescribed appropriately.

Experts Welcome But Raise Concerns Over Gap

Psychiatry experts have welcomed the new federal efforts toward improving psychiatric healthcare. They also raised concerns, including potential overemphasis on overprescribing, while access to mental healthcare remains inadequate.

Deprescribing “simply means that if any treatment is not proving itself to be beneficial, or if problems with tolerability substantially outweigh efficacy, it makes sense to discontinue that treatment and replace it with a more effective viable alternative,” said Dr. Joseph F. Goldberg, clinical professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, CNN reported.

Dr. Theresa Miskimen Rivera, president of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), said the group supports the administration’s plans for further investment, research, and clinical training.

“However, we do have an issue with the framing of mental health as a primary problem of overmedicalization,” Rivera added. “This type of characterization really oversimplifies a very complex, larger issue.”

Read More: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Denies Link To Measles Outbreak At Senate Hearing

“This oversimplification of our mental health does not take into account things like persistent workforce shortages, limited psychiatric beds, inadequate visit time, barriers to psychotherapy and social support, and insufficient integration of psychiatric expertise in primary care,” added Rivera, who is also a clinical professor of psychiatry at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

New photos circulating on social media of President Donald Trump’s discolored, swollen, and visibly bruised hands have reignited concerns about his health.

The latest viral images show the 79-year-old Republican president at an event honoring military moms just ahead of Mother’s Day. In the photos, Trump’s hands appeared to be lathered in mismatched concealer, seemingly covering bruises. His hands also looked swollen, with white patches visible and purplish coloring apparent on his left hand through the patch.

Also Read: Donald Trump’s Weekend Dental Appointment Triggers Fresh Health Concerns

“Yikes! Both of Trump's hands are discolored today, and one of them appears bruised as well,” one social media user commented.

Another wrote, “New photo shows heavy bruising and makeup on both of Trump's hands.”

Donald Trump's Health: What Does The White House Say

The White House, however, downplayed the concerns, emphasizing Trump’s energy and good health. Trump is “the sharpest, most accessible, and energetic president in American history”, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said, the Daily Beast reported.

Also Read: Donald Trump’s Health Under Spotlight After ‘Squirrel’ Remark Sparks Cognitive Debate

“The president is a man of the people, and he meets more Americans and shakes their hands on a daily basis than any other president in history. President Trump’s commitment is unwavering, and he proves that every single day,” Ingle added.

"Hand discoloration can be caused by several underlying conditions, including bruising (bleeding under the skin), low oxygen or poor circulation, swelling (fluid buildup), and infection or inflammation," Dr. Amit Prakash Singh, Consultant in Internal Medicine at CK Birla Hospital, Delhi, told HealthandMe.

In the past, the White House attributed the bruising on Trump’s hands to his high-dose aspirin regimen—he reportedly takes 325 milligrams daily, four times the typical recommended dose.

As the oldest person to assume the US presidency, Trump’s visible signs, including hand bruising and apparent leg swelling, have fueled ongoing public interest in his health.

Concerns about his mental health have also been raised; experts have reported behaviors such as seeking “great adulation” and becoming “angry if reality does not meet his needs,” according to BMJ.

Speaking on Monday at the White House Small Business Summit, Trump said he had taken the Montreal Cognitive Assessment three times and “aced each one,” claiming a doctor told him it was the first perfect score they had seen, according to The Daily Beast.

Trump also boasted about his ability to correctly identify a squirrel on the cognitive screening test. He suggested that answering the test questions easily demonstrated his cognitive fitness—a claim repeatedly questioned by critics.

Further, his recent visit to a dentist in Florida also sparked discussions about his health.

While past presidents have used the White House’s on-site clinic, Trump opted for a local dentist, as he had previously in January.

Last week, Trump was photographed with his son, Donald Trump Jr., with visible swelling in his ankles. Medical experts note this is likely linked to his chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), diagnosed last July. “CVI damages those valves, causing blood to pool in your legs. This increases pressure in your leg veins and causes symptoms like swelling and ulcers,” according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Trump’s Image Among Americans Takes A Hit

Nearly 60 percent of Americans are questioning whether Trump is healthy enough to serve in the Oval Office, according to a Washington Post–ABC News–Ipsos poll.

Alongside dissatisfaction with his leadership on the Iran war, the economy, and inflation, a growing share of Americans are also questioning his mental acuity.

Nearly 6 in 10 say he lacks the mental sharpness for the role, while 55 percent say he is not in good enough physical health to serve effectively.

Three suspected hantavirus patients have been evacuated from the ship and are on their way to receive medical care in the Netherlands, said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, today.

Also Read: Hantavirus: South African Scientists Identify Strain behind Outbreak On Cruise Ship

The three patients evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship include

• a 56-year-old British national,
• a 65-year-old from Germany,
• a 41-year-old from the Netherlands.

The WHO chief noted that the global health agency “continues to work with the ship’s operators to closely monitor the health of passengers and crew, working with countries to support appropriate medical follow-up and evacuation where needed”.

“Monitoring and follow-up for passengers on board and for those who have already disembarked has been initiated in collaboration with the ship’s operators and national health authorities,” Dr Ghebreyesus said.

Hantavirus: 8 Suspected Cases, 3 Deaths

Also read: WHO Says Suspected Hantavirus Killed 3 on Cruise Ship: Symptoms, Risks, and Prevention

Some passengers aboard the Hondius began experiencing serious health complications after the ship, carrying about 150 passengers, departed Argentina on April 1.

Initially, it was considered a severe acute respiratory infection; later, three people died.

• April 11: A 70-year-old Dutch national became the first passenger to die while on board the ship. His death has not yet been confirmed as due to hantavirus.
• April 24: The man’s 69-year-old wife travelled alongside her husband’s body from St Helena, a British island in the South Atlantic, to Johannesburg. Her condition deteriorated during a flight the next day, and she was taken to the hospital.
• April 26: The woman died in a hospital in South Africa. She is the first confirmed hantavirus case.
• April 27: A second sick passenger, a British national, was flown to South Africa and remains in a critical but stable condition in hospital with hantavirus.
• May 2: A German national died while on the ship; it is unclear if the passenger was infected.
• May 5: The Swiss government announced that a man who travelled home from his trip from South America on the MV Hondius cruise ship at the end of April visited the University Hospital Zurich after experiencing symptoms. He was immediately placed in isolation, with authorities saying there is no danger to the public. His wife, who accompanied him, has not shown symptoms but is also isolating as a precaution.
• May 6: WHO announces the evacuation of three infected passengers.

What Is Hantavirus?

Also read: Hantavirus Outbreak: How The Rare Rodent-Borne Virus Spreads

According to the WHO, hantaviruses are zoonotic viruses that naturally infect rodents and are occasionally transmitted to humans.

Symptoms include:

• Fever
• Headache
• Abdominal pain
• Diarrhea

Hantavirus: The Andes strain?

A team of scientists at South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases identified the strain of hantavirus linked to the cases.

In a presentation to parliament, the South African health minister said the Andes strain of hantavirus, which can spread human-to-human, had been identified in two people who disembarked from the cruise ship.

The Andes virus is the only hantavirus strain with documented human-to-human transmission and is more commonly found in South America.