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.

Weeks after revealing that she had been wrongly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), Emmy-winning actor Christina Applegate is exploring whether breast implant illness could explain her chronic pain and fatigue.

Applegate has been experiencing persistent pain and fatigue, which have also affected her mobility. She gradually withdrew from public life after her MS diagnosis in 2021, as she navigated the physical and emotional toll of the condition.

However, in October, the 54-year-old actor revealed that a doctor had told her she did not have MS. She is now undergoing tests for various conditions, including autoimmune diseases and Lyme disease, to determine the cause of her debilitating symptoms.

Applegate is also considering whether her breast implants could be contributing to her health problems. Speaking on the November 10 episode of her podcast, she said her suspicions were reinforced after someone sent her a study that described breast implant illness as "presenting as MS", USA Today reported.

"I swear, over the last five years I thought, 'What if they're leaking and they're poisoning me?'" Applegate said. "So that's one that I will be looking into, because it's something I've thought about."

Christina Applegate Opens Up About Her Symptoms

Also read: Christina Applegate Reveals Multiple Sclerosis Misdiagnosis: Why The Disease Is Hard To Diagnose

Applegate said she is struggling to understand what is causing her persistent pain and fatigue, describing how the symptoms have affected her mobility.

"I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with me; of course I know about these things," she said, referring to the messages she receives from people suggesting possible diagnoses.

She added that the number of possible explanations had become overwhelming.

"It's overwhelming because there's so many different things that could be going on, and this pain stuff – I don't know what's going on in my joints, but I can't move my right shoulder at all now. I can't lift my arm," she said.

In an earlier podcast episode in October, Applegate spoke emotionally about the uncertainty surrounding her health after learning that she did not have MS.

"I'm back at square one – that I don't know what's going on with me," she said.

Despite the news, Applegate said her symptoms have not improved.

“I haven’t gotten better. I still have to use wheelchairs when I go to the doctor’s office. I can’t walk from the car to the room. I’m still in this. Nothing magical happened when she said, ‘You don’t have MS.’ Nothing magical happened.”

Christina Applegate's Breast Cancer And Implant History

Applegate was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer in 2008 and underwent a double mastectomy, followed by breast reconstruction.

She also discovered that she carries a BRCA1 gene mutation, which increases the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers.

The actor has previously spoken about her breast implants, saying she was "way overdue for having [the implants] replaced."

What Is Breast Implant Illness?

Breast implant illness (BII) is a term used to describe a range of systemic symptoms that some people report experiencing after receiving breast implants.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has highlighted several potential complications associated with breast implants, including capsular contracture, implant rupture, certain cancers and symptoms collectively described as breast implant illness.

Reported BII symptoms include:

• Persistent fatigue
• Memory and concentration problems, often described as brain fog
• Joint and muscle pain
• Hair loss
• Weight changes
• Anxiety and depression

However, BII is not a formally recognised medical diagnosis. The FDA notes that there are no specific tests or established diagnostic criteria to define or identify the condition.

While some people report improvements in symptoms after implant removal, the relationship between breast implants and these systemic symptoms remains an area of ongoing research. Applegate's concerns about a possible connection with her symptoms have not yet been medically established.

Twenty-six years later, the country is facing its worst outbreak of the highly contagious disease and is on the verge of losing its hard-earned elimination status.

As of November 5, 2026, the US had reported 5,182 confirmed measles cases, according to the CDC. It is the first time that the country has crossed 5,000 mark since 1991.

Further, Pennsylvania (six), New York (one) and Wisconsin (one) have reported a combined eight measles-associated deaths this year — more than the total recorded between 2000 and 2024.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), a regional office of the World Health Organization, is reviewing the country's status. An announcement is expected next week.

What Is Driving The Measles Resurgence In The US?

Also read: EXCLUSIVE: Ex-CDC Vaccine Advisor Says Measles Outbreak Bigger Than Reported, Slams RFK Jr’s ‘No-See Evil’ Approach

Vaccine hesitancy is a key factor behind the resurgence, said Professor Devi Sridhar, Professor and Chair of Global Public Health at the University of Edinburgh, in an exclusive conversation with HealthandMe.

"We're seeing more parents concerned about the side effects of vaccines. Perhaps they've seen a video online or read something that makes them nervous. So for a while in the 1990s, for example, the MMR vaccine was falsely linked to rising autism rates."

She noted that while the study has since been debunked, misinformation of this kind has contributed to vaccine hesitancy, with parents choosing not to vaccinate their children despite vaccines being available because they fear potential side effects.

Falling Vaccination Rates Allow Measles To Spread

Two doses of the MMR vaccine are approximately 97% effective at preventing measles. Even a single dose provides strong protection, offering about 93% effectiveness.

Sridhar said the number of vaccinated children was falling below the threshold needed to prevent the virus from circulating and causing deaths in the country.

"But what we're seeing is that the number of children vaccinated is falling underneath that threshold, which is around 85 to 90%. And once you get a population that is not vaccinated to that level, measles starts to circulate, then it starts to find children, and unfortunately they get infected. And because it's so serious, we are starting to see deaths even in the United States."

Sridhar also warned that misinformation online is undermining trust in vaccines. She said online claims about the MMR vaccine, including false links to autism and fears about side effects, can discourage parents from vaccinating their children.

"That's very dangerous now because as we know, the information on the internet and on social media isn't regulated."

Read More: What Happens After Measles Infection? The Hidden Risks That Can Last For Years

Can The US Rebuild Public Trust In Vaccines?

Sridhar pointed to changes in the country's public health and scientific institutions over the past two years, including the dismantling of the vaccine advisory group and a shift towards alternative therapies that has contributed to vaccine hesitancy.

However, with the recent Democratic gains in Congress, she is hopeful about the possibility of restoring science in government.

“Those who are scientifically trained, those who are doctors, clinicians, PhDs, people who have that kind of background will really help to hopefully bring science back into government and into government advice and help build that trust.”

How Is Measles-Elimination Status Determined?

PAHO considers endemic measles transmission to have been re-established when the same virus genotype and lineage circulates uninterrupted for at least 12 months within a country or defined geographical area.

The Regional Verification Commission reviews epidemiological and laboratory evidence, alongside information on vaccination coverage, surveillance and outbreak response, before making recommendations on a country's status.

Publicly available data shows that several chains of measles transmission have continued for more than a year in the US, according to scientists who analysed the data at the request of The New York Times.

Three separate transmission chains — two in Utah and one in Arizona — were continuing in July 2026 and could be traced to an outbreak in Texas more than a year earlier. One of these chains was still circulating in Utah in September, occasionally spilling over into Oregon and Washington.

Another transmission chain, detected in Virginia at the start of the year, was still spreading in Iowa, Indiana and Pennsylvania as of mid-October.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has claimed that cancer, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease and mental illness could become “relics of the past” in less than a decade, thanks to artificial intelligence (AI).

The AI company has kicked off the roadshow for its US initial public offering (IPO), seeking to raise up to $64.4 billion at a valuation of around $1 trillion. The listing could mark the first public offering by a frontier AI lab.

In the company's IPO roadshow video, Amodei spoke about AI's potential to transform human health, describing a future in which diseases that have long challenged medicine could be overcome.

"I think if we do this right, we can create an age of miracles where humanity is able to solve problems that have eluded us for millennia," he said.

Amodei also addressed the risks associated with AI and invited investors to join the company's next phase of growth.

"We have to make sure that all the risks, all the ways that things can go wrong with this technology, we very carefully address those risks as we bring the benefits, and as we have a viable business at the same time".

Amodei isn't alone. His promise is echoed by other AI leaders including Elon Musk and Google's AI boss Demis Hassabis.

However, not everybody is convinced. Cognitive scientist Gary Marcus, and cardiologist and digital medicine expert Eric Topol point out that current AI models lack the deep causal and biological understanding required to reliably yield breakthrough cures, and as of 2026, no AI-designed drug has achieved full clinical adoption.

"Setting an unattainable objective. I wish it would come true, but curing all these diseases in the next 10 years is impossible. And I'm very optimistic about the impact of AI for improving health," said Topol, in a post on X.

Marcus added that "most likely none of these will be 'relics of the past in ten years'”.

Anthropic CEO Has Long Predicted AI Could Transform Healthcare

Also read: AI-Created Virus Injected Into A Human For The First Time To Fight Antibiotic Resistance

This is not the first time Amodei has spoken about AI's potential to transform healthcare. In a post on X, he wrote: “I think it will actually be possible to cure most human disease in ~5-10 years.”

In two of his essays, Amodei discussed how advanced AI could accelerate biological and medical research, potentially compressing 50–100 years of scientific progress into five to 10 years.

His predictions have covered several major health conditions, including:

• Cancer
• Alzheimer's disease
• Genetic diseases
• Heart disease, diabetes and obesity
• Schizophrenia
• Major depression

He has also discussed the possibility of AI helping humans live significantly longer.

Anthropic's Expanding Healthcare Initiatives

Read More: Anthropic Says Claude Blocked Bird Flu, Chikungunya Research: How AI Could Enable Biological Misuse

In September, Anthropic partnered with medical knowledge platform OpenEvidence to provide AI-powered clinical decision support to healthcare providers in dozens of low- and middle-income countries.

OpenEvidence uses peer-reviewed research and treatment guidelines to answer doctors' clinical questions, with the initiative expected to reach about 100 countries, including Uganda, Angola, Sudan, Haiti and Mongolia.

Anthropic has also announced a Claude-led discovery of a molecular machine that researchers suspect could represent a new gene-editing mechanism, highlighting AI's potential to accelerate biological research.

What Are The Ethical Risks Of Using AI In Healthcare?

READ: AI Creates 16 Viruses To Kill Drug-Resistant E. coli, Raises Biosafety Concerns

Major technology companies, including Google, are increasingly expanding their presence in healthcare through AI-powered tools and services. However, the growing use of AI in medicine also raises questions about patient safety, privacy and accountability.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for stronger ethical oversight of AI-related health research.

In a recent report, WHO warned that rapid advances in AI are creating challenges around privacy, bias, fairness, transparency and accountability. It said existing research ethics systems may need additional expertise to assess risks associated with AI and large datasets.

Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, former president of IMA Cochin and convener of the Research Cell, Kerala, told HealthandMe that AI-driven research, particularly when it involves large datasets crossing national borders, may require ethics committees to include experts in computer science, data ethics and bioinformatics.

“Ethics Committees by themselves will need to be upgraded to incorporate computer scientists, data ethicists, and bioinformaticians.”

WHO also said oversight should extend beyond ethics committees to researchers, funders, scientific journals, data governance bodies, professional societies and regulators.