An experimental treatment happens to be the solution to delay Alzheimer's symptoms in some people. These people are the ones who are genetically destined to get the disease in their 40s or 50s. These new findings form ongoing research has now been caught up in Trump administration funding delas. The early results of the study has been published on Wednesday and the participants too are worried that politics could cut their access to a possible lifeline.

One of the participants had said, "It is still a study but it has given me an extension to my life that I never banked on having." The participant is named Jake Henrichs, form New York City, who is 50 years old. He is one of them to be treated in that study for more than a decade now and has remained symptom-free despite inheriting an Alzheimer's-causing gene that had killed his father and brother around the same age.

Slowing Down The Symptoms

Two drugs which can modestly slow down early-stage Alzheimer's are sold in the United States. These drugs clear the brain of one of its hallmarks, a sticky gunk-like part called the amyloid. However, there have not been any hints that removing amyloid far earlier, way many years before the first symptoms appear, may postpone the disease.

How Was The Research Conducted?

The research is led by Washington University in St Louis, which involved families that passed down rare gene mutation as participants. This meant it was almost guaranteed that they will develop symptoms at the same age their affected relatives did.

The new findings is based on a subset of 22 participants who received amyloid-removing drugs the longest, on average eight years. Long-term amyloid removal cut in half their risk of symptom onset. The study is published in the journal Lancet Neurology.

Washington University's Dr Randall Bateman, who directs the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer's Network of studies involving families with these rare genes says, "What we want to determine over the next five years is how strong is the protection. Will they ever get the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease if we keep treating them?”

The researchers before though did not know what exactly caused Alzheimer's which affects nearly 7 million Americans, most of them in their later life. However, it is clear that these silent changes occur in the brain at least two decades before the first symptom shows up. The big contributor. At some point amyloid buildup can trigger a protein named tau that then starts to kill neurons, which can lead to cognitive decline.

Researchers are now thus studying the Tau-fighting drugs and are looking into other factors, like inflammation, brain's immune cells and certain virus.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) has expanded its focus as researchers have found more reasons for Alzheimer's. In 2013, the NIH's National Institute on Aging funded 14 trials of possible Alzheimer's drugs over a third targeting amyloid. By last fall, there were 68 drugs and 18% of them target amyloid. However, there are scientists too who think that amyloid is not everything and their is way more in the brain tissue, immune cells, and more which can be studied.

Pakistan-made skin lightening creams that Indian regulators warned consumers against are still showing up on online marketplaces. This has raised concerns about how unauthorised cosmetics are reaching buyers despite regulatory restrictions.

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has issued a public health alert against Goree Beauty Cream and Chandni Whitening Cream, both produced in Pakistan.

The regulator said the creams were not registered for import into India and contained excessive heavy metals beyond specified limits, which could have toxic effects.

Some of the products listed on marketplaces including Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, Tata 1mg and Snapdeal reportedly described the products as “Made in India”, while manufacturer or seller information was incomplete or obscured.

Why Are Mercury-Laced Face Creams Dangerous?

Also read: India’s Hidden Stillbirth Burden: Lancet Study Finds 2.2 Lakh Pregnancy Losses Missed By Current Reporting Method

The concern is particularly serious because mercury can be absorbed through the skin. Mercury is sometimes added illegally to skin-lightening products because it interferes with melanin production, producing a faster whitening effect. But the same process exposes users to a toxic heavy metal.

Dr. Surendra VHH, Senior Consultant - Dermatologist, Apollo Hospitals, Bangalore, spoke to HealthandMe about how long-term use of mercury-laced toxic cosmetics can cause harm.

He says, “The quick lightening effect may seem appealing, but it can come at a serious health cost. Mercury suppresses melanin production and may also cause rashes, skin thinning, sensitivity, and lasting pigmentation changes.”

Talking about the extreme side-effects of using these creams, he said that long-term exposure can allow mercury to accumulate in the body, particularly the kidneys. It has been associated with kidney damage, neurological problems and immune-system effects.

He says, “Mercury-laced skin-lightening creams are not harmless beauty products. Repeated use can expose the body to mercury, can get absorbed especially damaged unhealthy which may affect the kidneys and nervous system, causing symptoms such as headaches, weakness, numbness, tremors and changes in mood or memory. The risk is particularly concerning for pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and children because of its potential impact on neurological development.”

Also read: MIT Student Exposed To One Of The World’s Deadliest Chemicals: Why Is Dimethylmercury Toxic Even In Tiny Amounts

Agreeing with Dr Surendra, Dr Ruben Bhasin Passi, Senior Consultant - Dermatology, CK Birla Hospital, Gurgaon, told also HealthandMe that mercury-infused cosmetics come at a long-term health cost.

Warning about the same, she explained, “Prolonged exposure may damage the skin’s natural protective barrier, cause persistent discolouration, and allow mercury to accumulate in the body, potentially affecting the kidneys and nervous system. No promise of lighter skin is worth exposing yourself to a substance that can silently compromise your health.”

A 2024 study published in Kidney International found a strong association between prolonged use of mercury-containing skin-lightening creams and membranous nephropathy, a kidney disorder in which the filtering units of the kidneys become damaged and leak excessive amounts of protein into urine.

The World Health Organization has also warned that mercury exposure can severely affect the kidneys, brain and nervous system, and says there is no known safe level of exposure to mercury.

Indian Regulator Issues Alert

CDSCO has advised consumers not to purchase or use Goree Beauty Cream, Chandni Whitening Cream or similarly named products.

The regulator has also reminded consumers that imported cosmetics must have the required registration and that legally marketed products should carry details like the manufacturer's information, manufacturing license, batch number, manufacturing and expiry dates and, for imported cosmetics, a registration number.

The warning comes after Maharashtra authorities separately banned Goree Beauty Cream following testing that found toxic mercury in the product. Officials had also received complaints involving users who developed kidney-related problems after prolonged use.

Cautioning the users, Dr Surendra said, “Consumers should be wary of products without a clear ingredient list, manufacturer details, batch information or regulatory information. Claims such as “instant whitening” or “herbal” do not automatically mean a product is safe. Anyone concerned about mercury exposure should stop using the product and consult a doctor, especially if symptoms such as tremors, swelling or changes in urination occur. Skin care should focus on healthy skin—not changing its natural colour through potentially harmful shortcuts.”

India’s burden of stillbirths may be larger than what existing official numbers suggest. A new study published in The Lancet Regional Health – Southeast Asia estimates that 565,900 babies were stillborn in India in 2023 when stillbirth is counted from 22 weeks of pregnancy onwards. That comes out to be roughly one stillbirth every minute.

But when the count is restricted to 28 weeks or later, the estimate falls to 347,300. That gap of nearly 220,000 stillbirths has become the focus of the study, casting a doubt on the current method of counting and reporting.

Researchers say India’s true burden of stillbirths is being underestimated as many earlier fetal deaths are being left out of the count.

Definition Of Stillbirth Gestational Age

Stillbirth does not have one universal gestational-age definition. The WHO’s ICD-11 definition uses 22 weeks of gestation or more, while India’s routine reporting and several international comparisons have traditionally focused on losses at 28 weeks or later.

Even though the difference may sound like a technical detail, it changes how many deaths are counted and how many get left out of the database.

The new study found that India's stillbirth rate was 25.9 per 1,000 births at 22 weeks or later, and 16.1 per 1,000 when only deaths at 28 weeks or later. In other words, using the latter threshold captured only part of the real picture.

Researchers also found that the burden was not evenly distributed. Stillbirth rates varied more than four-fold between states, from 9.3 per 1,000 births in Mizoram to 38.2 per 1,000 in Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar together accounted for nearly half of India's total estimated stillbirths.

Also read: After Lindsay Clancy Trial, Massachusetts Pushes Stronger Postpartum Mental Health Screening

India’s Numbers May Be Missing More Than Babies

The researchers compared their estimates with India's Sample Registration System (SRS) and found substantial under-reporting. The national late-gestation stillbirth rate from SRS was 2.3 times lower than the GBD estimate.

Earlier research has also highlighted the same problem. An analysis comparing India's National Family Health Survey with SRS found that the NFHS stillbirth rate was 2.6 times higher than the SRS figure between 2016 and 2020.

Researchers have pointed to incomplete reporting, differences in gestational-age cut-offs and confusion between stillbirth and early neonatal death as possible reasons.

The latest Lancet analysis therefore argues that better surveillance is essential, particularly with routine reporting from 22 weeks onwards.

Also read: 22-Year-Old Frozen Embryo Produced A Healthy Baby: Does An Embryo Have An Expiry Date?

What Is Stillbirth?

Stillbirth is not caused by one single condition. Complications related to the placenta, fetal growth, maternal infections, hypertension, diabetes, congenital abnormalities and complications during pregnancy or labour can all contribute.

Maternal anaemia is another risk factor that has been receiving attention lately. A large Indian study published in August 2026, involving nearly 220,000 pregnancies across 10 cohorts, found that moderate and severe maternal anaemia were associated with a higher risk of stillbirth after 28 weeks. The findings are particularly relevant in India, where NFHS-5 data showed that about 52% of pregnant women were anaemic.

The study calls for stronger antenatal care, intrapartum monitoring, emergency obstetric services and strong healthcare systems, along with better data on the causes and risk factors behind stillbirth.

As study author Rakhi Dandona wrote while discussing the research: “every stillbirth deserves to be counted, understood, and learned from.”

India’s medical industry has backed Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe’s concerns about the sharp gap between procurement prices and maximum retail prices (MRPs) of several medical devices and hospital consumables, with patients ultimately bearing the burden.

IV Set: At Rs 11.05, MRP Rs 325

In a post on social media platform X, Mundhe said the most expensive part of a hospital bill may never touch the hospital, but patients bear the brunt as they have the least information to evaluate, compare prices, or seek alternatives.

This is because “a patient admitted for care has no way of knowing whether the price on a medical consumable reflects its actual cost or a markup fixed long before it ever reached the ward," said the IAS officer, who has previously led several food safety enforcement measures in the country.

He flagged the information gap as a core public health issue.

He shared how a survey of hospital consumables in Maharashtra found an IV infusion set with a trade price of Rs 11.05 carrying a printed MRP of Rs 325, a markup of 2,841%. A syringe procured at Rs 6.75 carried an MRP of Rs 57.20, while a catheter procured at Rs 29.41 carried an MRP of Rs 310.

He noted that “the MRP is often fixed upstream by manufacturers and distributors, disconnected from the trade price by a wide, unexplained margin. The result is a system where the party bearing the cost has the least information to evaluate it”.

Also read: High Sugar, Salt Or Fat? India May Mandate Red Hexagon Labels On Food Packs

Experts Call For Scientific Costing

“Piecemeal assessment of pricing will not serve any purpose. Hospitals get reimbursed under CGHS and PMJAY for procedures at below operating cost. We do not look at that. It is time that we carry out a scientific costing exercise on delivery of healthcare,” Dr Girdhar Gyani, AHPI Director, told HealthandMe.

“Patients deserve fair prices, not 2,800% markups, and ethical manufacturers deserve a level playing field and a fair opportunity to provide affordable, fair-priced medical devices,” added Rajiv Nath, Forum Coordinator, Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AiMeD).

Maharashtra FDA Flags Regulatory Gap

Mundhe also flagged the structural regulatory gap. He noted that “scheduled medicines are capped under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013. Most medical devices and consumables are not leaving both the pricing and the information around it almost entirely unmonitored”.

He called on the Department of Pharmaceuticals and the NPPA to “review” these findings and lay down “clear guidelines on the permissible gap between trade procurement price and declared MRP”.

“It's a step toward closing not just a pricing gap, but the information gap patients are left to bear alone”.

Industry Seeks Fair Pricing Policy

Welcoming the timely intervention by Mundhe, AiMeD said it has consistently cautioned that the current regulatory framework under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013 is inadequate for medical devices.

“Patients, who cannot bargain or choose devices, are left vulnerable to inflated MRPs, while ethical manufacturers and importers are forced to either play within a distorted system or exit the market. This situation penalises both consumers and responsible suppliers, eroding trust and competitiveness”, it said.

AiMeD has long advocated for a Fair Pricing Policy tailored to medical devices, with transparent trade-margin caps based on ex-factory or landed import prices. Such a system would ensure affordability for patients, encourage ethical competition and strengthen the “Make in India” vision.