Japan could become one of the first countries in the world to end the HIV epidemic, says the president of Gilead Sciences Japan, Kennet Brysting. The idea for now could seem a little too ambitious, but it is not entirely unrealistic, given that the availability of medicines that can prevent transmission of HIV. Drugs are not the cure, but control over the spread of virus to the point where the disease is no longer a major public health threat.

What Is The Role Of Preventative HIV Medicines?

Gilead's have two key drugs, Truvada and lenacapavir. These two are playing a crucial role in prevention. Truvada is taken as a daily pill, while lenacapavir requires two injections per year. It can make the virus undetectable in infected individuals and prevent transmission to those who are not infected yet. In trials, lenacapavir showed 100% efficacy in preventing HIV infections. This is why it is describe as "almost a vaccine".

In 2024, Japan also approved Truvada for HIV prevention, but the country has yet to approve lenacapavir for the same. Until now, people in Japan had been importing generic versions of Truvada or purchasing it from clinics that source it from overseas.

HIV In Japan

Up until now, Japan reported around 25,000 HIV infections, whereas 669 new cases were reported in 2023. For seven consecutive years, the number of new infections remained under 1,000. The downward trend thus shows that the virus has been controlled, however, getting to zero new infections remains the ultimate goal.

Brysting too acknowledged that simply having effective drug is not enough. What is important is to have a proper implementation, access and healthcare support to make sure that these treatments are widely available and effective.

What Are The Challenges In Implementation?

The biggest challenges is testing rates. There is a need to increase testing rates. At this very moment, around 86% people infective with Japan have been tested, but the goal is to increase it up to 95%, with an ideal goal of 100%. Without widespread testing, many infected people may not even know that they are infected and it could transmit the virus.

Another measure issue is the cost of preventative medication. While Japan's health insurance covers treatments for diseases, it does not cover preventative drugs. Those who purchase Truvada for prevention, pay around $470 per month. Some clinics in Tokyo offer generic alternatives too, which is cheaper, but they are not ideal.

Better Healthcare Support

Brysting expressed concern that individuals importing medications might not be consulting doctors regularly, which is essential for monitoring HIV status and overall health. Truvada users need to be tested for HIV initially and every three months, along with screenings for other infections and kidney function checks. Without proper medical supervision, there is a risk of misuse and inadequate protection.

Gilead is in discussions with Japanese authorities to improve access and insurance coverage for Truvada, and progress is being made. Japan has shown efficiency in approving critical medicines, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic when Gilead’s remdesivir was approved in just three days.

What Is The Way Ahead?

Gilead at this moment is not only focused on HIV and hepatitis C, but also expanding into oncology with innovative treatments like CAR-T cell therapy, which strengthens a patient's immune system to fight cancer.

However, Japan’s strict approval processes can slow down drug availability. Phase 3 clinical trials often need to be conducted within the country, and Japan tends to approve medicines much later than other regions. For instance, Truvada was approved for prevention in Japan 12 years after the U.S. and nearly 20 years after its approval for treatment. inancial factors also play a role. The Japanese government adjusts drug prices annually, often reducing them, which can make long-term investment challenging for pharmaceutical companies.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Rasonque (daraxonrasib), a once-daily pill, for adults with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma, offering a new treatment option for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

Rasonque is a once-daily tablet that targets multiple forms of a protein called RAS, a key driver of tumor growth in most patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma, which arises from cells lining the ducts of the pancreas.

The approval is for adults with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma who have received at least one prior systemic therapy or are not candidates for multiagent systemic therapy.

“Today’s approval provides a critical new option for patients facing an extraordinarily difficult and historically hard-to-treat cancer. It is our fundamental duty to deliver more cures and meaningful treatments to patients as quickly as possible,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas, JD.

Pancreatic Cancer Remains Difficult To Treat

Also read: Former US Senator Ben Sasse Opens Up About Battle With Terminal Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer has long been one of the toughest challenges in oncology. The five-year survival rate is around 13%, while recurrence rates approach 80% after treatment.

Approximately 90% to 95% of the 67,000 new pancreatic cancer cases diagnosed in the US each year are pancreatic adenocarcinoma, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Although pancreatic cancer represents roughly 3.2% of all cancer diagnoses, pancreatic adenocarcinoma accounts for a disproportionately high share of cancer deaths because of its typically late detection, aggressive disease course and historically limited treatment options.

However, daraxonrasib, developed by US-based late-stage clinical oncology company Revolution Medicines, has shown promise in improving survival among patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

What Is Daraxonrasib?

Daraxonrasib is a once-daily oral pill that demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) compared with standard intravenous chemotherapy.

The drug is described as a multi-selective inhibitor of RAS(ON) proteins and is the first approved drug in this new class of RAS inhibitors designed to target a broad spectrum of cancer-causing RAS mutations.

Daraxonrasib works by blocking KRAS signaling proteins that drive tumour growth. Pancreatic cancer is considered one of the most RAS-driven cancers, with more than 90% of patients carrying tumo\rs driven by RAS protein mutations.

Who Can Take Daraxonrasib?

Read More: New Pancreatic Cancer Drug Daxaronrasib May Benefit Patients With Lung And Ovarian Tumors Too

The FDA approval is specifically for adults with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma in two situations:

• Patients who have received at least one prior systemic therapy.
• Patients who are not candidates for multiagent systemic therapy.

Daraxonrasib Clinical Trial

In the Phase 3 clinical trial, including 500 adults, daraxonrasib led to a median overall survival of 13.2 months, compared

with 6.7 months with chemotherapy.

Daraxonrasib also significantly improved progression-free survival compared with chemotherapy. Similar RAS-targeting drugs are now being developed by other companies for pancreatic, lung and colon cancers.

What Are The Side Effects?

According to the company, daraxonrasib was generally well tolerated, with a manageable safety profile and no new safety signals. Prior studies with daraxonrasib have shown that rash is the most common side effect. Mouth sores, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting have also been reported.

Pancreatic Cancer: Know The Warning Signs

Pancreatic cancer typically begins in the ducts of the organ and can rapidly spread to other parts of the body. Early-stage pancreatic tumours may not show up on imaging tests, making the disease difficult to diagnose until it has spread to other organs.

Prevention and early detection remain vital. Pancreatic cancer can often resemble common ailments, potentially delaying diagnosis.

Symptoms That Should Not Be Ignored

• Abdominal or back pain
• Unexplained weight loss
• Jaundice
• Changes in urine or stool
• New-onset diabetes
• Persistent fatigue.

Malaria Alert in Germany: Frankfurt Airport Worker Dies After Suspected ‘Mosquito Arrives on Plane’; 5 Infected

In an unusual case, an employee at Germany’s Frankfurt Airport has died from malaria, while five others have contracted the potentially serious infection after mosquitoes suspected of arriving on an aircraft were found at the airport.

The airport operator, Fraport, confirmed the employee’s death and said the five other infected people are receiving medical treatment.

Authorities have installed mosquito traps at the airport. Captured mosquitoes will be analysed in laboratories to determine their species and, where possible, establish their origin.

Fraport said its focus is now on information and prevention. Employees have been advised to seek medical attention if they develop malaria-like symptoms and to inform doctors that they work at the airport.

“Sadly, we must confirm that one employee has died as a result of the infection,” a Fraport spokesperson told the BBC.

The company said it had provided information to employees and urged them to consult a doctor if they develop symptoms.

What Happened?

According to Germany's Robert Koch Institute (RKI), four airport employees developed malaria between 4 and 6 July. The institute said mosquitoes were brought to the airport by aircraft from a malaria-endemic region in July.

Malaria transmission within Germany is extremely rare. The RKI says malaria cases in the country almost exclusively occur among people who have travelled to malaria-endemic areas.

The absence of a travel history can make diagnosis more difficult. A delayed diagnosis can increase the risk of severe disease.

The RKI also noted that the last airport-associated malaria case in Germany occurred at Frankfurt Airport in 2023.

What Is Malaria?

Malaria is a potentially life-threatening disease caused by Plasmodium parasites, which are transmitted to humans through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.

Common symptoms include fever, chills and headache. More severe malaria can cause confusion, seizures, difficulty breathing and other life-threatening complications.

Symptoms generally begin around 10–15 days after the bite of an infected mosquito, although the timing can vary.

People at increased risk of severe malaria include young children, pregnant women, travellers without immunity and people with HIV/AIDS.

Malaria is not normally transmitted directly from person to person. However, transmission can occur through infected blood, including in rare circumstances through blood transfusion or contaminated needles.

Global Malaria Burden

According to the World Health Organization's World Malaria Report 2025, an estimated 282 million malaria cases and 610,000 deaths occurred worldwide in 2024 across 80 malaria-endemic countries.

The WHO African Region accounted for approximately 94% of global malaria cases and 95% of malaria deaths in 2024.

WHO estimates that malaria-prevention tools, including recommended vaccines and other interventions, helped avert approximately 170 million cases and 1 million deaths in 2024.

The report noted that WHO approved the world’s first malaria vaccines in 2021, and 24 countries have now added them to their regular immunisation schedules.

Despite the setbacks, there have been encouraging developments. So far, 47 countries and one territory have received malaria-free certification from WHO. Cabo Verde and Egypt were declared malaria-free in 2024, followed by Georgia, Suriname, and Timor-Leste in 2025.

COVID-19 is rising across the US again. Doctors have been reporting an increase in patients testing positive through the summer. But some physicians are noticing a change in how the illness is presenting.

Reports have emerged stating that COVID is resurfacing with new symptoms including nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

The CDC's latest respiratory illness data, updated August 21, shows that national and regional COVID-19 activity is increasing, although overall acute respiratory illness causing people to seek healthcare remains very low. COVID-19-related visits to the emergency room are also increasing.

Recent reports from doctors in Georgia describe patients arriving with gastrointestinal symptoms alongside, or sometimes instead of, the more familiar respiratory symptoms.

Nausea, Vomiting And Diarrhoea Are Uncommon COVID Symptoms

Although these symptoms may seem unusual compared with the classic COVID presentation, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea are not new symptoms of COVID-19.

The CDC has included nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea among the possible symptoms of COVID-19 for years. What appears to be attracting attention now is that some doctors are seeing more patients presenting with these gastrointestinal symptoms during the current summer rise.

Dr James Black, medical director of emergency services at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, Georgia, said doctors are still seeing fever, cough and upper-respiratory symptoms, but added, “A lot of people are coming in with gastrointestinal symptoms - nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sometimes to the point of mild dehydration.”

Also read: Exclusive With Leading Pulmonologist: When Should You Worry About H1N1 Symptoms?

Why COVID Affects The Digestive System?

The digestive system contains ACE2 receptors, which the virus can use to enter cells. Infection and the body's inflammatory response can therefore contribute to symptoms like nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

Gastrointestinal symptoms can occur with respiratory symptoms or sometimes before them, which can make COVID harder to distinguish from stomach infections or food poisoning. That is why doctors say testing remains essential, especially when COVID is active in a certain area.

Also read: ‘Scromiting’: Cannabis-Linked Vomiting Cases Rising Again In US, Says CDC Report

What Are The Other Symptoms?

Doctors say people should not focus only on gastrointestinal symptoms. Common COVID symptoms include:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Muscle or body aches
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhoea

Also read: US CDC Says COVID ‘Growing’ In Nearly Every State: What You Should Know

When Should You Take A COVID Test?

If nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea occur alongside fever, cough, sore throat, congestion, fatigue or body aches, COVID should be considered, particularly when infections are increasing in the community. Testing can be especially important for people at higher risk of severe disease because antiviral treatment works best when started early.

Dr Gurinder Singh Sidhu, US antiviral medical lead and senior director at Pfizer, said, "People at higher risk should seek medical advice promptly rather than waiting for symptoms to become severe."

Severe vomiting or diarrhoea can also cause dehydration, so people should seek medical care if they cannot keep fluids down, are becoming unusually weak or dizzy, are urinating much less than usual, or develop breathing difficulties.