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 announced to hold a public hearing on the potential therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs, as the Donald Trump administration pushes to accelerate research and development of these treatments for serious mental illnesses.

The hearing, it said, will examine their potential use in supervised and supportive settings, including patient safety, provider training, access and data collection.

In a statement, the FDA said it is collaborating with federal partners and holding “this public hearing to obtain feedback and perspectives on issues associated with the potential future therapeutic use of drug products containing a psychedelic drug substance in supervised and supportive settings”.

What Will The FDA Hearing Discuss?

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

The hearing will focus on what would be needed for the potential therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs in supervised and supportive settings.

Key areas include:

• Provider training and credentialing

• Patient safety

• Access to treatment

• Data collection and standardization

Emerging research shows psychedelics can help improve mental health, especially in conditions where traditional treatment approaches have not been useful. However, these drugs also come with several health risks that cannot be overlooked.

The hearing is part of broader US efforts to increase clinical trial participation, data sharing and real-world evidence on psychedelic drugs. The FDA hearing does not amount to approval of psychedelic treatments. Instead, it could help shape how the US approaches their potential future use in medical care.

What Does This Mean For Depression And PTSD?

The FDA has already taken steps to speed up the development of psychedelic treatments for mental health conditions.

In April 2026, the agency issued national priority vouchers to companies studying psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), psilocybin for major depressive disorder (MDD), and methylone for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The FDA has also granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to psychedelic drug programs involving MDMA for PTSD and psilocybin for TRD and MDD.

Research over the past decade has suggested that MDMA-assisted therapy may help reduce PTSD symptoms, while psilocybin-assisted therapy has shown promise for treatment-resistant depression in clinical studies.

For people who do not get lasting relief from existing treatments such as antidepressants and psychotherapy, psychedelic-assisted therapy could potentially offer another treatment option.

However, these designations and regulatory steps do not mean that these drugs have been approved as safe or effective treatments. Neither a national priority voucher nor Breakthrough Therapy designation is a substitute for FDA marketing approval.

Read More: Psychedelic Compound Found In 'Magic Mushrooms' May Help Prevent Painful Chemotherapy Side Effects, Study Finds

Why Is The US Accelerating Psychedelic Research?

The push has expanded beyond the FDA. In 2026, the White House, Congress and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have also become involved in efforts to accelerate research into psychedelic treatments, including psilocybin, MDMA and ibogaine.

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has partnered with the VA to accelerate the development of psychedelic-assisted therapies for veterans with conditions including PTSD, depression and traumatic brain injury.

Separately, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill that would require the US Department of Defense to evaluate whether ongoing psychedelic research, particularly involving psilocybin, could benefit active-duty service members and veterans transitioning to civilian life.

A total of 1,370 mpox cases and seven deaths were reported globally in July, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which continues to assess the global public health risk from the multi-country outbreak as moderate.

The WHO external situation report, published today, is based on data from 32 countries across four WHO regions. The case fatality ratio (CFR) was 0.5%.

About three-quarters of the cases were reported in the WHO African Region.

Madagascar Reports Highest Cases

Madagascar reported the highest number of cases, with 703 cases and seven deaths, followed by Angola (138), China (88), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (85) and Kenya (55).

Between July 6 and August 16, Madagascar reported 785 cases, while deaths remained at seven. Angola reported 184 cases, Kenya 94, the Democratic Republic of the Congo 41 and Cameroon 28.

The WHO noted that Congo's figures may be affected by delays in mpox reporting as the country focuses on its response to the Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak.

65,784 Mpox Cases Reported Since January 2025

From January 1, 2025, to July 31, 2026, a total of 65,784 mpox cases and 264 deaths were reported across 105 countries.

“WHO conducted a global mpox rapid risk assessment in August 2026; the overall global public health risk associated with the mpox multi-country outbreak was again assessed as moderate,” the WHO said.

“WHO continues to consider the ongoing multi-country mpox outbreak a graded emergency, with new outbreaks reported in multiple countries and over a thousand confirmed cases reported every month,” it added.

The WHO urged countries and partners to maintain mpox surveillance, notification and coordinated preparedness and response activities.

The WHO Director-General's standing recommendations on mpox have been extended until August 2027.

Clade Ib Mpox Spreads

Mpox transmission continues to affect key populations, largely through sexual transmission, followed by household spread and community outbreaks. All clades of monkeypox virus (MPXV) continue to circulate.

In July, the African Region reported more confirmed cases than in June, while the Americas, Western Pacific, European and South-East Asia regions reported fewer cases. The Eastern Mediterranean Region reported no confirmed cases.

Eleven African countries reported active transmission between July 6 and August 16, with 1,153 confirmed cases and seven deaths.

Chile and Hungary reported clade Ib MPXV for the first time. Several European countries, including the UK, have reported community transmission of clade Ib.

Mpox Vaccine Shows Promising Early Results

The first human trial of BNT166a, an mRNA-based mpox vaccine developed by BioNTech, showed encouraging early results.

The vaccine was generally safe and well tolerated and triggered strong antibody responses across all dose levels, including in people who had and had not previously received vaccination against related viruses.

The trial involved 64 adults and was primarily designed to assess safety and immune responses, rather than whether the vaccine prevents infection.

“These findings are an important step forward in the development of a new generation of vaccines against mpox. We’ve shown that this mRNA vaccine approach can safely generate strong immune responses in people, which is very encouraging," said Professor Saul Faust, UK Chief Investigator for the trial.

The vaccine is now progressing to a larger trial to assess its effectiveness in real-world settings.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer cases and deaths worldwide, with an estimated 2.5 million new cases and 1.8 million deaths in 2022.

Lung cancer is often diagnosed at later stages, when five-year survival rates are lowest. Now, two drugs developed by pharma giants GSK and BioNTech have shown promising results in major clinical trials.

Data presented at the ongoing International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2026 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) in Seoul, South Korea, showed that the drugs could improve survival and produce high tumour response rates in patients with certain types of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

GSK's Jideytro Shows 94% Response Rate

GSK announced positive results from the ARROS-1 trial evaluating Jideytro (zidesamtinib) in patients with ROS1-positive NSCLC who had not previously received treatment with a tyrosine kinase inhibitor.

Among patients who had not previously received a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), an oral targeted therapy, Jideytro triggered an objective response in 88 patients, giving an objective response rate of 94%.

These patients were allowed to have received up to one prior line of chemotherapy, with or without immunotherapy, before entering the study.

GSK reported that 90% of patients remained progression-free at 12 months. Notably, 70% of patients with brain metastases saw complete clearance of detectable tumors.

With the promising results, the company said it will apply for a supplemental New Drug Application to the US Food and Drug Administration later this year to expand Jideytro's approval into first-line use.

Jideytro was already approved in July 2026 for previously treated patients with advanced ROS1-positive NSCLC.

BioNTech Drug Nearly Doubles Survival

German biopharmaceutical company BioNTech said its experimental immunotherapy gotistobart (BNT316/ONC-392) produced a significant overall-survival benefit in the Phase 3 PRESERVE-003 trial in previously treated metastatic squamous NSCLC.

Gotistobart is an investigational immunomodulator that targets CTLA-4 and is designed to selectively enhance regulatory T-cell depletion in the tumor microenvironment.

According to the company, median overall survival was 18.5 months with gotistobart, compared with 10.0 months with standard-of-care docetaxel chemotherapy, nearly doubling median survival in this patient population.

The findings suggest potential for gotistobart as a chemotherapy-free treatment approach in previously treated patients with squamous NSCLC.

“The magnitude of the survival benefit observed with gotistobart as a chemotherapy-free treatment approach in the PRESERVE-003 clinical trial is highly encouraging. If confirmed in the pivotal portion of the Phase 3 trial, these findings could transform the standard of care in a setting where new therapies are urgently needed,” said Rama Balaraman, Principal Investigator and medical oncologist at Ocala Oncology Center, Florida, US.

What Is Lung Cancer?

Lung cancer is a serious disease and remains a major public health challenge worldwide due to its high incidence and mortality.

Lung cancer occurs when abnormal cells grow uncontrollably in the lungs. Treatment depends on a person's medical history and the stage of the disease.

The two main types of lung cancer are non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which accounts for around 85% of cases, and small cell lung cancer (SCLC), which is less common but typically more aggressive.

With a five-year relative survival rate of 15% and a median overall survival of 11 months in the United States between 2000 and 2017, squamous NSCLC is a devastating disease with limited treatment options.