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.

Breast cancer has quietly become one of India’s most pressing public health challenges. Today, it is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Indian women and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths.

Data from the Global Cancer Observatory shows that nearly 1.9 lakh women are diagnosed with breast cancer in India each year. This works out to one new case every four minutes. The death toll is equally worrying. On average, a woman in India dies of breast cancer every eight minutes, highlighting how urgently the country needs stronger awareness, early diagnosis, and sustained care.

One factor that sets India apart is the age at which women are affected. Almost half of all breast cancer patients in the country are younger than 45. This is a much higher proportion than seen in many Western nations, where the disease is usually detected later in life.

Breast Cancer: A Rising Burden Across The Country

Cancer surveillance data from GLOBOCAN and Indian registries under the Indian Council of Medical Research point to a steady rise in breast cancer cases. Rapid urbanisation, changing lifestyles, delayed pregnancies, shorter periods of breastfeeding, rising obesity, and limited screening practices have all played a role.

Late diagnosis continues to be one of the biggest challenges. Many women seek medical help only when the disease has progressed to advanced stages, making treatment more difficult and outcomes less certain. Fear, social stigma, lack of awareness, and limited access to screening services, especially in rural and semi-urban areas, often contribute to these delays.

For some women, the risk of recurrence can be significant, depending on the type and stage of cancer. Living with this uncertainty takes a lasting toll on mental and emotional wellbeing.

Novartis 'Take Charge' Campaign Focuses On Life Beyond Diagnosis

To address these gaps, Novartis has launched the ‘Take Charge’ campaign in collaboration with Times Network. The initiative aims to move the conversation beyond diagnosis and medication, encouraging women and their families to play an active role in decisions about care, recovery, and quality of life.

Speaking at the Times Network India Health Summit and Awards 2025, Amitabh Dubey, Country President and Managing Director of Novartis India, underlined that effective cancer care goes far beyond medicines alone. He spoke about the need for personalised treatment, open conversations between doctors and patients, and long-term support throughout the cancer journey.

According to Amitabh Dubey, advances in medical science have changed the way many cancers are managed. In breast cancer, better imaging, improved diagnostics, genomics, and targeted therapies now allow doctors to tailor treatment to the biology of each patient rather than relying on a uniform approach.

'Take Charge' By Novartis Highlights Need For Early Awareness

Awareness remains a central pillar of the ‘Take Charge’ initiative. Many women hesitate to speak openly about breast health or postpone seeing a doctor even after noticing symptoms. Encouraging routine self-examinations, timely screenings, and honest conversations about warning signs is especially important for younger women, who may not believe they are at risk.

The campaign also places strong emphasis on caregivers and families. Emotional support, access to reliable information, and timely medical advice can make a meaningful difference to both treatment outcomes and recovery.

Breast Cancer Awareness: Closing Gaps In Access And Affordability

Although government schemes such as Ayushman Bharat and various state cancer programmes have improved access to care, health insurance coverage in India remains limited, reaching only about 38 percent of the population. As a result, newer and more advanced treatments are still beyond the reach of many patients.

Novartis has been working with government agencies and local health systems to improve referral pathways, strengthen early detection efforts, and train frontline health workers. Community-based initiatives involving ASHA workers, awareness drives, and structured referrals aim to ensure that women with early symptoms reach appropriate care without unnecessary delays.

Breast cancer does not have to signal the end of a woman’s life or identity. With early diagnosis, personalised treatment, and continued support, many women go on to live full and meaningful lives. Campaigns like Take Charge seek to reinforce this message and remind women that they can remain active decision-makers in their own health journeys.

As Amitabh Dubey noted at the launch, taking charge is not only about fighting disease. It is about having the knowledge, confidence, and support to ask the right questions, make informed choices, and live well beyond cancer.

Schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar disorder (BD) and major depressive disorder may share the same genetic roots, a Nature study shows.

While experts have long classified each of these mental disorders as individual illnesses with their own causes, researchers from across China have discovered that these three diseases share about 70 percent common genetic and environmental risk factors.

Schizophrenia is a severe, chronic brain disorder that can lead psychosis, hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking and reduced emotional expression. It can affect how a person's thinks, feels and behaves, making it hard to distinguish reality.

While bipolar disorder is a chronic mental illness which causes extreme mood swings, from emotional highs (mania/hypomania) to lows (depression), affecting the brain's energy, activity and focus levels.

On the other hand, major depressive disorder or clinical depression, is a serious mood disorder that causes persistent sadness and loss of interest in a person. It can affect feelings, thoughts and daily activities and can be identified by symptoms such as low energy, sleep/appetite changes, guilt, concentration issues and thoughts of death.

What Did The Study Find?

Using advanced techniques, they identified 238 genetic variants that raise risk across multiple disorders and showed that five major genetic patterns explain most of the differences between people with and without mental illness.

Read More: Study Shows Depression Can Accelerate The Onset Of Chronic Illnesses

Based on these genetic patterns, the disorders clustered into five broad groups: internalizing conditions such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder; neurodevelopmental conditions including autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; substance use disorders; compulsive conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and anorexia and lastly, a fifth group that included bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

The findings explain why many individuals are diagnosed with more than one mental health condition as many genes affect multiple brain pathways. This indicates that the same genetic changes can lead to different disorders depending on other biological and environmental factors.

Can The Same Treatment Plan Be Used For These Illnesses?

Even though medications such as antidepressants are useful in treating multiple mental illnesses including depression, anxiety and PTSD, the researchers concluded that more research is needed to understand the biology behind the genetic factors to understand the links between the disease.

One of the study’s authors compared the current system to diagnosing a patient with separate illnesses for a cough, sore throat and runny nose instead of recognizing a single underlying infection.

Nearly one in eight people globally, around 970 million individuals, were living with a mental disorder in 2021, with anxiety and depression being the most common globally.

Amazon has confirmed that 10 employees at its Coventry, UK warehouse have tested positive for tuberculosis (TB) as calls for site shutdown continue to grow.

Cases emerged at the hub, which has about 3,000 employees, in September 2025 and were found to be non-contagious. However, the retail giant acknowledged the breakout on January 16.

Officials from Amazon noted: "In line with best practice safety procedures, we immediately followed guidance from the NHS and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and made all potentially affected employees aware of the situation. Out of an abundance of caution, we are currently running an expanded screening program with the NHS.

"We will continue to follow guidance from the experts in the NHS, and would respectfully remind public organizations of the need for responsible communications where matters of public wellbeing are concerned."

A spokesperson also assured that no new cases have been recorded in the area and a "screening program" being carried out amid "an abundance of caution" in collaboration with NHS and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

Are The Patients Receiving Treatment?

Since being diagnosed with TB, the unidentified patients have been receiving treatment from the UKHSA in West Midlands. Dr Roger Gajraj, consultant in health protection with UKHSA West Midlands also revealed that tests are being offered to those who may have had close contact with the patients and assured the overall risk remains low.

He told the BBC: "The small number of individuals affected by tuberculosis (TB) are responding well to treatment and are no longer infectious, so pose no onward risk.

"As a precaution, and in line with national guidance, we are offering testing to those who may have had closer contact with the affected individuals. The overall risk remains low. TB is fully treatable with antibiotics. We continue to work closely with Amazon to monitor the situation."

Read More: WHO’s Latest TB Guidelines Highlight Nutrition as Key to Treatment

Why Is TB Dangerous?

Common signs and symptoms of TB include unexplained weight loss, loss of appetite, chills and fever, fatigue, getting night sweats, weakness or fatigue. Symptoms of TB disease in the lungs may include coughing up blood or sputum, a cough lasting for more than 3 weeks and chest pain.

TB is typically diagnosed through the Mantoux Tuberculin Skin Test(TST). Here, a small amount of tuberculin is injected into the skin of the forearm and is monitored for a reaction 48 to 72 hours after the injection. A positive skin test result indicates the presence of TB and there is a need for additional tests to determine to determine if it is active or latent.

If positive, blood tests are done to determine or rule out if the patient has active or latent TB. There are two blood tests approved by the Food and Drug Administration for TB- T-SPOT TB test(T-spot) and the QuantiFERON-TB Gold-In-Tube test(QFT-GIT). Doctors may also prescribe a chest X-ray or CT scan after a positive skin test.

Despite being preventable through vaccine and and curable through antibiotics, TB remains a leading infectious killer and causes over a million deaths annually worldwide, with millions falling ill each year.

In 2024, about 10.7 million people were diagnosed with TB out of which 1.23 million died from the disease.