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.

What if one blood sample could detect symptoms of multiple cancers at once, while also disclosing which organ may be affected? A new study from UCLA has brought that possibility a step closer to reality.

Researchers have at UCLA have developed a blood test called MethylScan that can detect molecular signals linked to multiple cancers and other diseases by analysing DNA fragments circulating in the bloodstream.

The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest the test could offer a simpler and potentially cheaper way to screen for serious diseases like cancer before their symptoms appear.

How Can One Blood Test Detect Different Cancers?

A blood test may be able to detect multiple cancers at once due to cell-free DNA (cfDNA). Every day, billions of cells die and release tiny fragments of DNA into the bloodstream. These fragments carry information about where they came from and what is happening in that tissue.

Instead of primarily searching for cancer-causing mutations, MethylScan looks at DNA methylation, a type of chemical tags that regulate how genes behave.

Different organs have distinct methylation patterns, and those patterns can change when cells become cancerous or diseased.

“DNA methylation reflects the health status of a tissue. It’s a very informative signal,” said Dr Wenyuan Li, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at UCLA.

The researchers also developed a method to filter out the DNA released by normal blood cells, reducing the "background noise” that can make early cancer signals difficult to detect.

Also read: Studying Live Cancer Cells Could Transform Drug Discovery; Researchers Turn Cell Biology Into ‘Live Cinema’

What Are The Study's Findings?

The researchers tested MethylScan using blood samples from 1,061 people, including patients with liver, lung, ovarian and stomach cancers, people with liver diseases and healthy participants.

At 98% specificity, the test detected about 63% of cancers across all stages. For early-stage cancers, its sensitivity was around 55%.

The test also showed promise in identifying where an abnormal signal originated. This could help as a positive blood test would still need to be followed by imaging or other diagnostic tests.

“Being able to trace signals back to their source is important because a positive blood test needs to be followed by imaging or other diagnostic procedures directed at the right organ,” Li said.

Also read: Tudriqev: US FDA Approves Replimune's Skin Cancer Drug After Rejecting It Twice

Early Cancer Detection Is Key

“Early detection is crucial,” said Dr Jasmine Zhou, the study’s senior author. “Survival rates are far higher when cancers are caught before they spread.”

The findings are promising, but larger trials will be needed to establish whether such tests can reliably detect cancers in people who have no symptoms.

Also read: Following A Western Diet? Changes In Your Gut Bacteria Could Increase Colon Cancer Risk

More Developments In The Field

The findings come as another multi-cancer test, Galleri, is designed to detect signals from more than 50 cancers from a single blood sample.

Reuters reported this month that the US FDA plans to convene an advisory panel in September to review its application for approval.

But experts continue to stress that these tests are not replacements for established screening, such as mammograms or colonoscopies.

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at changing childhood vaccine recommendations, including moving toward separating the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine into individual shots.

The executive order, titled “Delivering Gold Standard Childhood Vaccine Recommendations for Americans,” has sparked debate over how childhood vaccines should be administered and whether combination vaccines should instead be given separately.

Amid criticism of the move, HealthandMe spoke to public health experts to understand whether splitting the MMR vaccine offers any proven health benefit and what it could mean for children and vaccination coverage.

What Does Splitting MMR Mean?

Dr. Sabine Kapasi, Global Health Strategist and a UN Advisor, told HealthandMe that combination vaccines are more than a matter of convenience.

“Combination vaccines are not simply a matter of convenience. They can reduce the number of injections and healthcare visits required, support timely vaccination and help health systems reach children who may otherwise be missed,” she said.

“The more fragmented the pathway becomes, the more important it is to understand its impact on uptake, completion and equity,” Dr. Sabine added.

Dr. Rajeev Jayadevan, former President of IMA Cochin and Convener of the Research Cell, Kerala, also highlighted the practical disadvantage of requiring parents to make additional clinic visits when vaccines that can be administered together are separated.

Is Splitting MMR Healthier?

There is currently no adequate scientific validation for the argument that giving the MMR components separately is inherently healthier, according to Dr. Rajeev.

“The argument that splitting the shots is a healthier option does not have adequate scientific validation, because the body’s immune system routinely encounters numerous antigens simultaneously and effectively in everyday life,” he told HealthandMe.

Dr. Sabine emphasized that any change to childhood immunization policy should be based on evidence rather than simply altering an established schedule.

“Any change to childhood immunization policy should therefore be grounded in transparent evidence, rigorous safety and effectiveness assessment, and real-world data on vaccination coverage and completion,” she added.

Could More Vaccine Visits Increase Hesitancy?

Separating combination vaccines could make vaccination more cumbersome for families by requiring additional visits.

Dr. Sabine said vaccination programs operate within different health systems, meaning even small changes in scheduling can have implications for access, logistics, costs and continuity of care.

“The priority should remain consistent: designing immunization systems that are evidence-led, accessible and resilient enough to protect children across populations—not simply changing the schedule for the sake of changing it,” she said.

In a post on X US Senator Bill Cassidy, a physician, also criticized the executive order and warned that breaking up combination vaccines could mean children need more shots to receive the same protection.

“It will increase hesitancy and make children less safe,” he said, urging parents to discuss vaccination decisions with their child’s pediatrician.

Former White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said European countries do not routinely split the MMR vaccine into three separate shots. “No European country splits the MMR vaccine as 3 separate shots,” he said in a post on X.

He added that Russia and Tajikistan were historical partial exceptions but have since moved to full MMR vaccination.

Are There Any Potential Advantages?

Dr. Rajeev said one potential advantage of the new approach is the separation of vaccines into essential and optional categories.

He said this could give parents greater clarity about which vaccines are considered the highest priority and potentially help address some forms of vaccine hesitancy. The expert also pointed to US policy around childhood COVID-19 and influenza vaccines, saying that making these vaccines a shared decision between doctors and parents could be viewed as a progressive step.

For years, people living with Long COVID have described a strange combination of symptoms: severe fatigue, brain fog, memory problems, slowed thinking and a loss of motivation. Researchers may have found an important clue behind at least some of these brain symptoms.

A new study published in eBioMedicine found that people with Long COVID had 16% to 20% lower markers of dopamine nerve endings in key regions of the brain, with the average reduction of around 18%.

The findings suggest that the brain's dopamine system may be affected long after the initial COVID-19 infection has passed.

What Are The Study's Findings?

Researchers from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the University of Toronto used PET brain scans to examine 24 adults with Long COVID and 24 healthy, age-matched individuals.

They focused on VMAT2, a protein found in nerve terminals that release dopamine. VMAT2 stores and packages dopamine inside nerve cells. Lower VMAT2 on the scans indicated reduced dopamine nerve-terminal density. However, it does not prove that dopamine neurons have permanently died.

The reductions appeared across three important regions of the striatum, which is involved in motivation, movement and thinking. Lower dopamine markers in the ventral striatum were associated with reduced motivation. Changes in the putamen were linked with slower movement, while changes in the caudate were associated with memory difficulties.

Also read: Can Long COVID Be Prevented Before It Starts? Study Suggests Early Paxlovid May Help

The Dopamine Factor

When dopamine production is disrupted, people can experience problems that go far beyond mood swings or low motivation.

The changes were also detected in people who had been living with Long COVID for as long as 4.6 years. This could help explain why some Long COVID patients report that even simple tasks feel unusually difficult or that they struggle to find the motivation to do things they previously enjoyed.

Long COVID is already known to involve a wide range of neurological symptoms, including fatigue, headaches, cognitive problems, anxiety and depression.

A 2026 review in Nature Reviews Neurology noted that approximately 6% of people who have experienced acute COVID-19 may develop this post-COVID condition.

Also read: Are Women More Likely To Experience More Severe Neurological Symptoms Of Long COVID Than Men? New Study Finds

Scope Of Treatment

The study does not mean that people with Long COVID have Parkinson's disease, nor does it establish that dopamine loss causes all Long COVID symptoms. The researchers also acknowledge that the study was small and that the findings show an association rather than proving cause and effect.

Still researchers say that the findings suggest that medications which enhance dopamine function, including dopamine precursors and drugs that reduce dopamine breakdown, could be investigated as potential treatments. They plan to launch a clinical trial targeting dopamine function in people with Long COVID.

More About Long COVID

Long COVID is a debilitating condition that can persist for months or even years after a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Long COVID is an infection-associated chronic condition marked by fatigue, cognitive impairment, exercise intolerance, and multisystem dysfunction.

It has affected an estimated 400 million people worldwide and continues to have significant health, social, and economic consequences. Despite the ongoing risk, prevention strategies have received relatively little attention.