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.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has claimed that cancer, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease and mental illness could become “relics of the past” in less than a decade, thanks to artificial intelligence (AI).

The AI company has kicked off the roadshow for its US initial public offering (IPO), seeking to raise up to $64.4 billion at a valuation of around $1 trillion. The listing could mark the first public offering by a frontier AI lab.

In the company's IPO roadshow video, Amodei spoke about AI's potential to transform human health, describing a future in which diseases that have long challenged medicine could be overcome.

"I think if we do this right, we can create an age of miracles where humanity is able to solve problems that have eluded us for millennia," he said.

Amodei also addressed the risks associated with AI and invited investors to join the company's next phase of growth.

"We have to make sure that all the risks, all the ways that things can go wrong with this technology, we very carefully address those risks as we bring the benefits, and as we have a viable business at the same time".

Amodei isn't alone. His promise is echoed by other AI leaders including Elon Musk and Google's AI boss Demis Hassabis.

However, not everybody is convinced. Cognitive scientist Gary Marcus, and cardiologist and digital medicine expert Eric Topol point out that current AI models lack the deep causal and biological understanding required to reliably yield breakthrough cures, and as of 2026, no AI-designed drug has achieved full clinical adoption.

"Setting an unattainable objective. I wish it would come true, but curing all these diseases in the next 10 years is impossible. And I'm very optimistic about the impact of AI for improving health," said Topol, in a post on X.

Marcus added that "most likely none of these will be 'relics of the past in ten years'”.

Anthropic CEO Has Long Predicted AI Could Transform Healthcare

Also read: AI-Created Virus Injected Into A Human For The First Time To Fight Antibiotic Resistance

This is not the first time Amodei has spoken about AI's potential to transform healthcare. In a post on X, he wrote: “I think it will actually be possible to cure most human disease in ~5-10 years.”

In two of his essays, Amodei discussed how advanced AI could accelerate biological and medical research, potentially compressing 50–100 years of scientific progress into five to 10 years.

His predictions have covered several major health conditions, including:

• Cancer
• Alzheimer's disease
• Genetic diseases
• Heart disease, diabetes and obesity
• Schizophrenia
• Major depression

He has also discussed the possibility of AI helping humans live significantly longer.

Anthropic's Expanding Healthcare Initiatives

Read More: Anthropic Says Claude Blocked Bird Flu, Chikungunya Research: How AI Could Enable Biological Misuse

In September, Anthropic partnered with medical knowledge platform OpenEvidence to provide AI-powered clinical decision support to healthcare providers in dozens of low- and middle-income countries.

OpenEvidence uses peer-reviewed research and treatment guidelines to answer doctors' clinical questions, with the initiative expected to reach about 100 countries, including Uganda, Angola, Sudan, Haiti and Mongolia.

Anthropic has also announced a Claude-led discovery of a molecular machine that researchers suspect could represent a new gene-editing mechanism, highlighting AI's potential to accelerate biological research.

What Are The Ethical Risks Of Using AI In Healthcare?

READ: AI Creates 16 Viruses To Kill Drug-Resistant E. coli, Raises Biosafety Concerns

Major technology companies, including Google, are increasingly expanding their presence in healthcare through AI-powered tools and services. However, the growing use of AI in medicine also raises questions about patient safety, privacy and accountability.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for stronger ethical oversight of AI-related health research.

In a recent report, WHO warned that rapid advances in AI are creating challenges around privacy, bias, fairness, transparency and accountability. It said existing research ethics systems may need additional expertise to assess risks associated with AI and large datasets.

Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, former president of IMA Cochin and convener of the Research Cell, Kerala, told HealthandMe that AI-driven research, particularly when it involves large datasets crossing national borders, may require ethics committees to include experts in computer science, data ethics and bioinformatics.

“Ethics Committees by themselves will need to be upgraded to incorporate computer scientists, data ethicists, and bioinformaticians.”

WHO also said oversight should extend beyond ethics committees to researchers, funders, scientific journals, data governance bodies, professional societies and regulators.

Delhi continues to battle high PM2.5 levels, even as a new study estimates that meeting the World Health Organization's (WHO) air quality guidelines could prevent or postpone 9.4 million deaths annually across 136 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Following Diwali celebrations on November 8, PM2.5 concentrations in several parts of the capital reportedly exceeded 66 times the WHO's recommended 24-hour guideline. By November 11, Delhi's AQI had improved to below 300, in the 'poor' category, after several days in the 'very poor' and 'severe' categories.

Led by University of Cambridge researchers, the modelling study also found that cleaner air could reduce disease burden, healthcare costs and productivity losses.

What Did The Study Find?

Also read: PM2.5 Levels 66x WHO Limit In Delhi: How Air Pollution Could Affect Children's Lung Development

Published in Environment International, the study assessed the health and economic benefits of reducing PM₂.₅ and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) levels across 136 LMICs.

Researchers used pollution, population and health data to model the impact of meeting WHO air quality guidelines and interim targets.

The findings suggest that meeting WHO guidelines could:

• Prevent or postpone 9.4 million deaths annually linked to PM₂.₅
• Prevent or postpone 1.1 million deaths linked to NO₂
• Reduce deaths associated with PM₂.₅ by an estimated 6.6 million and those associated with NO₂ by 435,000, even under less stringent interim targets

Meeting PM₂.₅ guidelines could also mean fewer new cases of:

• COPD: 2.8 million
• Dementia: 1.1 million
• Coronary heart disease: 7.3 million
• Stroke: 2.3 million

Cleaner Air Could Save Billions

Read More: Delhi AQI Crosses 2,000 Mark After Diwali: What Happens To Your Body Within Hours Of Exposure?

The researchers also estimated substantial economic benefits from meeting PM₂.₅ guidelines.

Annual direct medical cost savings could include:

• $11.8 billion for coronary heart disease
• $5.9 billion for stroke
• $8.6 billion for dementia

Productivity gains could reach $17.9 billion for stroke, $18.1 billion for COPD and $5.3 billion for coronary heart disease annually.

"Meeting the WHO's air quality guideline values will not be straightforward, but low- and middle-income countries have a critical opportunity to shape healthier futures as their populations grow and their cities expand," said Dr Haneen Khreis of IMS Epidemiology at Cambridge.

She called for better decisions on transport, urban planning and energy, saying these could significantly improve air quality and reduce pollution-related diseases.

What Causes PM2.5 And NO₂ Pollution?

Outdoor air pollution is a major environmental health risk, linked to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, including asthma, COPD, heart disease and stroke, as well as dementia.

In 2021, the WHO revised its air quality guidelines, setting recommended limits for pollutants including PM₂.₅ and NO₂.

PM₂.₅ consists of particles measuring 2.5 micrometers or smaller. They can travel deep into the lungs. Major sources include vehicle exhaust, power plants, industrial emissions and construction dust. These particles can also form through chemical reactions in the atmosphere.

NO₂ is mainly produced by burning fossil fuels. Sources include vehicle exhaust, industrial emissions and gas stoves and heaters.

Air pollution is a particularly serious challenge in LMICs, where rapid urbanisation, economic development and increasing vehicle use have contributed to poor air quality.

Policymakers attending the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) in Türkiye must put health at the centre of every climate negotiation, Professor Marina Romanello, Executive Director of the Lancet Countdown, told HealthandMe in an exclusive interview.

Marina, who led the 2026 Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change report released ahead of COP31, outlined the growing health consequences of global warming and the urgent need for stronger climate action.

Drawing on findings from the report, Marina warned that climate inaction is putting lives, livelihoods and public health at risk.

The report noted that climate commitments made since the Paris Agreement have delivered measurable health benefits, but progress remains too slow and uneven.

“One of the things that we are calling for negotiators to realise is that when they go to COP, they're not just negotiating budgets or carbon emissions or degrees of heating. What they're negotiating is people's health,” Marina told HealthandMe.

“They're negotiating how many people die from climate change. They're negotiating how many of our children will grow in these dangerous environments and have less of a chance in life.”

She stressed the need to recognise that climate change is not just an environmental issue.

“It's important to be very clear that climate change is not just a problem of the inanimate world or even of nature and polar bears. It's a problem of people here and today, and that our failure to act is costing people's lives, livelihood and health.”

Health Must Be Included Across All COP Negotiations

Also read: Climate Change Is Already Harming Health: WHO Chief Pushes Antalya Initiative At COP31

Marina, who is also a researcher at University College London's Institute for Global Health, urged policymakers to integrate health into all COP31 discussions rather than confining it to side events.

“We're also calling for countries not just to have climate change as one of the action agenda items and side events, but to actually consider climate change throughout their whole negotiations. Every negotiation stream needs to have health considerations so that we are aware of the hazards and the dangers that we're dealing with here.”

Countries Must Go Beyond COP Commitments

Read More: COP31 Begins On Health Day: How Will Countries Measure The Health Impact Of Climate Change?

Marina described COP as “a baseline” and “a starting point”, stressing that countries could go much further than the commitments agreed at the conference.

She cited India as an example of a country that stands to gain significantly from accelerating its climate transition, pointing to its natural resources, technological capabilities and opportunities to improve public health.

“In a country like India, where you have so many natural resources, where you have such impressive technology development, where you have so many opportunities from healthier air, improving access to energy, improving the transition towards more resilient, sustainable food systems, you are standing to win so massively from an accelerated transition at a country level.”

Marina also pointed out that countries rarely account for the health implications of their mitigation and adaptation plans. These include both potential negative impacts and the significant health benefits that stronger climate action could deliver.

Taking these benefits into account, she told HealthandMe, that it could increase the overall return on investment and make climate action more cost-effective.

Three Policy Interventions Governments Must Prioritise

READ: Climate Crisis Is A Health Crisis: Just 6 Actions Could Save 1.6 Million Lives, Says WHO

Marina outlined three key areas for government action at COP31:

1. Phase Out Fossil Fuels

Governments must prioritise phasing out fossil fuel use, particularly in urban centres where people live, she said.

“That will reduce the burden of air pollution and will mean that people have much less burden of chronic conditions and much less exacerbation of those conditions that they already have.”

2. Strengthen Healthcare Systems

Marina called for health systems to be equipped to respond to climate hazards and for healthcare professionals to receive training on climate change and health.

“They should know how to recommend better care and better preventative measures to their patients.”

3. Accelerate Emissions Reductions

Marina stressed that reducing greenhouse gas emissions must remain a priority for every country.

“We absolutely need to stop our emissions, our greenhouse gas emissions. Every country needs to pursue efforts to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. It's a global health imperative.”

She added: “Reducing our greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Agreement, redoubling efforts to mitigate climate change is a health imperative.”