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.

Amid an ongoing food safety overhaul by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), around 18,000 boxes of Diageo whisky and vodka bottles have been seized from the company's unit in Bengaluru.

Diageo is the world's largest spirits maker and owns brands including Johnnie Walker, Baileys and Captain Morgan.

News agency Reuters, citing government sources, reported that the action was linked to the alleged lack of markings showing that the bottles were made using safe, food-grade recycled plastic.

Confirming the regulatory action, Diageo India said some of its bottles "have been quarantined by authorities until further direction."

What Did FSSAI Find?

According to a government memo, the FSSAI inspectors found that United Spirits' Bengaluru factory had recycled liquor bottles that carried only markings showing they were made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET). A second government memo stated that the bottles should have carried a government-mandated recycled PET symbol indicating that the material was food-grade.

"This raised serious food safety, misleading and misbranding compliance concerns regarding the safety of finished alcoholic beverages for consumers," the memo said. The seizure was made in the interests of public health, it added.

Which Bottles Were Seized?

Also read: From Liquor to Dabur to VKC Nuts, FSSAI Crackdown Puts Food Safety in Focus: Why It Matters

While most large bottles of Diageo drinks are made of glass, the action focused on plastic bottles used to sell the products in smaller quantities, typically 180 milliliters.

The seizure included:

• Products worth around $1.6 million

• Plastic material

• More than half a dozen brands, including DSP Black Deluxe Whisky

• Smirnoff Zesty Lime Triple Distilled Flavored Vodka

• VAT 69 blended Scotch whisky

What Did Diageo Say?

Diageo India stated that the liquor bottles were sourced from a recycler approved by FSSAI, and that mandatory tests had been conducted by the suppliers.

"Our products are completely safe for consumption ... We are engaging with FSSAI for further direction on this matter," Diageo India unit United Spirits told Reuters. The FSSAI did not respond to Reuters' questions about the seizure.

Diageo Faces Wider Scrutiny

Read More: Why Has FSSAI Banned The Sale Of Dabur India's Ghee, Honey & Other Products?

The latest seizure comes after FSSAI banned the sale of select whisky and rum products from major liquor companies, including Diageo India's United Spirits, after finding artificial or "nature-identical" flavoring that allegedly violates Indian food standards.

The affected products include:

• United Spirits' Antiquity Blue

• Royal Challenge Whisky, manufactured in Madhya

• Inbrew's Bagpiper Deluxe

• Old Cask Deluxe XXX

• Three variants of Old Monk, produced by Mohan Rocky Springwater in Maharashtra

FSSAI said laboratory tests found that certain products manufactured by United Spirits, Inbrew Beverages and Mohan Rocky Springwater contained external artificial or nature-identical flavoring substances intended to recreate the taste and aroma of whisky or rum, instead of relying on traditional production methods.

According to the regulator, natural flavoring substances are permitted in alcoholic beverages, but manufacturers cannot add whisky flavor to whisky or rum flavor to rum.

"There is no internationally recognized manufacturing practice whereby rum flavor is added to rum or whisky flavor is added to whisky," FSSAI said in its statement.

The regulator added that these practices could bypass proper maturation and reduce reliance on ingredients traditionally used to develop flavor, including molasses, malt and grapes

FSSAI classified the tested products as "sub-standard due to the presence of external artificial or nature-identical flavors in the product."

FSSAI Steps Up Food Safety Checks

The food standards regulator has stepped up enforcement across packaged foods, edible oils, sweeteners and high-caffeine beverages, energy drink makers, including PepsiCo, with the drive gathering pace since July.

In recent weeks, FSSAI has acted against or scrutinized products and companies over misleading claims, hygiene and food-safety violations, non-compliant ingredients, labelling issues and failure to meet prescribed standards.

July 2026 was the hottest month in the US in more than a century of official temperature records, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The Lower 48 states recorded an average temperature of 76.89°F (24.94°C) — 3.3°F (1.8°C) above the 20th-century average — narrowly surpassing the previous July record set in 1936, when severe drought and extreme heat devastated large parts of the country.

The record followed weeks of intense heatwaves, prolonged extreme temperatures and widespread wildfires.

Overnight Temperatures Soar in US

Daytime maximum temperatures averaged 89.5°F, making July the sixth-warmest month on record for daytime temperatures.

Overnight temperatures averaged 64.2°F, the highest recorded in any month and 3.7°F above the average. They were also 0.7°F hotter than July 2022.

Scientists attributed the record heat to climate change. A Climate Central analysis using data from 1970 to 2024 found that climate change has contributed to hotter summer nights and made extreme heat more frequent, longer-lasting and intense.

Which US States Recorded the Highest Heat?

“Much-above-average” temperatures were recorded across the interior of West, Southwest, Rockies, northern Plains, upper Midwest and parts of the Gulf Coast and Southeast.

Thirteen states had one of their five warmest Julys. Wyoming recorded its hottest month on record, 0.9°F above its previous record.

Alaska was 0.9°F cooler than its 1925–2000 average, while Hawaii was 0.6°F warmer than its 1991–2020 average.

Heat and Drought Hit Large Parts of US

High temperatures coincided with below-average precipitation across several regions, including the northern Rockies, northern Plains, upper Midwest, Northeast, southern Plains, Mississippi Valley, central Gulf Coast and Southeast.

About 48.5% of the mainland US and Washington, DC, were in drought as of Tuesday, according to the US Drought Monitor. More than two-thirds of Puerto Rico were also in drought.

Wildfire smoke blanketed parts of the US as major fires burned across Canada and the Pacific Northwest.

UK, France Brace For Fifth Heat Wave of 2026

The UK and France are bracing for the fifth heat wave of the season, following repeated bouts of extreme heat across Europe since May.

France’s Météo-France is warning of temperatures approaching 40°C (104°F) in southeastern France from Tuesday.

In the UK, an amber heat-health alert for most of England will begin Tuesday, with temperatures forecast to reach 36°C (96.8°F) later this week.

Heat Death Toll In US And Europe

Extreme heat has been linked to more than 25,000 deaths across Europe in 2026, while at least 70 deaths have been directly linked to major July heat domes in the US.

• A Washington Post analysis counted at least 70 US deaths linked to major July heat domes as of late July, but said the figure was likely an undercount.

• A preliminary analysis estimated 20,390 excess deaths across Europe during the June 2026 heatwave.

• By early August, Bloomberg data put Europe’s 2026 heat-related deaths above 25,000.

• France recorded more than 5,700 excess deaths during the June heatwave, according to health authorities.

Drug-resistant superbug Candida auris (C. auris) has now been detected in 27 US states. According to the latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 3,437 clinical cases have been reported through July 25.

The figure is about 1,000 fewer than the 4,290 cases reported during the same period last year.

Candida auris Remains A Critical Public Health Threat

C. auris is a deadly fungus that primarily poses a concern for people who are hospitalised or in long-term care facilities. The total number of clinical cases has increased since the pathogen was first detected in the US in 2016, the CDC said.

While the rate of increase has slowed in recent years, C. auris remains a “critical public health threat.”

First discovered in Japan in 2009, the pathogen can live silently on the skin but can become deadly when it reaches the bloodstream. It kills about 3,000 patients in US hospitals and long-term care facilities each year.

Now, a new study published in the journal Science has revealed why the deadly superbug can be so difficult to remove from the skin once it takes hold.

How Candida auris Permanently Colonizes Skin

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) found that C. auris actively rewires the skin’s immune system to protect itself, taking refuge in hair follicles where current therapies cannot reach it.

“Candida auris colonizes skin way better than most other fungi, setting it up to invade once the immune system is weakened,” said Dean Merrill, a dermatologist, UCSF professor and first author of the study.

“The big clinical problem is that we have no effective way to remove it from the skin,” he added.

To understand why C. auris persists on the skin unlike other fungi, researchers compared it with Candida albicans, a common fungus that the skin and immune system normally clear quickly.

In mice, C. auris was found to persist by taking refuge in hair follicles.

While C. albicans activated an immune signal called IL-17, which helps renew the skin’s surface and strengthen antifungal defenses, allowing the infection to be cleared, C. auris, triggered interferon gamma, a signal more commonly associated with viral infections.

The fungus achieved this by remodeling its outer cell wall to expose more of a molecule called chitin. This prompted immune cells to release interferon gamma around the hair follicle.

The interferon gamma then blocked the skin’s antifungal defenses, including IL-17. It also slowed the natural replacement of cells in the hair follicle, causing older, damaged cells to accumulate and creating a niche where C. auris could flourish.

How The Finding Will Help?

The findings reveal potential targets for preventing C. auris from persisting on the skin.

One possible approach could involve drugs that shift the immune response away from interferon gamma and toward IL-17, which drives the skin’s normal antifungal clearing process.

Another possibility could be drugs that block chitin, potentially preventing the fungus from amplifying interferon gamma signals, Merrill said.

More broadly, the researchers say the findings offer a new way of understanding how microbes can quietly coexist with humans before becoming dangerous.