A new study has found that a combination of two drugs could enhance the immune system to treat one of the most common types of cancer in the world, bowel cancer. Also known as colorectal cancer, despite its widespread presence, the treatment options for this condition are limited. What the study specifically found was that this procedure could shrink the tumours caused by this condition by around 60%.

What Are The Drugs Involved

The trial involved the use of two immunotherapy drugs, botancilimab and balstilumab. It is a monoclonal antibody that works to stimulate the body's immune system to attack cancer. The study is a rather significant find, as it’s the first time that a consistent and durable response to immunotherapy has been reported in patients with solid MSS mCRC tumours.

The study was divided into several phases for more than 6 months. In the US trial, around around 101 patients with microsatile stable metastatic colorectal (MSS-mCRC) tumours showed a decrease . Around 61% of the patients experienced tumour shrinkage or stabilization after combined treatment with votancilumab and balstilumab. When it comes to downsides, diarrhea and fatigue were found to be the most common side effects or side effects of this drug.

These results are interesting and open to exploration. To date, immunotherapy has not been effective in patients with CNS-mCRC tumors. This study demonstrates the potential of the combination of botenlimab and balstilimab in the treatment of CNS mCRC, providing new hope for people diagnosed with colon cancer.

What Could This Mean For Bowel Cancer Treatment In The Future

The study is currently in the final stages of clinical trials, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hopes to quickly gain approval for its use because of the importance of this area that affects many people. The efficiency shown demonstrates the potential of botansilimab to contribute to broad antitumor immunity.

All in all, the combination of botensilimab and balstilimab represents a promising new direction in the treatment of colorectal cancer. This breakthrough could improve conditions for many patients worldwide and lights a new hope in the fight against this common disease. The results of this study show the effectiveness of immunotherapy in this field and how its potential to transform cancer treatment can only grow in the years to come.

A once-weekly oral HIV combination therapy may offer an effective alternative to standard daily treatment, according to results from a global phase 3 clinical trial.

The weekly tablet combines two long-acting antiretroviral medicines — Merck’s islatravir and Gilead Sciences’ lenacapavir — with complementary mechanisms of action that enable once-weekly dosing. The combination could reduce the burden of lifelong daily pill-taking for people living with HIV, revealed the trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine last week.

What Did The New Trial Show?

The randomized, double-blind trial evaluated a once-weekly combination tablet containing islatravir and lenacapavir in adults whose HIV had remained suppressed for at least six months while taking the daily regimen bictegravir–emtricitabine–tenofovir alafenamide by Gilead.

The international study involved 607 adults across 106 clinical sites in 12 countries. Participants who had maintained viral suppression on standard daily treatment were randomly assigned either to switch to the once-weekly tablet or remain on their existing daily medication.

After 48 weeks, the once-weekly regimen proved non-inferior to the standard once-daily treatment. Overall, 93.4% of participants taking the weekly regimen and 92.4% of those continuing daily therapy maintained viral suppression.

No participants receiving the weekly treatment experienced virological failure. At week 48, no participants taking the once-weekly regimen had a viral load of 50 copies per milliliter or higher, compared with one participant (0.3%) in the daily-treatment group.

None of the participants developed resistance to either islatravir or lenacapavir.

CD4+ T-Cell Levels Remained Stable

Levels of CD4+ T-cells and total lymphocytes, which are immune cells that help fight infections, remained stable in both groups.

Earlier studies of higher daily doses of islatravir raised concerns about declines in immune cell counts.

Comparable Safety Profile

About 80% of participants in each group experienced at least one mild or moderate adverse event, such as headache or diarrhea.

Serious adverse events were less common, occurring in 16 participants (5.3%) receiving the weekly regimen and 14 participants (4.6%) receiving daily therapy.

Six participants in the weekly regimen group and five in the daily-treatment group discontinued treatment due to adverse events. No deaths were reported.

“As such, these findings support the safety of the current weekly 2-mg [milligram] dose of islatravir,” the researchers wrote in the paper.

Both Drugs Are FDA-approved

Both islatravir and lenacapavir are US FDA-approved, but their combination is not.

Islatravir is approved by the FDA in combination with doravirine and is marketed as Idvynso. It is prescribed as a daily oral treatment for virologically suppressed adults.

Lenacapavir is also approved by the FDA as a multi-drug component for treatment-resistant HIV, marketed as Sunlenca. It is also approved as a twice-yearly injection for HIV prevention or PrEP, marketed as Yeztugo.

The study remains ongoing and participants will continue to be followed for a total of 96 weeks to assess longer-term safety and effectiveness.

Could Reduce ‘Pill Fatigue’

The researchers said that the once-weekly oral regimen could also help address “pill fatigue,” or the mental and emotional burden of taking medication every day.

For some patients, a weekly oral regimen may be more convenient than long-acting injectable HIV therapies, which require regular clinic visits.

“The first ever weekly oral therapy for the treatment of HIV could offer welcome relief from the burden of life-long daily pill-taking for people living with HIV. This is especially important for people that are experiencing stigma and people with other HIV-associated health conditions who are taking multiple other tablets,” said Professor Chloe Orkin MBE, Professor of Infection and Inequities and Dean for Healthcare Transformation at Queen Mary University of London.

New York City just rolled out new measures in a response to prevent Legionnaires’ disease after a major outbreak on the Upper East Side left 11 people dead and 94 infected.

The new measures, announced by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the NYC Health Department on September 1, aim to improve monitoring of cooling towers, speed up testing and enforcement, and make information about possible risky systems easier for the public to access.

The Upper East Side cluster, which affected the Carnegie Hill and Yorkville neighborhoods, has now ended in terms of exposure.

However, investigation is still in progress to find out exactly how the outbreak began. Whole-genome sequencing results expected this fall could help determine whether the Legionella strain found in patients matches bacteria detected in nearby cooling towers.

What Safety Measures Has NYC Announced?

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One major change will connect the Health Department's cooling tower registration system with the Department of Buildings' construction permitting system.

The goal is to identify unregistered cooling towers before they begin operating, after the city found unregistered systems during both the Upper East Side investigation and a previous outbreak in Central Harlem.

New York will also create a citywide map of registered cooling towers, allowing residents to see their locations and review inspection histories, including whether buildings have complied with Legionella sampling requirements. The map and an annual public education campaign are expected by spring 2027.

Cooling tower owners cited for violations will receive the earliest hearing date permitted, which is 15 days after a summons is served.

Since May 8, the Health Department has conducted 800 field inspections, with more than 460 resulting in at least one violation. The city says $80,500 in fines have been paid.

Why Are Cooling Towers Important?

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Legionella bacteria can grow in warm water systems and become a health risk when contaminated water produces tiny droplets or mist that people breathe in.

Cooling towers are among the systems that can allow the bacteria to spread through the air. Most people exposed to Legionella do not become ill, but the risk is higher among older adults, smokers and people with chronic diseases or weaken immunities.

Speedy Testing And New Cooling Technology

As of August 31, 94 people had been diagnosed and 11 had died in the Upper East Side cluster. No patients remained hospitalized.

The Health Department plans to explore and implement faster culture-testing methods and other approaches that could reduce the time needed to confirm whether Legionella is present. This could be key in preventing future outbreaks.

The Upper East Side had nearly four times as many cooling towers in the affected area as were identified during the 2025 Central Harlem cluster, making rapid testing considerably more challenging.

The city will also establish a scientific team to examine new cooling tower technologies and alternative cooling systems.

NYC Health Commissioner Dr Alister F. Martin added, "Rigorous standards only matter if we are constantly working to make them stronger."

Parkinson’s disease has becoming increasingly common in the US, but new data show that the burden is heavier in some states than others.

An analysis of 2025 medical records of 46 million adults across 49 states found an evident geographic divide.

After adjusting for factors like age, sex, race, ethnicity and other health conditions, Nebraska recorded the highest rate at 561 Parkinson’s diagnoses per 100,000 people, followed by Kansas at 517 and Utah at 493. On the other hand, Montana recorded 308 diagnoses per 100,000.

Even though the findings do not prove that living in a particular state causes Parkinson’s, researchers say the pattern raises important questions about environmental factors, population differences and access to healthcare.

Why are Nebraska and Kansas seeing more cases?

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More than 90% of Nebraska is farmed or ranched, while Kansas also has extensive agricultural activity. That signals that pesticides could be a possible contributor to Parkinson’s risk.

Dr Ayesha Bryant, a functional medicine physician, said that exposure to chemicals through farming could help explain the high rates in Nebraska, Kansas and possibly Arkansas. “The literature repeatedly shows associations between pesticide exposure and Parkinson's disease in epidemiological studies,” she told The Daily Mail.

Parkinson’s develops when dopamine-producing neurons progressively become damaged and die. Since dopamine plays a key role in movement, its loss can lead to tremors, stiffness, and slow movement.

Other pesticides, including paraquat and glyphosate, have also been investigated for possible links to Parkinson’s, although the evidence is not conclusive for all of them.

Air Pollution May Be Another Factor

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Only around 20% of Utah is farmed or ranched, and pesticide use is also low. Yet it recorded the third-highest diagnosis rate.

Dr Rebecca Gilbert, neurologist and chief mission officer at the American Parkinson Disease Association, said air pollution is another environmental factor scientists are increasingly investigating. “Scientists are increasingly looking at air pollution as a possible risk factor for Parkinson's and other brain diseases, including dementia,” she said.

Utah's industrial and mining activity could contribute to exposure to fine particulate matter, or PM2.5. Research has increasingly explored whether long-term exposure to air pollution could affect brain health.

Talking about population as a factor, Dr Johnson Moon, neurologist and medical director for neurophysiology at Providence St Jude Medical Center, said that Utah's predominantly white population.

“Census data shows around 87 percent of residents are white – and Parkinson's is diagnosed more often in white populations than in black or Asian groups,” he said.

He added, “Genetic differences may partly explain this, although disparities in access to care and delayed or missed diagnoses among minority groups could also affect the figures.”

The US sees nearly 90,000 new Parkinson’s diagnoses each year, and more than 1.1 million Americans are estimated to be living with the disease. That number is projected to reach 1.2 million by 2030.

Age remains the biggest known risk factor, but genetics, environmental exposures and other factors may interact over decades. But as of now, scientists cannot point towards one definite cause of Parkinson's with certainty.