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.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating a possible cancer risk linked to Novartis' gene therapy Zolgensma after the Swiss drugmaker reported several cases of tumours in patients who had received the treatment. It included two patients aged less than two years old with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in which investigators found evidence linking the tumour to the therapy.

Novartis's SMA Drug Under Investigation For Causing Tumour Growth

Zolgensma is a one-time gene therapy used to treat children under two years of age with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a rare genetic disorder that causes progressive muscle weakness. More than 6,000 patients have received the treatment since its approval in 2019.

In a safety update issued on November 6, the FDA said it had received reports of neoplasia, or tumour formation including malignancy, known as insertional oncogenesis. This occurs when genetic material delivered by a gene therapy becomes integrated into a patient's DNA and contributes to abnormal cell growth.

In two cases, molecular analysis of tumour tissue showed that DNA from the therapy's viral vector had integrated into the patients' genomes within the GLI1 gene, which can promote cancer when activated. The FDA said it was also investigating a third tumour linked with GLI1.

The agency said tumours had been found in the central and peripheral nervous systems, spinal and paraspinal regions, and kidney.

Also read: Drug-Resistant Epileptic Seizures Reduce By Over 90% With Experimental Gene Therapy

What Has The FDA Said About The Risk?

The FDA is assessing whether regulatory action is needed and is reviewing whether the long-term safety studies address the risk.

However, it stressed that the benefits of both Zolgensma and Novartis' other SMA gene therapy, Itvisma, continue to outweigh their potential risks for their approved uses.

The two therapies use the same viral vector and genetic material but are administered differently. Zolgensma is given through an intravenous infusion to children under two, while Itvisma is injected into the spinal canal and is approved for adults and children aged two and older. The FDA said no cases of tumour formation had been reported following Itvisma treatment so far.

The risk of tumour formation due to viral DNA integration is already mentioned in Zolgensma's information as a theoretical risk. The FDA said patients receiving either treatment should be monitored for tumour formation.

Also read: India Proposes Stricter Drug Rules: Tougher Quality Checks, Licence Suspension

What Novartis Said?

Novartis said the two patients whose tumours showed evidence of vector DNA integration had undergone treatment and continued to be monitored.

In a statement, the company said, “Patient safety is our priority. In each case, we timely and appropriately notified health authorities and will continue to work with them on next steps.”

The company also said it had received nine tumour reports since Zolgensma's approval and that the risk was included in the drug's prescribing information.

The disclosures have raised questions among families and patients about when the information was shared. SMA Europe urged the company to explain what is known, what remains uncertain and what the findings could mean for children who have already received treatment. Novartis did not provide details on where the two new cases were in its statement.

The United States is in the midst of one of the worst measles outbreak. It has reported more than 5,000 measles cases in 2026, marking the highest annual total cases since 1991.

This has raised concerns that the country could lose its measles elimination status after more than 25 years.

Measles Cases In The US Cross 5,000

Also read: EXCLUSIVE: Ex-CDC Vaccine Advisor Says Measles Outbreak Bigger Than Reported, Slams RFK Jr’s ‘No-See Evil’ Approach

According to an update issued on November 6, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 5,182 confirmed cases as of November 5. This is the first time since 1991 that the annual number of infections has crossed the 5,000 mark.

The latest figure marks an increase of 330 cases from the previous week. The CDC also reported 562 hospitalisations due to measles this year, which accounts for 11% of confirmed cases.

The outbreak has spread across 47 jurisdictions and 43 outbreaks reported so far in 2026. Approximately around 96% of infections have been linked to outbreaks, while 96% of people infected were either unvaccinated or their vaccination status was unknown.

The expanding measles outbreak has sparked concerns about the country's ability to maintain the elimination status it achieved in 2000.

Could The US Lose Its Measles Elimination Status?

Also read: 'It’s The Best-Studied Vaccine In Human History': Former CDC Adviser Busts Common Myths About COVID Vaccines

The US declared measles eliminated in 2000, meaning that the country had stopped continuous transmission of the virus for at least 12 months, but infections could still occur when people brought the virus into the country from abroad. However, recent outbreaks have raised concerns that measles could become endemic again.

According to the CDC, elimination status is determined by the absence of continuous measles transmission in a geographical area for 12 months or longer, supported by an effective disease surveillance system.

The United States is facing a review of its elimination status by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), which is expected to assess the country's progress in controlling transmission during its November 2026 meeting.

The review will examine whether the ongoing outbreaks represent sustained transmission of the virus and whether the country continues to meet the criteria for elimination. Losing elimination status would that the country had failed to interrupt sustained transmission of the virus.

The Americas region had already lost its measles elimination status in November 2025 after Canada experienced continuous transmission for at least 12 months.

What Happens If The US Loses Its Elimination Status?

Also read: US Midterms: Where Did Voters Support Abortion Rights And Where Did They Reject Them?

Losing measles elimination status would mark a major setback for public health efforts that successfully interrupted continuous measles transmission in the country in 2000.

It would also signal that the virus is circulating continuously within the population rather than appearing mainly through imported infections that cause outbreaks that get eventually contained.

However, elimination status can be regained if sustained transmission is interrupted and the required criteria are met. Public health experts continue to emphasise the importance of maintaining high vaccination coverage, identifying cases quickly and responding to outbreaks promptly.

Who Is Being Affected By The US Measles Outbreak?

The latest CDC data show that measles is affecting people across different age groups. Adults aged 20 and older accounted for 2,132 cases, followed by 2,104 infections among people aged five to 19. Children younger than five accounted for 908 cases.

The CDC reported four measles deaths in 2026, compared with three during the whole of 2025. However, the CDC's national death count differs from figures reported by individual state health departments because the agency uses National Center for Health Statistics mortality data for its official tally.

Pennsylvania has been among the hardest-hit states, reporting 1,487 cases, 287 hospitalisations and six associated deaths, according to Reuters. The outbreak has also spread to South Carolina and Utah, which reported 670 and 536 cases, respectively.

According to state health department reports, the country has recorded eight measles-related deaths this year: six in Pennsylvania, one in New York and one in Wisconsin. At least four involved children or infants.

Life-threatening bleeding episodes among US infants have risen sharply as more parents refuse the routine vitamin K shot given at birth, two new studies have found.

Published in JAMA and JAMA Pediatrics, the studies found that the proportion of newborns who missed the vitamin K shot more than doubled between 2017 and 2025, reaching 6.8%. These infants were also more likely to experience bleeding, including bleeding in the brain.

Although the studies do not establish causation, the parallel rise in refusals and bleeding episodes is significant, said Dr Steven Woolf, an epidemiologist at Virginia Commonwealth University and lead author of the JAMA Pediatrics study, as reported by NBC News.

"Now we're stepping away from that, and we're seeing the consequences," Woolf said.

Vitamin K shots have been standard newborn care since 1961 and help prevent vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB), a rare but potentially life-threatening condition.

Infant Bleeding Episodes Nearly Quadrupled Since 2017

Woolf and colleagues analysed medical records of more than 11 million infants aged six months and younger between 2017 and 2025.

During this period, the proportion of newborns receiving a vitamin K shot fell from 97.7% to 95%, while vitamin K deficiency bleeding nearly quadrupled.

The researchers identified 5,217 bleeding events during the study period. The rate in 2025 was approximately double that in 2024, Woolf said.

The researchers noted that the increase coincided with declining public trust following the COVID-19 pandemic, growing vaccine hesitancy and parental scepticism about routine newborn interventions.

Vitamin K Refusals More Than Double To 6.8%

A separate JAMA study by Dr Kristan Scott and colleagues analysed medical records of more than 5.2 million US infants born between 2017 and 2025.

The proportion of newborns who missed the vitamin K shot rose from 3.1% in 2017 to 6.8% in 2025. It had reached 5.1% by the end of 2024.

The study also found that infants who did not receive the shot had:

• A 47% higher risk of bleeding during their first six months.
• More than twice the risk of bleeding in the brain.
• More than twice the risk of death associated with a bleeding diagnosis during their birth hospitalisation.

The authors estimated that one additional bleeding event would occur for every 114 newborns who missed the vitamin K shot.

Separately, an analysis of more than one million births by health data company Truveta for Reuters found that vitamin K refusals increased by more than 57% between January and June 2026.

Why Is Vitamin K Important For Newborns?

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble nutrient essential for blood clotting and bone health. Newborns naturally have low levels, leaving them vulnerable to VKDB.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has recommended a vitamin K injection for all newborns since 1961.

Without adequate vitamin K, babies can develop spontaneous bleeding, including severe internal bleeding and bleeding in the brain. These episodes can cause permanent brain damage or death.

Importantly, the vitamin K shot is not a vaccine. It is a one-time injection given shortly after birth to protect babies against VKDB.

Breast milk contains relatively little vitamin K. Exclusively breastfed babies who miss the birth injection therefore remain vulnerable to deficiency bleeding.

The researchers also found increased use of oral vitamin K. However, oral doses are less effective than intramuscular injections, particularly in preventing late-onset VKDB, which can occur weeks or months after birth.

Why Are More Parents Refusing Vitamin K Shots?

Vitamin K refusals have risen since the COVID-19 pandemic amid growing parental concerns about vaccines and routine newborn interventions.

Health experts have also raised concerns about declining trust in health authorities and mixed messages surrounding preventive care.

Refusals have accelerated under US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has questioned vaccine safety and overseen changes to federal childhood vaccination recommendations.

A US Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to recommend vitamin K shots for newborns. However, the department did not say whether the agency would begin tracking refusals or associated bleeding episodes.