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.

Women, young ones and ones holding their babies, along with some men lined up on the outskirts of Zimbabwe's capital Harare for the injections of a new HIV prevention drug. The country launched it on Thursday. This drug needs to be administered only twice a year.

Why Is This Vaccine So Important For Zimbabwe?

Zimbabwe is a country where HIV led to tens of thousands of deaths in the last two decades. It is the first country to roll out lenacapavir, which is a long-acting drug that authorities have put their hopes on to slow down the HIV infection.

What Is So Special About The HIV Injections?

Clinical studies have demonstrated near-total protection for the drug and has been described as a 'turning point' for high risk groups by many experts. However, many have warned that its broad impact would require overcoming funding constraints, infrastructure gaps and the challenge of keeping patients engaged.

Immunologist at Emory University Rama Rao Amara, calls it a "wonder drug". The drug, known as lenacapavir has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is made by Gilead Sciences.

How Does This Drug Differ From Earlier HIV Prevention Drugs?

In 2021, FDA approved injectable form of PrEP medication called cabotegravir, however, this required patients to take it in every two months. This was also an intramuscular dose that healthcare providers were to administer into the buttocks.

What changes with lenacapavir is its easy administration. Each dose lasts longer compared to other medications and requires to be administered twice a year.

Read: 12.4 Lakh HIV Tests In Haryana Detect 5,877 Cases

The limitation with lenacapavir is its price tag of more than $28,000 per person per year. Carmen Pérez Casas, a senior strategy leader at Unitaid, a global health initiative based in Geneva, Switzerland said, "This is unaffordable. We need to get somewhere close to what previous options cost."

However, there is hope as the researchers published an analysis in The Lancet HIV that suggested generic versions of this drug could cost a person $25 per year.

Could This Drug Reshape HIV Prevention?

At the Zimbabwe launch, Constance Mukoloka, a sex worker, was among the first beneficiaries of this roll out which has happened by donor-support across 10 African countries, as reported by PBS News.

"I am safe, I can work with confidence now," said the 27-year-old sex worker. "When I took tablets, customers would see a container of pills and leave. They would never return due to fear," she said. "They couldn't tell the difference between PrEP and treatment drugs. With the work we do, that stigma costs you money."

Daily oral PrEP has been offered in Zimbabwe for years, along with condoms, vaginal rings and shorter-acting injections. However, sticking to the regimen has been difficult, especially for people dealing with stigma or irregular daily routines.

"I work in beer halls looking for clients. Sometimes I would get drunk and forget to take my drugs," Mukoloka said. "Sometimes I would work all night and not have time. Some clients refuse protection. They say ... 'Why should I use protection when I have paid?'"

Mexico has reported more than 2,700 new cases of measles so far this year, as per the government data. Most of these infections have been detected among infants and young children. Not too far away, in the US, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, 900 new cases have been confirmed.

However, unlike in the 1990s, the Secretary of Public Education in Baja California Sur, Alicia Meza Osuna, clarified that it is not a requirement to present the complete vaccination schedule for children to attend schools. However, in the Mexican city of Cabo San Lucas, specific health measures are being taken.

What Parents In Cabo San Lucas Must Keep In Mind?

• The standard school enrollment process will continue as usual, and families are not required to present a complete vaccination record to register.
• In areas where recent cases have been reported, localized health precautions may be introduced. Families in Cabo San Lucas should be prepared for temporary preventive measures if an outbreak occurs.
• Parents are advised to take their children to a medical facility if they notice symptoms such as fever, cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis, small white spots inside the cheeks, or skin rashes so they can receive timely medical care.
• Except during declared emergencies, vaccination certificates are not required for school admission.

What Happened In Mexico In The 1990s?

In the 1990s, the Ministry of Health (SSA) and the Ministry of Public Education (SEP) required that children be protected against diseases such as measles, polio, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria and tuberculosis before entering preschool or primary school, as part of the health prevention policies. However, at present, as Alicia Meza Osuna stated, "It is not a requirement to enroll children in school to present their vaccination card. Under no circumstances is it a requirement to present a complete vaccination schedule for a child to attend school."

What Is Measles?

Measles, also known as rubeola, is an extremely contagious viral illness that typically causes high fever, cough, runny nose, red and watery eyes, and a characteristic rash that begins on the face and spreads downward across the body. It spreads through respiratory droplets and can lead to severe and sometimes fatal complications, including pneumonia and inflammation of the brain known as encephalitis.

Although it is preventable through the safe and effective MMR vaccine, measles remains a serious threat in many regions. There is no specific cure, and treatment focuses on managing symptoms, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

What Are The Symptoms Parents Must Look Out For?

Measles has a high transmissibility, and high measles immunity levels are required to prevent sustained measles virus transmission.

This is why herd immunity for measles could be easily breached.

It easily spreads from one infected person to another through breathes, coughs or sneezes and could cause severe disease, complications, and even death.

Symptoms include:

• High fever
• Cough
• Runny Nose
• Rash all over the body

The most unique symptom or the early sign of measles in the Koplik spots. These are tiny white dots that look like grains of salt on red gums inside the cheeks that appear before the red rash starts to appear on a person's face and then the body.

Read: Unique Symptoms Of Measles In 2026 And How Long Does The Infection Last?

Furthermore, the symptoms of measles are also characterized by the three Cs:

• Cough
• Coryza or runny nose
• Conjunctivitis or red and water eyes

How Long Does The Infection Last?

The progression of the symptom comes in two stages, first is the prodromal stage or Days 1 to 4, where one would notice high fever, cough, runny nose, red and watery eyes, sore throat, fatigue, and Koplik spots.

The second stage is called the rash stage or the days 5 to 10 or even more where rash start to appear on the hairline, and then it runs down the body. It lasts for several days and fades in the same order.

The first symptoms, notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), appear 7 to 14 days after a measles infection. Often, it could also lead to ear infection, or even diarrhea. Though these complications happen in every 1 in 10 children or individual with measles.

Union Health Minister JP Nadda launched indigenously manufactured tetanus and adult diphtheria (Td) vaccine at the Central Research Institute in Himachal Pradesh's Kasauli on Saturday. The formal launch of the Td vaccine will now include the vaccine under the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP). The Central Research Institute will supply 55 lakh doses to the UIP by April. The production is also expected to scale up progressively in subsequent years to further strengthen the Central Government's Universal Immunisation Programme, said Nadda.

Nadda also congratulated the scientists, technical experts and staff of the Central Research Institute Kasauli at the gathering, and described the launch Tb vaccine as a momentous and historic occasion. He also stated that the launch marked a significant step towards safeguarding national health security and strengthening India's public health infrastructure.

The minister also noted that the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, set clear targets for achieving self-reliance in the health and pharmaceutical sectors. Nadda also said that the launch of the indigenously manufactured Td vaccine represents a concrete step towards the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat in health and medicine.

India Is Pharmacy Of The World

He also highlighted the nation's global standing. He said that the minister also stated that India is widely recognized as the "pharmacy of the world" and is among the leading vaccine manufacturers globally.

He also said that India has achieved Maturity Level 3 in the World Health Organization's (WHO) global benchmarking of regulatory systems, reflecting the robustness of its vaccine regulatory framework. Institution like CRI, said Nadda, have also played a major role in achieving these standards.

Read: After Coldrif, WHO Bans 2 More Drugs, But This Is Not the Only Death from Indian Cough Syrup

From Decades Of Research To Digital Vaccination Tracking

The Union Health Minister said that historically, vaccines and medicines took decades to develop. The tetanus vaccine required years of global research, tuberculosis drugs evolved over nearly 30 years, and the Japanese Encephalitis vaccine took close to a century of scientific effort.

In contrast, during the COVID 19 pandemic, India developed two indigenous vaccines within nine months and administered more than 220 crore doses, including boosters. He added that vaccination certificates were issued digitally, reflecting the country’s expanding use of technology in public health delivery.

Highlighting international cooperation, he noted that under the Vaccine Maitri initiative India supplied vaccines to nearly 100 countries, with 48 receiving them free of cost. Public sector institutions such as the Central Research Institute also strengthened the country’s ability to meet both domestic and global demand.

The minister further said the Central Research Institute became the first government facility to manufacture vaccines under Good Manufacturing Practices standards, marking a major step in modernizing public sector vaccine production.

He described the Universal Immunisation Programme as the world’s largest vaccination drive. It currently provides 11 vaccines protecting against 12 preventable diseases, with significant contributions from the institute.

Every year about 2 to 2.5 crore children are born and a similar number of women become pregnant. From pregnancy registration onward, beneficiaries are tracked through digital platforms such as U WIN. Expectant mothers receive five antenatal check ups including at least one by a specialist, and monitoring continues until the child turns 16 years old, covering 27 doses.

The annual immunization cohort includes nearly 5 crore beneficiaries, around 2.5 crore pregnant women and 2.5 crore children. Due to systematic tracking and sustained immunization efforts, vaccine coverage in the country has reached nearly 99 per cent.