Pill

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new daily pill developed by Revolution Medicines for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. • This groundbreaking medication introduces a novel therapeutic approach to combat one of the most lethal forms of cancer. • The approval is significant as it provides patients with a new targeted option for managing a disease known for its high mortality rate and limited treatment efficacy.

• Washington is investigating a controversial FBI operation known as "Round River," which allegedly reclassified damaging information regarding the Biden family's Ukraine connections. • The operation reportedly labeled this sensitive information as potential Russian propaganda to shield the Biden family from scrutiny. • This scandal is now expanding beyond U.S. borders, raising significant political questions and concerns across Europe.

Foundayo will be available on private prescription, with pharmacists warning of counterfeit GLP-1 problemA new daily pill that treats diabetes and helps with weight loss will be available in UK pharmacies from Monday.Pharmacists said the move would be welcome for people who cannot use weight-loss jabs, but also issued a warning over the growing problem of fake, unlicensed or counterfeit versions of GLP-1 tablets. Continue reading...

Sunday incident created ‘significant traffic disruptions’ and a foul odor as crews worked to clear cephalopod remainsMore than 20 tons of squid spilled on to a Rhode Island highway during a traffic accident, creating hours of delays for motorists and a foul stench as crews worked in baking sunshine to scrape up the remains of the fast-decaying cephalopods.The incident occurred Sunday morning in Narragansett when the driver of a tractor-trailer transporting the squid failed to make a turn, and the vehicle fell on to its side, the town’s police department said in a statement, reported by ABC News. Continue reading...

Trump loyalist, who also has president’s endorsement, has spent millions trying to prove 2020 election was ‘stolen’Mike Lindell is leaving his role with the company to focus on his campaign to become the next governor of Minnesota. In a social media post published Tuesday, Lindell said that the company is strong enough to withstand his departure.“This decision is not about walking away. It is about stepping forward to serve. I am putting Minnesota above myself, my title, and my business interests so I can give this campaign and the people of our state my full time, energy, and attention,” Lindell said. Continue reading...

• Dow futures surged 400 points and the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at a record high on Monday, driven by strong earnings reports from Caterpillar and Palantir. • Amazon reached a significant milestone, with its market capitalization eclipsing $3 trillion for the first time. • The S&P 500 is positioned to challenge its own record highs following this broad market momentum.

Volunteers painstakingly gather plastic pellets washing up on beaches after ship collision on 19 July“You’ve got a local community that really cares about the coastline,” said Alice Laverty, reflecting on the huge army of volunteers who had taken to crisis-hit beaches in north-east England with passion and only the most basic tools. “They’ve all got a dustpan, a brush, a bucket, a kitchen sieve.”On beaches from Cambois in Northumberland to Seaburn on Wearside, up to 2,000 dedicated volunteers have been painstakingly sifting through sand to find tiny, lentil-sized pellets of plastic. Continue reading...

• The KOSPI experienced a record-breaking surge on the 31st, marking its largest daily gain in history as the index climbed from the 5,500 level to reclaim 6,500. • The rally was primarily driven by a sharp increase in large-cap semiconductor stocks, fueled by robust earnings reports from the United States. • J.P. Morgan noted that the liquidation of leveraged ETFs is virtually complete, suggesting a stabilization of the market's downward pressure.

• Merck is establishing voluntary licensing agreements to enable the wide-scale production of its experimental HIV prevention pill in lower-income countries. • The company is pursuing these partnerships while the drug is still undergoing two late-stage clinical trials to accelerate future availability. • This strategy aims to ensure that the medication can be manufactured and distributed rapidly once it receives regulatory approval.

• Merck has received FDA approval for Lipfendra, the first oral pill in the PCSK9 inhibitor class of cholesterol-lowering medications. • Unlike traditional PCSK9 inhibitors that require injections, Lipfendra is a macrocyclic peptide specifically designed for oral administration. • This development provides a more convenient alternative for patients who require stronger cholesterol management than standard statins can offer.

Up to 25 tonnes of nurdles, the raw material for plastic manufacturing, have spread further than initially fearedApproximately a billion tiny plastic nurdles have entered the River Tyne after a “devastating spill”, with the pellets thought to have spread much further than first thought.Nurdles are tiny pellets, usually about 1-5mm in size, that act as the raw material to manufacture most plastic products. Continue reading...

• Morning Rounds reports on several diverse health and legal stories, including the current status of cyclospora outbreaks and the availability of THC-infused sodas in grocery stores. • The coverage also highlights a specific criminal case involving a fugitive in Rhode Island who maintained a double life. • These updates provide a snapshot of emerging public health trends and legal anomalies affecting regional safety and consumer wellness.

CEO’s pay packet surges to £791,000 as union says public ‘sick of obscene pay’ and bosses ‘feathering own nests’Wessex Water awarded its chief executive an above-inflation pay increase even as the company was banned from paying bonuses because of sewage spills, it has emerged.Ruth Jefferson received a 14% base salary increase in October, from £590,000 to £670,000, before other benefits, according to accounts published this month. It was far above the 3.5% given to workers, and put her pay at 18 times that of the company’s median employee. Continue reading...

• The FDA has approved Lipfendra, a new cholesterol-lowering pill developed by Merck. • Unlike traditional statins, Lipfendra is a PCSK9 inhibitor, utilizing a different mechanism to reduce cholesterol levels in patients. • This approval provides a new oral therapeutic option for managing high cholesterol, offering an alternative for those who may not respond well to statins.

FDA notice warns of ‘potential foreign material’ as recall covers two types of frozen bread roll doughGeneral Mills is recalling nearly 736,000 Pillsbury bread rolls over concerns they could contain glass, according to a notice issued by the US Food and Drug Administration earlier this week.The recall covers two frozen bread roll products: 3,080 cases of Hard Roll Dough, with 180 rolls in each case, totaling 554,400 rolls, and 1,260 cases of Kaiser Roll Dough with 144 rolls per case, totaling 181,440 rolls. The FDA notice states the products may contain “potential foreign material (glass)”. Continue reading...

Republican Trump ally has spent years promoting discredited claims about 2020 electionDonald Trump has endorsed Mike Lindell’s bid for Minnesota governor, calling the MyPillow founder “one of America’s greatest and most hard working Patriots” in a Truth Social post on Wednesday.Trump described Lindell as someone who had “sacrificed” more than almost anyone else “in fighting for our country, especially when it comes to Election Integrity”, invoking Lindell’s years spent promoting discredited claims about the 2020 election. Trump said Lindell “will MAKE MINNESOTA GREAT AGAIN” and gave him full-throated support ahead of the state’s 11 August Republican primary, where early voting is already under way. Continue reading...

Proposed legal settlement over 2022 oil spill would resolve allegations that South Bow violated clean water lawsA proposed legal settlement with the US government would require the Keystone pipeline system’s operator to pay a $26.9m civil penalty over a large oil spill in Kansas in December 2022 and spend about $40m more to prevent future accidents.The agreement would resolve allegations from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Kansas that South Bow, based in Canada, violated US and state clean water laws. The rupture dumped nearly 13,000 barrels of heavy crude oil into a creek running through a rural pasture in Washington county, Kansas, about 150 miles (241km) north-west of Kansas City. Continue reading...

Thousands of people begin receiving their first deliveries of once-a-day medication made by Novo NordiskBusiness live – latest updatesA once-a-day Wegovy weight-loss pill has gone on sale at high street and online pharmacies in the UK, but is not yet available on the NHS.Thousands of people began receiving their first deliveries of the pill, made by the Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk, on Monday. It contains the same active GLP-1 ingredient as the Wegovy jab, semaglutide, and is similarly effective, according to studies. Continue reading...

• Egyptian authorities have launched a sweeping crackdown on smuggling networks along the border with Sudan to disrupt the illicit flow of gold. • The operation reveals how Sudan's ongoing internal conflict has fueled a "war economy," pushing gold trade into underground regional networks. • This shift matters as it intensifies regional security concerns and demonstrates how wartime resources are being weaponized to fund combatants.

• Prime Minister Modi held a phone call with the President of Iran, while student protests over exam paper leaks have escalated into a political issue in Uttar Pradesh. • In the US, a court upheld birthright citizenship, marking a legal setback for Donald Trump's stated positions. • Filmmaker Chaitanya Tamhane, known for his 2014 debut *Court*, is expanding into mentalism to seek greater creative autonomy.

• South Korea's Kospi index experienced a sharp crash, sparking concerns about potential global market contagion and spillover effects. • Financial experts suggest the impact on Indian markets will be minimal, noting that India is less at risk compared to other Asian economies. • A key reason for this resilience is the divergent performance in 2026, where markets in Korea and Taiwan soared while the Nifty fell, leaving Indian valuations less stretched.

Research finds immune systems still ‘responding to toxic chemical exposures’ related to East Palestine derailmentIn the weeks after the East Palestine train wreck culminated in a towering fireball and chemical release in the small Ohio town, Jessica Boersma was seriously exposed to the stew of compounds emitted from the derailment site.Boersma lives less than a quarter mile away, and, as a city council member, she had to spend significant time at the site coordinating with first responders. Continue reading...

Regulator approval means patients who meet criteria such as having obesity will be able to purchase pills with private prescriptionPatients will soon be able to buy the Wegovy weight-loss pill, the medicines regulator announced today.It is the first GLP-1 receptor agonist tablet for weight-loss to be approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), making the UK the third country to authorise the pills, behind the US and the United Arab Emirates. Continue reading...

• Experts and policymakers at a Nikkei conference in Tokyo warned that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is triggering an energy crisis with wide-reaching economic spillover effects. • The Malaysian central bank Governor highlighted that these disruptions are negatively impacting industrial inputs, logistics, food prices, and the tourism sector across Asia. • The regional outlook is further complicated by the rise of AI-driven disinformation, which threatens to destabilize markets and political stability.

• India's largest online youth movement, known as the "cockroach" movement, has transitioned from digital platforms to physical protests on the streets of Delhi. • The demonstrators are specifically demanding the immediate resignation of the country's education minister. • This escalation marks a significant shift for the movement, moving from viral social media activism to direct public confrontation.

Patients in Washington and Hawaii will be able to obtain medication before pregnancy in expansion of early accessPlanned Parenthood clinics in Washington and Hawaii will now offer “just in case” abortion medication, bringing wider attention to the option of receiving the pills in advance of pregnancy amid growing challenges to access.Leaders at the organization hope their name recognition will help community members understand their options for accessing care despite federal, state and personal challenges to getting abortion care. Continue reading...

Just months from the Victorian election, the premier’s performance has left some MPs wondering if it’s too late for Labor to change leadersGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastJacinta Allan faced three major tests this week. The way she handled them has left some of her colleagues speculating about a possible leadership change just months out from the Victorian election.The first came on Monday, as the premier responded to a parliamentary inquiry that six months ago recommended sweeping reforms to Victoria’s integrity laws. Continue reading...

Experts hail daraxonrasib as ‘gamechanger’ for patients with advanced pancreatic cancerA daily pill can double survival time in patients with the world’s deadliest cancer, according to the results of a clinical trial that experts are saying is a “gamechanger” and one of the biggest breakthroughs in decades.Currently, there are few treatments for pancreatic cancer, and most do little or nothing to help. For decades, scientists have worked relentlessly trying to find clever solutions for a form of cancer that is often found late. More than half of patients are only diagnosed after it has spread. Continue reading...