Claudia Sheinbaum says Mexico was not aware of US participation until four officials were killed in car crashClaudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s president, said on Monday that her government told the United States, in a diplomatic note, that the unauthorized presence of US officials at an anti-narcotics operation in the northern state of Chihuahua should not be repeated.The incident came to light after two US officials, along with two Mexican officials, were killed in a car crash on 19 April after the operation. Sheinbaum has said the federal government was not aware of the participation of the US officials, who were widely reported to be CIA officers. Continue reading...
Health secretary’s ‘power grab’ to override Nice comes amid growing concern move may be illegal and benefit big pharmaDozens of MPs are opposing Wes Streeting’s decision to award himself power to dictate what the NHS pays for drugs amid growing concern the move may be illegal.Thirty-one MPs have signed a House of Commons motion voicing their disapproval of the health secretary being handed the power to override the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (Nice) judgment on how much the NHS should spend on individual medicines. Continue reading...
Small boat destroyed in video posted on social media as US campaign has killed at least 178 people since SeptemberThe US military announced on Friday that it killed two people in an attack on a boat in the eastern Pacific, part of a series of deadly strikes on vessels in recent months which it claims are targeting “narco-trafficking” operations.The US Southern Command declared in a social media post on X that Gen Francis L Donovan directed Joint Task Force Southern Spear, the counter-narcotics unit that operates in the region, to carry out a lethal strike. The US military posted a video, which it labeled unclassified, showing a small boat being destroyed in an explosion. Continue reading...
• President Donald Trump outlined sweeping healthcare reforms in an Oval Office address, announcing what he described as the largest prescription drug price cuts in U.S. history.
• The announcement represents a major domestic policy initiative focused on reducing medication costs for American consumers.
• Trump simultaneously signaled potential progress in Iran conflict negotiations, suggesting possible diplomatic breakthroughs as ceasefire talks continue.
Marijuana had same classification as heroin, LSD and others before Trump signed an order to move it to schedule IIISign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe Trump administration has moved to reclassify marijuana, more than four months after Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the attorney general to move it from schedule I to schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act.The schedule I classification meant marijuana was alongside heroin, LSD, MDMA and synthetic opioids, whereas a schedule III classification put it in the same category as ketamine, anabolic steroids and testosterone. Continue reading...
Mexico to investigate possible breach of its constitution and assess US’s role in anti-drug operation near ChihuahuaMexico has launched an investigation into a possible breach of its constitution as it was reported that two US embassy officials who died in a car accident while returning from a raid on a drug lab with local officials in the border state of Chihuahua were CIA operatives.The accident happened early on Sunday, as the officials were driving back from the scene of the raid. Their vehicle skidded off the road and plunged down a 200 metre ravine in the mountains near Chihuahua’s border with the state of Sinaloa. Continue reading...
• The FDA announced the first ibogaine investigational new drug application as part of Trump's mental health executive order accelerating psychedelic drug approvals and research pathways.
• HHS will coordinate with the FDA and DEA to expedite research approval and clinical trial access for emerging mental health treatments under strict medical supervision and scientific oversight.
• The initiative specifically targets treatment-resistant conditions and addresses mental health needs among veterans and patients who have not responded to conventional therapies.
• President issues executive order on April 18, 2026, to speed medical treatments for serious mental illness using psychedelic drugs including ibogaine compounds.
• Order highlights clinical studies showing potential for patients with persistent conditions unresponsive to standard therapies.
• Directs federal agencies to prioritize research, approvals, and access to innovative mental health interventions nationwide.
President signed executive order directing FDA to expedite review of psychedelic drugs including ibogaineDonald Trump on Saturday announced reforms intended to speed up access to medical research and treatment based on psychedelic drugs.The president signed an executive order directing the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expedite review of drugs such as ibogaine, a drug that US military veteran groups have said can help treat post-traumatic stress disorder. Continue reading...
• The Broad Institute is leveraging artificial intelligence to accelerate drug discovery, designing new antibiotics and predicting drug toxicity with greater accuracy than traditional methods.
• The AI systems are also being applied to identify specific genes, molecules, and cells that might serve as therapeutic targets for disease treatment.
• This computational approach promises to dramatically speed up the drug development pipeline and reduce the cost and time required to bring new medications to patients.
Wednesday’s strike brings the total of those killed in US military strikes on alleged drug boats to at least 177Three people were killed in a US strike on another alleged drug-trafficking boat, the fifth such deadly attack in as many days, military officials have announced.US southern command said it conducted “a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations” in the eastern Pacific, without naming the alleged group, in an X post. Continue reading...
Experts say any short-term financial benefit will be outweighed by long-term health costs related to obesityFaced with high demand for GLP-1 drugs, some American cities and states that previously covered the cost of the weight-loss medication for low-income residents and public employees have now started to restrict or eliminate coverage.The pullback stems from the dramatic increase in public spending on drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy in recent years. Continue reading...
Chief inspector for England and Wales says prison remains in ‘precarious state’ more than year after urgent notificationThe Prison Service has made “very little progress” in enforcing a formal demand to stop drones from delivering drugs into one of its worst performing jails, a watchdog has concluded.Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector of prisons for England and Wales, said HMP Manchester remained in a “precarious state” after a failure to fix broken windows and install security to stop contraband being delivered to gangs. Continue reading...
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published a proposed rule on Friday requiring health insurance companies and states to resolve non-urgent prior authorization requests for prescription drugs within 24 hours.
• The regulation mandates Medicaid and CHIP insurers, plus state administrators, to publicly disclose denial rates and respond faster to improve patient access.
• This addresses delays in medication approvals, potentially benefiting millions enrolled in these programs amid ongoing affordability challenges.
Attacks on Saturday bring number of people killed in boat strikes by US military to at least 168The US military said that it blew up two boats accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing a total of five people and leaving one survivor, as the Trump administration pursues its campaign against alleged traffickers in Latin America while preparing a naval blockade of Iranian ports.The attacks on Saturday bring the number of people who have been killed in boat strikes by the US military to at least 168 since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls “narcoterrorists” in early September. Continue reading...
PhenMap tool could spare thousands of patients from treatment that would be ineffective for themA new AI-driven way of identifying how patients with advanced bowel cancer will respond to a drug that was recently introduced by the NHS has been announced.Researchers at London’s Institute of Cancer Research and the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences in Dublin have developed the method with the goal of sparing potentially thousands of patients from being given drugs that would be ineffective in fighting their cancers. Continue reading...
Mo-Rez reduced or eliminated tumours in over 60% of patients and is expected to be a blockbuster drugGSK has revealed positive results for a treatment for gynaecological cancers as its chief executive, Luke Miels, steps up drug development efforts at the group.The company said that in an early-stage trial Mocertatug Rezetecan, known as Mo-Rez, shrank or eliminated tumours in 62% of patients with ovarian cancer where chemotherapy had failed, and in 67% of those with endometrial cancer. Continue reading...
Relacorilant, typically used to treat Cushing’s syndrome, could improve outcomes in platinum-resistant casesA drug originally used to treat a rare disease could extend the lives of patients with an aggressive form of ovarian cancer, according to a clinical trial.Platinum-resistant ovarian cancer occurs when the disease progresses within six months of starting platinum-based chemotherapy. This form of chemotherapy is different from other types because it uses compounds that contain platinum to destroy cancer cells by preventing them from dividing. Continue reading...
Enzo Conticello jailed for 27 months for ‘opportunistic’ theft of Givenchy handbag containing precious jewelsA man who stole a handbag containing a Fabergé egg and watch set valued at up to £2.2m has been jailed for more than two years.Enzo Conticello, 29, took the Givenchy bag belonging to Rosie Dawson as she stood in the smoking area of the Dog and Duck pub in Soho, London, on 7 November 2024. Continue reading...
• Eisai and Biogen announced positive top-line results from CLARITY AD trial extension on April 7, 2026, with lecanemab reducing cognitive decline by 27% over 18 months in 1,795 US patients.
• Drug cleared 59% more amyloid plaques vs. placebo, with ARIA side effects in 12.6% of participants; full data at June AD/PD conference.
• Approval could expand to mild cases, addressing 6.7 million US Alzheimer's sufferers; analysts predict $2.4 billion annual sales.
Charlie Taylor, inspector of prisons for England and Wales, says dealers should be isolated and ‘assertively managed’Jailed criminals who are flooding prisons with drugs should be isolated like radical extremists and “assertively managed”, the England and Wales prisons watchdog has said.Charlie Taylor, HM inspector of prisons, said major dealers were living “consequence-free” in jail when they should be separated from the majority of inmates, subjected to regular searches for phones, and punished and rewarded according to their behaviour. Continue reading...
Analysis of more than 500 brain scans finds LSD, psilocybin and other psychedelics increase cross-talk between brain systemsScientists have identified a hallmark signature produced by psychedelic drugs in the human brain when users experience their mind-altering effects.The “neural fingerprint” of the psychedelic trip was spotted among hundreds of brain scans of people on LSD, psilocybin, DMT, mescaline and ayahuasca, pointing to a shared impact on the brain’s behaviour. Continue reading...
• Eli Lilly announced a collaboration with Nvidia to establish a co-innovation AI lab combining computing power with scientific expertise for faster drug discovery.
• The partnership targets AI applications in identifying drug candidates, optimizing clinical trials, and reducing failure rates in biotech development.
• This non-tech firm's AI push exemplifies how pharma giants are leveraging partnerships to lead in AI-driven innovation beyond traditional tech sectors.