Low dose of emicizumab could be as effective as standard dose against Haemophilia A, according to a study led by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Emicizumab is a bispecific monoclonal antibody used to treat hemophilia A -- a genetic bleeding disorder.

The drug works by mimicking the function of the missing or deficient clotting factor VIII (FVIII), enabling blood clotting to occur and preventing or reducing bleeding episodes.

As per the official government data, there are 27,000 haemophilia patients registered and 1, 40,000 patients expected to be affected in India.

Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk on Tuesday launched its once-weekly injectable weight-loss drug Wegovy in India, at Rs 4,336.25 per dose.

Wegovy, a once-weekly glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA), is the first and only weight management medication in India.

The drug, with semaglutide as the active ingredient, is indicated for both long-term chronic weight management and reduction in risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in people living with the condition.

The drug is available in five dosing -- 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 1.7 mg, and 2.4 mg -- and comes with the convenience of an innovative, easy-to-use pen device.

The first three will be priced at 4,336 rupees, and the monthly price for the drug starts at Rs 17,345 per pen, the company said.

A 41-year-old woman from northwestern Cambodia's Siem Reap province has been confirmed for H5N1 human avian influenza, raising the number of cases to seven so far this year, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

"A laboratory result from the National Institute of Public Health showed on June 23 that the woman was positive for H5N1 virus," the statement said on Monday night.

"The patient has the symptoms of fever, cough, and dyspnea, and she is currently in critical condition," it added.

According to queries, there were sick and dead chickens at the patient's home and her neighbour's homes, and the patient had been in contact with sick and dead chickens and cooked them for food five days before she felt ill.

A team of international researchers has uncovered a new genetic cause for a rare developmental disorder that profoundly impacts brain growth and function in children.

The team led by the University of Otago–Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka from New Zealand pinpointed specific changes in a gene called CRNKL1 that can potentially cause a severe genetic disorder that results in affected individuals having profound pre- and postnatal microcephaly (smaller head circumference), with pontocerebellar hypoplasia (underdevelopment in brain stem and cerebellum), seizures and severe intellectual disability.

The finding sheds new light on the complex process by which human bodies create the "instruction manuals" essential for building and maintaining our brains, said Louise Bicknell, Associate Professor, from the Rare Disorder Genetics Laboratory in Otago's Department of Biochemistry.

"Our bodies rely on a precise process called 'splicing' to read and process genetic instructions from our DNA and help generate the building blocks required in our body,” Bicknell said.

Newborn screening programme for sickle cell disease (SCD), undertaken between 2019-2024, reduced mortality risk to below 5 per cent from the earlier 20 to 30 per cent, said Dr. Manisha Madkaikar, Director of ICMR- Centre for Research Management and Control of Haemoglobinopathies (CRHCM) in Nagpur.

Madkaikar explained how the Newborn Screening Programme 2019-2024 found that an early diagnosis can significantly boost the outcomes of the chronic, single-gene disorder.

SCD is a chronic, single-gene disorder that causes a debilitating systemic syndrome characterised by chronic anaemia, acute painful episodes, organ infarction, and chronic organ damage, significantly reducing life expectancy.

Australian researchers have found that honey made by native stingless bees possesses distinctive antimicrobial qualities, offering new hope in the fight against the worldwide threat of antibiotic resistance.

Known locally as "sugarbag" honey, honey from three species, such as Austroplebeia australis, demonstrates remarkable antimicrobial activity, news agency reported.

Researchers from the University of Sydney noted that the antimicrobial activity remains intact even after undergoing heat treatment and long-term storage -- a trait that could benefit commercial medical applications.

This resilience sets it apart from honey produced by European honeybees, whose antimicrobial effects often rely on hydrogen peroxide and can diminish over time or with heat.

The study found that stingless bee honey's antimicrobial power relies on both peroxide and non-peroxide mechanisms, remaining effective even without hydrogen peroxide -- unlike manuka honey, whose potency depends mainly on certain plants.

A team of US researchers has turned a deadly fungus into a potent cancer-fighting compound, according to a new study released on Monday.

After isolating a new class of molecules from Aspergillus flavus -- a toxic crop fungus linked to deaths in the excavations of ancient tombs -- the researchers modified the chemicals and tested them against leukemia cells.

The result was a promising cancer-killing compound that rivals FDA-approved drugs and opens up new frontiers in the discovery of more fungal medicines, according to the study by University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science.

A new study on Monday warned that a single pellet of recycled plastic can contain over 80 different chemicals, adding that recycled polyethylene plastic can leach chemicals into water causing impacts in the hormone systems and lipid metabolism.

The plastic pollution crisis has reached global levels, threatening both planetary and human health, and recycling is proposed as one of the solutions to the plastics pollution crisis.

However, as plastics contain thousands of chemical additives and other substances that can be toxic, and these are almost never declared, hazardous chemicals can indiscriminately end up in recycled products, said researchers from University of Gothenburg and Leipzig.

The death toll from Africa's ongoing mpox outbreak has surpassed 1,800, as the number of cases reported since the beginning of 2024 approaches the 150,000 mark, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

During an online media briefing on Thursday evening, Ngashi Ngongo, chief of staff and head of the Executive Office at the Africa CDC, said that 26 mpox-affected African countries have reported 148,308 mpox cases since the start of last year. Of these, 40,674 were confirmed and some 1,816 related deaths were recorded.

Data from the African Union (AU)'s specialised healthcare agency showed that last week alone, the continent reported 2,715 new cases, including 822 confirmed ones and 20 new related deaths.

Pakistan confirmed its 12th case of wild poliovirus this year, after the virus was detected in a child from the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the Ministry of National Health Services said.

The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad confirmed the virus in stool samples collected from a 33-month-old boy residing in Union Council Shamsikhel of Bannu district, the ministry said in a statement on Friday.

This marks the sixth polio case reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2025. According to official data, Pakistan has so far recorded 12 polio cases this year -- four from Sindh, one from Punjab, and one from Gilgit-Baltistan.

The Pakistan Polio Eradication Program has conducted three nationwide immunisation campaigns this year, in February, April, and May, reaching over 45 million children under the age of 5, the ministry said.