WHO's advisers back 2 vaccines built for the Ebola strain that has killed over 5,300, for a trial in Congo

The stories

25 stories on this beat today.

Every story told the same way: what happened, who is involved, why it matters, how it works, the truth and the good news.

1. 01

   WHO's advisers back 2 vaccines built for the Ebola strain that has killed over 5,300, for a trial in Congo

   10,444

   confirmed Ebola cases in this outbreak

   more than half of those infected have died, Africa's disease agency says [3]

   620,000

   doses of material made for Oxford's shot

   Moderna has about 12,000 vials, with 1 million more doses due by the second quarter of 2027 [2]

   4

   vaccination rings already running in Tumaini

   each ring enrols contacts of a person with confirmed Ebola [1]

   Early 2027

   when WHO expects the vaccine trial's results

   Ervebo started last month, and the 2 new shots still need Congo's approval [1][3]

   What happened

   • Experts advising the World Health Organization (WHO) want 2 new vaccines added to an Ebola trial in Congo. [1] Both were built for Bundibugyo, the kind of Ebola now spreading there. [1]
   • The outbreak has killed more than 5,300 people, most of them in Congo. [3] No vaccine is approved against Bundibugyo. [4]
   • This will be the first time vaccines made for this virus are tested during an outbreak of it. [1]
   • Africa's disease agency counts 10,444 confirmed cases. [3] It says more than half of those infected have died. [3]
   • WHO's vaccine advisers met 4 times between 1 September and 2 November. [2] Members were unanimous: add both vaccines. [2]
   • The advisers called the data so far extremely encouraging. [2] Given how severe the outbreak is, they judged the balance of risk and benefit very favourable. [2]
   • Both vaccines still need approval from Congo's authorities before they can join the trial. [1][7]
   • Oxford's shot is made by the Serum Institute of India, which has about 620,000 doses of vaccine material. [2] It still has to be processed into finished vaccine. [2]
   • Moderna, the US maker of mRNA vaccines, has made about 12,000 vials, due to be ready by mid-November. [2] It expects 1 million more doses by the second quarter of 2027. [2]
   • In a test on ferrets, all 4 given Oxford's shot survived and all 4 unvaccinated animals died. [2]
   • In macaques, a kind of monkey, 2 of 12 given Oxford's shot died. [2] All the primates in Moderna's test survived. [2]
   • Early safety trials in adults in the UK and Canada found mostly mild or moderate reactions. [2]
   • A separate WHO trial, PARTNERS, is testing the antibody MBP134 and the antiviral remdesivir in patients. [1] First findings are expected in the coming months. [1]

   620,000 dosesOxford's shot

   ++

   12,000 vialsModerna's shot

   Who is involved

   The trial is led by Congo's National Institute for Biomedical Research. [1] WHO, Doctors Without Borders and Africa's disease agency are among those supporting it. [1]

   • Oxford's shot with India's Serum Institute
   • Moderna's shot a US company
   • Congo's research institute leads the trial
   • WHO supports it
   • Doctors Without Borders supports it
   • World Health Organization (WHO) the UN's health agency; its expert groups recommended adding both vaccines
   • Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus WHO's chief; he says vaccines cannot replace early care and contact tracing
   • Congo's National Institute for Biomedical Research the country's public health research body; it leads the Tumaini trial
   • University of Oxford and Serum Institute of India a British university and an Indian vaccine maker; they developed and make ChAdOx1 BDBV
   • Moderna a US vaccine company; it makes mRNA-1469

   How it unfolded

   The trial, called Tumaini, began last month with Ervebo, a vaccine approved only for another kind of Ebola. [1][3]

   1. May Outbreak begins in Congo [5]
   2. Oct Tumaini trial starts with Ervebo, made for another kind of Ebola [1][3]
   3. 2 Nov WHO's vaccine advisers hold their last meeting before recommending both shots [2]
   4. 4 Nov WHO's chief announces the recommendation [3]
   5. Mid-Nov Moderna's first vials due to be ready [2]
   6. Early 2027 Results from the vaccine trial expected [1]

   Why it matters

   WHO's chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, says vaccines cannot replace early care, contact tracing, isolation and safe burials. [3]

   He also asked countries such as the US and Ghana to lift travel limits. [4] He says they punish countries for doing right and discourage openness. [4]

   How it works

   Epidemiologists, who study how disease spreads, call Tumaini's design ring vaccination: it enrols the contacts of each confirmed patient. [1]

   Tumaini has 4 rings so far, including contacts of people who fell ill or died. [1] The same approach proved Ervebo in Guinea a decade ago. [1]

   It tests several vaccines inside one trial, which is how Oxford's and Moderna's shots can join it. [1]

   Seen it before

   A firefighter wets the houses next to a fire, not every house in town.

   The truth

   • What is really going on WHO's advisers have chosen 2 vaccines built for Bundibugyo, but more than 5,300 people have died and the trial's results are not due until early 2027.Elsewhere, the work of finding and selling medicines moved between companies: Boehringer and AbbVie bought early drugs, Ultragenyx cut its own research, and CVS is splitting its shops from its insurer. [1][3][10][13][14][17]
   • So far, tests in people have measured safety and immune response, not protection from Ebola. [2]
   • Oxford's and Moderna's Covid vaccines were linked to rare blood clots and heart inflammation. [2] The advisers said nobody knows if those risks apply here. [2]
   • Who pays Health workers in Congo — They work in a conflict zone without a proven vaccine, and a nurse was killed responding to an alert. [6]
   • Who pays People travelling from Congo — Travel limits by countries such as the US and Ghana fall on them, against WHO's advice. [4]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether either new vaccine protects people from Bundibugyo.

     Tests in people so far have measured safety and immune response, and WHO expects trial results only in early 2027. [1][2]

   • Nobody knows yet

     How many people have died in Congo.

     Africa's disease agency counted 5,372 deaths in Congo on Monday, while Congo's own data to 31 October shows 5,103. Neither report explains the gap. [5][4]

   • Nobody knows yet

     How deadly this outbreak really is.

     The BBC reported a death rate of 48.6% at the end of October, while Euronews and Africanews say more than 50%. [7][3][5]

   • Nobody knows yet

     When Congo will approve the 2 new vaccines.

     WHO says they join the trial after national approvals and names no date. [1]

   Good news

   • Two vaccines built for the Bundibugyo kind of Ebola will be tested during an outbreak of it for the first time, and WHO's advisers were unanimous in backing them.

   What comes next

   WHO expects results from the vaccine trial in early 2027. [1]

1. 02

   A British health worker with Ebola flies home

   What happened

   • A British health worker with Ebola is being flown from Congo to Britain, a document seen by Reuters shows. [8]
   • The UK government confirmed that a British citizen in Congo has tested positive. [7] It says "the risk to the UK public from Ebola remains low". [7]
   • A specialist ambulance will take the patient to a unit for high-risk infections. [8]

   Who is involved

   A humanitarian group had sent the person to help fight the outbreak. [8] The patient's condition is stable. [8]

   How it unfolded

   It is the first British case in this outbreak. [7] Britain has had only 4 confirmed cases since 1976, and none of them died. [7]

   Switzerland flew out a patient from Nigeria last month, and France reported a case in June. [8]

   1. June France reports a case
   2. October Switzerland flies a patient out of Nigeria

   Why it matters

   The people sent to help are among those catching it. [8] France's first case was a doctor back from a humanitarian mission. [8]

   How it works

   Epidemiologists call this contact tracing: people with Ebola infect others only once they have symptoms, so contacts can be found. [9]

   Ebola passes through body fluids, with no evidence of spreading by coughing. [9] Covid could spread before people knew they were ill. [9]

   Seen it before

   A wet paint sign works because you can see the paint and avoid touching it.

   The truth

   • The patient's name was not given. [8] WHO sent Reuters' questions about the case to British authorities. [8]

1. 03

   CVS will split into two companies

   What happened

   • CVS Health, a US health giant, said on Wednesday it will split into two companies. [10] It expects the split to finish in the first half of 2028. [10]
   • It made a $2.2 billion profit last quarter, after a $4 billion loss a year earlier. [10] Its chief says it is acting "from a position of strength". [10]

   Who is involved

   One company keeps the name CVS Health, with its insurer Aetna and its drug middleman, Caremark. [10] The other, CVS Pharmacy, takes the 9,000 shops. [10]

   Caremark is a pharmacy benefit manager, or PBM: a middleman on drug prices between drugmakers and health plans. [10]

   How it unfolded

   CVS bought Caremark in 2007 and Aetna in 2018, the second in a $78 billion merger. [10]

   1. 2007 buys Caremark
   2. 2018 buys Aetna for $78 billion
   3. 2028 splits in two

   Why it matters

   Arkansas and Tennessee have laws that would stop one owner holding both pharmacies and PBMs, and CVS is challenging them. [10]

   CVS Pharmacy will have to stand alone in a trade where some chains have gone private or bankrupt. [10]

   How it works

   Economists call owning several steps of a chain vertical integration, and CVS built it by buying Caremark and Aetna. [10]

   CVS's chief says what the shops and the insurer share can be kept through contracts. [10] So, he says, they need no single owner. [10]

   Seen it before

   A cafe that sells off its bakery can still buy the same bread from it each morning.

   Why a company does some jobs itself and buys the rest

   Economists call it the make-or-buy choice: a firm does a job itself only while that costs less than paying someone outside.

   The twist

   A company is a line drawn around the jobs that cost less to do inside than to buy. Today that line moved at CVS, Boehringer, AbbVie and Ultragenyx.

   The picture

   Do the job insidestaff, bosses, risk

   vsvs

   Buy it from outsidesearch, deal, checks

   Step by step

   1. 1 Ronald Coase, an economist, asked in 1937 why companies exist, when every job could be bought from outside
   2. 2 Buying has costs: finding a seller, agreeing a price, checking the work
   3. 3 Doing it inside has costs too: bosses, staff and work that may fail
   4. 4 The company picks whichever costs less for that one job
   5. 5 When those costs change, the line moves: firms buy in, or split up

   The same force, elsewhere today

   Where this chain is also running, in today's other stories.

   • CVS will split into two companies

     CVS's chief says what the shops and the insurer share can be kept by contract, so the company no longer needs to own both.

   • Boehringer pays for six early cancer projects

     Boehringer pays Sino to run the early work on 6 projects, then decides which to license, instead of doing that work itself.

   • AbbVie buys a gut drug Nxera stepped back from

     Nxera's chief called IBD too complex and expensive to develop, so the work moved to a firm that already sells IBD drugs.

   • Ultragenyx cuts a fifth of its staff

     Ultragenyx is halving its research spending and will fill its pipeline partly with small deals, moving some of the job outside.

   Where you've seen this

   Restaurants

   one bakes its own bread, another buys it, and each is right if its sums are right

   Football clubs

   a club trains young players or buys finished ones, by comparing the cost of each

   Carmakers

   some build their own batteries and others buy them, and firms change sides as prices move

   The catch

   Real firms rarely do these sums cleanly: they misjudge their own costs, and laws can move the line as much as prices do, as Arkansas and Tennessee are trying to do with CVS.

   And the whole of it

   A person collecting a prescription sees one shop and one pill. Behind them sit a lab in China, a drugmaker in Germany, a middleman and an insurer, each doing the part it finds cheapest, and none of them can see the whole chain from where it sits.

   The truth

   • CVS's chief says regulators are not the reason for the split. [10] A Leerink analyst says avoiding state scrutiny could be part of it. [10]
   • Who pays CVS Pharmacy, the new shop company — It loses a parent with an insurer behind it, in a trade where other chains went bankrupt. [10]

1. 04

   The Wegovy pill lifts Novo's forecast

   What happened

   • Novo Nordisk, the Danish maker of the weight-loss drug Wegovy, raised its yearly forecast on Wednesday. [11] Adjusted for currency swings, sales and profit may now grow as much as 2%. [11]
   • In May, the best case the company gave was a 4% drop. [11]
   • Its Wegovy pill, on sale since January, brought in 5.39 billion Danish kroner, about $811 million, last quarter. [11] Analysts had expected 4.96 billion. [11]
   • Foundayo, the rival pill from Eli Lilly, reached $184 million, which was $44 million short of estimates. [11]

   Who is involved

   Finance chief Karsten Munk Knudsen is leaving, and Luigi La Corte of Galderma, a skin-care drug company, will replace him. [11]

   How it unfolded

   Novo has lost about two-thirds of its value since June 2024. [11] Its next shot, CagriSema, failed a trial against Lilly's Zepbound. [11]

   Why it matters

   Patents on Wegovy's main ingredient end several years before those on Lilly's rival drugs. [11] Lilly already claims 63% of the US market for these medicines. [11]

   How it works

   Business schools call this a first-mover advantage: Novo's January pill is outselling Lilly's April pill so far. [11]

   Seen it before

   The first ice cream van on the street gets the queue, until a better one turns up.

   The truth

   • Who gains Novo Nordisk — An early lead in pills gives it income while its older patents run down. [11]
2. 05

   Boehringer pays for six early cancer projects

   What happened

   • Boehringer Ingelheim, a German drugmaker, agreed on Wednesday to $358 million in early payments to China's Sino Biopharmaceutical. [12][13]
   • The money covers 6 cancer projects, all still at the preclinical stage, before any human trial. [12]
   • Sino could earn up to $7 billion more if the drugs keep advancing, plus a share of any sales. [13]
   • Sino runs the early work up to agreed points. [13] Boehringer then chooses whether to pay more for a licence. [13]
   • Boehringer could buy worldwide rights to 2 of the drugs and rights outside China to the other 4. [13]

   Who is involved

   Sino's LaNova Medicines unit made 5 of the projects, and its Beijing Tide Pharmaceutical unit made 1. [13] This is the second partnership between the two companies. [12]

   • LaNova Medicines 5 projects
   • Beijing Tide 1 project

   Why it matters

   US lawmakers may look harder at the surge in drug deals with China, BioPharma Dive reports. [20] RBC's analysts do not expect a ban on company deals. [20]

   How it works

   Lawyers call this an option: Boehringer pays now for the right to license each drug later. [13]

   Boehringer keeps that choice until the early tests report, so it pays licence fees only for drugs it picks. [13]

   Seen it before

   A small deposit holds a flat while you decide, and walking away costs only the deposit.

   Boehringer pays Sino to run the early work on 6 projects, then decides which to license, instead of doing that work itself.

   The idea, in story 03: Why a company does some jobs itself and buys the rest →

   The truth

   • Who gains Boehringer Ingelheim — It can wait for Sino's early tests before paying licence fees, so projects it does not pick cost it no fee. [13]
   • Who gains Sino Biopharmaceutical — It takes in money now while keeping the running of early work, and keeps China rights on 4 of the 6 projects. [12][13]
3. 06

   Gene repair shows early results in sickle cell

   What happened

   • Kamau Therapeutics, a California biotech, released its first results from repairing the gene fault behind sickle cell disease. [15]
   • Doctors repaired the fault in 3 patients' own stem cells outside the body, then gave the cells back. [15]
   • All 3 no longer need blood transfusions and have had no pain crises since, Kamau reports. [15]
   • After 12 and 8 months, sickle haemoglobin in the 2 longest-followed patients was 17.6% and 19.1%, both below 20%. [15]

   Who is involved

   In sickle cell disease, a faulty gene makes bad haemoglobin, the blood protein that delivers oxygen. [15]

   How it unfolded

   The treatment, nula-cel, began at Graphite Bio, which halted its trial in late 2022 and later disbanded. [15]

   1. Late 2022 Graphite Bio halts its trial
   2. Now Kamau reports 3 patients

   Why it matters

   Few people with the disease have had the approved gene treatments so far, Kamau's co-founder says. [15]

   How it works

   Geneticists call this homology-directed repair: the cell swaps its faulty DNA for a healthy copy, as nula-cel does. [15]

   Casgevy, already approved, works differently: it switches on baby haemoglobin instead of replacing the fault. [15]

   Seen it before

   Correcting a typo in the master copy beats sticking a note beside it.

   The truth

   • This is an early-stage trial with 3 patients so far, of some 15 planned. [15] Some serious side effects fit the strong chemotherapy and transplant given first. [15]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether repairing the sickle cell gene beats Casgevy, the approved treatment.

     Kamau's co-founder believes it may. The journal GEN calls that a major question, and only 3 patients are reported. [15]

   Good news

   • No serious side effects were tied to the repaired cells themselves. [15]
   • Three sickle cell patients who had the gene fault repaired in their own stem cells no longer need blood transfusions and have had no pain crises since.

   What comes next

   The results will be presented on 14 December in New Orleans, at a meeting of blood specialists called ASH. [15]

4. 07

   US voters hand health oversight to Democrats

   What happened

   • Democrats won both chambers of the US Congress on Tuesday, which changes who can question US health officials. [19]
   • Ron Wyden, a Democratic senator who leads on health, posted one word that night: "Subpoenas". [19] A subpoena is a legal order to appear or hand over papers. [19]
   • Roger Marshall, a Kansas senator who helped found the Make America Healthy Again caucus, lost his seat. [19]

   Who is involved

   Annie Andrews, a children's doctor, won a South Carolina seat in the US Senate. [19] Democrats have not had a senator with a medical degree since 1969. [19]

   • Heidi Overton FDA nominee, no vote yet

   Why it matters

   Analysts expect closer questions for US health secretary Robert Kennedy Jr, whose moves weakened vaccine recommendations. [20]

   One Leerink analyst says Democrats have "bigger fish to fry" than drug prices for now. [20]

   Science advocates want answers for cuts to research grants. [21] "It's a new day in Washington," says Gretchen Goldman, head of the Union of Concerned Scientists. [21]

   How it works

   Political scientists call this oversight: the party holding Congress can investigate officials, which is what Wyden's word points to. [19]

   Seen it before

   A new club treasurer can ask to see the old treasurer's receipts.

   The truth

   • Who gains Investigators in the US Congress — Winning Congress gives Democrats powerful new tools to investigate US health decisions. [19]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether Democrats will change US drug or vaccine rules.

     Analysts expect closer questions on vaccine policy, and one says drug prices can wait. No law or subpoena has yet been reported. [20][19]

   What comes next

   Heidi Overton, President Trump's pick to run the FDA, the US drug regulator, still needs a US Senate vote. [20] Her nomination might expire if none comes this year. [20]

5. 08

   Ultragenyx cuts a fifth of its staff

   What happened

   • Ultragenyx, a US drugmaker for rare diseases, is laying off 20% of its staff. [17] About 1,000 people will remain. [17]
   • It wants yearly research spending at half of what it spent in 2025, with $350 million proposed for 2027. [17]
   • It is ending UX701, a gene therapy for Wilson disease, an inherited illness, because too few patients did well enough. [17]
   • It is also winding down GTX-102 after a final trial failed in September in Angelman syndrome, a rare brain disorder. [17]

   How it unfolded

   Ultragenyx already cut 10% of its staff, about 130 people, in February. [17] It wants to make a profit in 2027. [17]

   1. February 10% cut, about 130 people
   2. Now 20% cut
   3. 2027 profit is the goal

   Why it matters

   Most of the money left will support 6 drugs it already sells. [17] Its chief plans about 5 projects a year, from modest lab work and small deals. [17]

   How it works

   Statisticians call it noise: Ultragenyx's chief says scores in the untreated group varied too much to show an effect. [17]

   Seen it before

   In a noisy classroom you cannot hear whether one person has started whispering.

   Ultragenyx is halving its research spending and will fill its pipeline partly with small deals, moving some of the job outside.

   The idea, in story 03: Why a company does some jobs itself and buys the rest →

   The truth

   • Ultragenyx has not yet shared the data from that failed trial. [17]
   • Who pays Ultragenyx staff — Their jobs go so that the company can reach profit in 2027. [17]
   • Who pays People with Wilson disease and Angelman syndrome — Two projects aimed at them are ending, and families lose those options. [17]
6. 09

   A former executive sues Madrigal over safety

   What happened

   • A former top executive is suing Madrigal Pharmaceuticals in a US federal court. [18] He says he was forced to resign after raising safety concerns about its approved drug. [18]
   • The suit was filed on 9 October in northern Illinois. [18] It seeks his job back or money. [18]
   • "Madrigal punished him for it," the lawsuit says. [18]

   Who is involved

   Michael Charlton, a doctor, led clinical development at Madrigal from October 2024 until January 2026. [18]

   The drug treats MASH, a liver disease. [18]

   How it unfolded

   1. October 2024 Charlton joins
   2. January 2026 Charlton leaves
   3. 9 October Charlton sues

   Why it matters

   Charlton's job was to safeguard the safety and accuracy of the drug's trials, the suit says. [18]

   How it works

   Employment lawyers call this retaliation: punishing a worker for raising a problem, which US whistleblower laws forbid and Charlton alleges. [18]

   Seen it before

   A pupil who reports a broken fire door should not get detention for it.

   The truth

   • These are one side's claims in a lawsuit. [18] We could read only the opening of this report, and saw no reply from Madrigal. [18]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether Madrigal's drug has the safety problem the suit describes.

     The claim comes from a former executive's lawsuit, untested in court, and we could read only the opening of the report. [18]

7. 10

   Sanofi drops an eczema pill from Nurix

   What happened

   • Sanofi, the big drugmaker behind the eczema drug Dupixent, has stopped work on a pill from Nurix, a biotech. [16]
   • Nurix revealed the decision on Tuesday. [16] Its shares fell more than 40% in early trading on Wednesday. [16]
   • Sanofi told analysts that "emerging nonclinical findings" did not justify more work in eczema. [16] Nonclinical means lab and animal tests, not patients. [16]

   How it unfolded

   The partnership began in 2020, with $55 million up front and possibly $2.5 billion overall. [16] Nurix got $10 million in August, when a first human trial began. [16]

   1. 2020 partnership starts, $55 million
   2. August first human trial, $10 million
   3. Now Sanofi stops

   Why it matters

   People with eczema lose one possible pill. [16] Sanofi still has a second STAT6 project, with Recludix Pharma. [16]

   How it works

   Chemists call a drug like this a protein degrader: it destroys a protein rather than blocking it. [16]

   The target, STAT6, plays a part in a misdirected immune response, and small drugs have struggled to block it. [16] So companies tried destroying it instead. [16]

   Seen it before

   You can hold down a noisy toy's button, or you can take the toy away.

   The truth

   • RBC's analyst called the decision disappointing. [16] Leerink's says it does not count against other drugs aimed at STAT6. [16]
   • Who pays Nurix's shareholders — They carry the fall, since Sanofi's next payments will not come. [16]
   • Nobody knows yet

     What Sanofi found in its eczema pill.

     Nurix gave no reason, and Sanofi told analysts only of emerging nonclinical findings. [16]

   What comes next

   Kymera, another protein-degrader company, reports a mid-stage trial of a similar drug later this year. [16]

8. 11

   AbbVie buys a gut drug Nxera stepped back from

   What happened

   • AbbVie, the drug giant behind Humira and Skyrizi, will pay $100 million up front for a gut drug from Nxera. [14]
   • It may pay up to $1.37 billion more as the drug advances and sells, plus a share of sales. [14]

   Who is involved

   The drug, NXE0033744, is a pill for inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, in which the gut stays inflamed. [14] It has finished only a first human trial. [14]

   How it unfolded

   Nxera, a drug company once called Sosei, pulled back from this project late last year while cutting staff. [14]

   Its chief called IBD a "very, very complex and expensive" area in which to develop a drug. [14]

   1. Late last year Nxera pulls back
   2. Now AbbVie takes it on

   Why it matters

   AbbVie already sells Humira, Skyrizi and Rinvoq for IBD. [14] Nxera pitches the new drug at people whose disease is not well controlled. [14]

   How it works

   Pharmacologists call such a drug gut-restricted, and Nxera says its first trial found this one stays in the gut. [14]

   It switches on a receptor called EP4 in the gut, hoping to calm swelling and heal the lining. [14]

   Seen it before

   A hose aimed at one plant leaves the rest of the garden dry.

   Nxera's chief called IBD too complex and expensive to develop, so the work moved to a firm that already sells IBD drugs.

   The idea, in story 03: Why a company does some jobs itself and buys the rest →

   The truth

   • Nxera's chief says AbbVie must now find out whether this biology really helps people with IBD. [14]
   • Who gains Nxera — It turns a project it had stepped back from into cash, and it no longer pays to develop it. [14]
9. 12

   FDA speeds its review of a chemo-free cancer pair

   What happened

   • The FDA, the US drug regulator, gave a fast review to BeOne Medicines' blood cancer pill, Brukinsa. [23]
   • Today's usual first treatment is rituximab with bendamustine, a chemotherapy, which brings toxic side effects, BeOne says. [23]
   • A final trial, MANGROVE, enrolled 510 patients across 157 sites. [23] Risk of the cancer worsening, or death, was 43% lower on Brukinsa's pair. [23]

   Who is involved

   BeOne is a cancer drug company. [23] It wants Brukinsa with an antibody drug, rituximab, as first treatment for mantle cell lymphoma, a blood cancer. [23]

   • Brukinsa a pill
   • Rituximab an antibody drug

   How it unfolded

   1. Now FDA review begins
   2. ASH full results shown

   Why it matters

   If approved, it would be the first chemotherapy-free option of this kind for these patients, BeOne says. [23]

   How it works

   Cancer doctors call it progression-free survival: the time until the cancer worsens or the patient dies, which MANGROVE measured. [23]

   Overall survival is a separate goal in MANGROVE, so this result does not yet show that patients live longer. [23]

   Seen it before

   A runner can be timed to her first stumble, and that says little about the finish.

   The truth

   • All this comes from BeOne's own announcement. [23] The trial was open-label: patients and doctors knew the treatment. [23]

   What comes next

   Full results are due at the ASH meeting of blood specialists. [23] Regulators in China and Europe are also reviewing it. [23]

10. 13

    Guinea-Bissau may give the baby vaccine sooner

    What happened

    • Guinea-Bissau, a small West African country, may start giving hepatitis B vaccine at birth early next year, not in 2028. [22]
    • Babies there now get their first dose at 6 weeks, which works less well. [22]
    • Nearly a fifth of the people there have hepatitis B, a viral infection of the liver. [22]

    Who is involved

    Walter Kazadi Mulombo, WHO's representative there, told the BBC that officials are considering the change. [22]

    • Walter Kazadi Mulombo WHO's representative

    How it unfolded

    A US-funded trial would have kept the birth dose from half of 14,000 newborns. [22] It has been cancelled. [22]

    Why it matters

    Infection in infancy often lasts for life. [22] Those long-lasting infections kill up to 25% of the people who have them, mostly through liver failure or cancer. [22]

    How it works

    Research ethics says a trial should not withhold a proven treatment, and that was WHO's objection here. [22] The vaccine has been used for over 30 years. [22]

    Seen it before

    A coach would not test a new helmet by sending half the team out with none.

    The truth

    • The university behind the trial says it never started and no baby was enrolled. [22] Police have not said why they seized vaccines there on 19 October. [22]

    Good news

    • WHO says it is working with the government to bring the birth dose forward. [22]
    • Guinea-Bissau is considering giving hepatitis B vaccine to newborns early next year instead of in 2028.
11. 14

    Swallowed gut bacteria cut infections after transplants

    What happened

    • A swallowed mix of 16 strains of gut bacteria, SER-155, was tested in people getting donor stem cells. [25]
    • Bloodstream infections hit 10% of those on the treatment and 43% of those on a dummy. [25]
    • Only 34 people in the comparison had a transplant: 20 on the treatment and 14 on the dummy. [25]
    • This was a phase 1b trial, an early test of safety. [25] Other goals, such as gut infections, showed no clear gain. [25]
    • The treatment was as safe as the dummy in this trial, and it caused no infections of its own. [25]

    SER-15510%

    Dummy43%

    Who is involved

    Doctors do such transplants about 40,000 times a year, aiming to cure blood cancers. [25]

    Why it matters

    These patients are at high risk of bloodstream infections, and such infections are a main danger after the transplant. [25]

    How it works

    Microbiologists call it engraftment when added bacteria settle in the gut, and all 16 strains in SER-155 did. [25]

    The transplant disturbs gut bacteria and weakens the gut wall, which raises the risk of blood infection. [25] The treatment aims to repair that. [25]

    Seen it before

    A lawn thick with grass leaves little room for weeds.

    The truth

    • 8 people died during the study, including 2 on the treatment and 2 on the dummy in this comparison. [25] None of the deaths was blamed on the treatment. [25]
    • Nobody knows yet

      Whether SER-155 really cuts bloodstream infections.

      In 34 people the statistical range runs from a huge cut to no effect, and the treated group also had an antibiotic first. [25]

    Good news

    • In a small early trial, 10% of transplant patients on a swallowed dose of gut bacteria got a bloodstream infection, against 43% on a dummy.
12. 15

    A cell treatment doctors can dial up shrinks melanoma

    What happened

    • Doctors gave a cell treatment, amsoki-cel, to 37 people with advanced melanoma that immune drugs had failed to stop. [26]
    • Tumours shrank in 10 of the 15 patients given the chosen dose, and disappeared in 2 of them. [26]
    • No patient died from the treatment, and none needed intensive care. [26] Most serious side effects were low blood counts. [26]

    Who is involved

    It is made from immune cells called TILs, taken from the patient's tumour and given back. [26] Melanoma is a skin cancer. [26]

    How it unfolded

    The first patient had swelling around a tumour in the brain, so doctors cut the top dose by 80%. [26]

    Why it matters

    These patients' melanoma has outlasted immune drugs. [26] This treatment is built to skip IL-2, an extra immune signal, which such therapies have needed. [26]

    How it works

    Cell engineers call this regulatable: the cells' growth signal, IL-15, is controlled by a second drug, acetazolamide. [26]

    After the first patient, doctors also cut that second drug's dose by 75%. [26]

    Seen it before

    A dimmer lets you set a lamp's brightness, where a plain switch gives you only on or off.

    The truth

    • These trials had no comparison group. [26] With so few patients, the true rate could lie anywhere from 38% to 88%. [26]

    What comes next

    A separate group in the same trial, meant to support approval, is still running. [26]

13. 16

    An HIV antibody works, then resistant virus gets through

    What happened

    • Researchers looked again at 2 trials of VRC01, an antibody given by drip to prevent HIV. [27]
    • The trials ran in the Americas and sub-Saharan Africa, with infusions for 80 weeks. [27] The new analysis is in Science Translational Medicine. [27]
    • Against the virus strains most sensitive to it, the antibody prevented 66.3% of infections. [27]
    • As the antibody faded after the last doses, HIV diagnoses in the antibody groups rose above the dummy group. [27] Those viruses resisted it more. [27]

    Why it matters

    It could matter most for people who cannot use prevention pills, and in high-HIV parts of sub-Saharan Africa. [27]

    The authors say several antibodies together will probably be needed. [27] They also say future trials must keep testing long after the doses end. [27]

    How it works

    Evolutionary biologists call this selective pressure: the antibody stops sensitive strains, so resistant ones are what get through. [27]

    Seen it before

    Spray a field and only the weeds the spray cannot kill come back.

    The truth

    • Nobody knows yet

      Whether several antibodies together would stop resistant HIV.

      The authors say several are probably needed, and this analysis looked at VRC01 alone. [27]

14. 17

    Scientists map how TB's vital genes work together

    What happened

    • Scientists have mapped how the essential genes of tuberculosis bacteria work together, in a paper in Nature on Wednesday. [28]
    • Using CRISPR, a gene tool, the team turned down 2 genes at a time in the same bacterium. [28]
    • They tried it first in a related lab bacterium, covering 787 genes and about 2.3 million pairs of CRISPR guides. [28]
    • The maps found thousands of links nobody had recognised. [28] Some point to pairs of drug targets worth hitting at once. [28]

    Who is involved

    Tuberculosis is the world's deadliest germ. [28] Many of its genes are still poorly understood, which holds back new drugs. [28]

    Why it matters

    The authors say the maps can guide the design of drug combinations. [28]

    How it works

    Geneticists call this a genetic interaction: turning down 2 genes does more or less harm than the two added up. [28]

    That gap shows which genes depend on each other, and so which drug pairs might work best together. [28]

    Seen it before

    Take away one of two lamps and the room stays lit, but take both and it goes dark.

    The truth

    • This is lab work on bacteria, and no new medicine has come from it yet. [28]
15. 18

    A map of the commonest adult brain cancer

    What happened

    • Scientists mapped more than 1 million cells across glioblastoma tumours, in work reported in Nature. [29]
    • They found that the cancer cells organise themselves in a consistent pattern from patient to patient. [29]

    Who is involved

    Glioblastoma is the most common brain cancer in adults, with average survival of 12 to 18 months. [29]

    The work came from Britain's Wellcome Sanger Institute and partners including Germany's cancer research centre. [29] The atlas, GBM-Space, is free for anyone to use. [29]

    • Wellcome Sanger Institute Britain
    • DKFZ Germany

    Why it matters

    Surgery is hard because these tumours spread through the brain. [29] Treatment can miss some cells, and the cancer returns. [29]

    Future drugs could aim at the early cells before they turn into resistant ones. [29]

    How it works

    Cancer biologists call this plasticity: tumour cells change state, and the atlas shows they do it in a predictable order. [29]

    Seen it before

    A bus is easy to catch, however busy the city, because its stops come in the same order.

    The truth

    • This is a map, not a treatment. [29] The future drugs it points to do not exist yet. [29]
16. 19

    Swapping salt could save lives, a model says

    What happened

    • A study by The George Institute for Global Health estimates that potassium-enriched salt could prevent 2.96 million deaths a year. [33]
    • The team looked at 193 countries, assuming everyone switched from ordinary salt. [33]
    • Swapping only the salt used at home could prevent 1.85 million deaths. [33] China alone would account for 1.08 million if everyone switched. [33]

    Who is involved

    This salt replaces some sodium chloride with potassium chloride, and it looks, tastes and cooks like table salt. [33]

    How it unfolded

    The World Health Organization endorsed this salt in 2025. [33]

    Why it matters

    In Europe and North America, more than 70% of salt comes from processed and restaurant food. [33] Bruce Neal of the institute says food firms must get on board. [33]

    How it works

    Physiologists, who study how the body works, link high blood pressure to too much sodium and too little potassium. [33] This salt changes both. [33]

    Seen it before

    Swap a heavy coat for a light one with more pockets, and one change brings two gains.

    The truth

    • This is a computer estimate, not a trial. [33] Vivek Jha of the institute calls a global switch "aspirational". [33]
    • People with advanced kidney disease may build up too much potassium. [33] Jha says labels and clinical oversight can manage that. [33]
17. 20

    Portugal tries sterile mosquitoes as dengue rises

    What happened

    • Portugal released 30,000 sterile male tiger mosquitoes in September, its second attempt to shrink their numbers. [34]
    • By the end of October, Italy had 76 dengue cases caught locally and France 8. [34] That is roughly twice as many as in 2025. [34]
    • The mosquito moves about 60 kilometres north each year, partly in cars. [34] Disease outbreaks move faster, about 120 kilometres a year, says epidemiologist Jan Semenza. [34]

    How it unfolded

    Tiger mosquitoes came to Italy in the 1990s in shipments of used tyres, and they spread dengue, chikungunya and Zika. [34]

    1. 1990s arrive in Italy in used tyres
    2. Now in France, Spain, Germany and beyond

    Why it matters

    Travellers bring the virus back, a local mosquito bites them, and it then infects someone else. [34]

    EU health officials now test wastewater at big airports to spot dengue before patients reach a doctor. [34]

    How it works

    Insect scientists call this the sterile insect technique: sterilised males mate, but no offspring follow, as Portugal hopes. [34]

    Seen it before

    If half the seeds in a packet are duds, fewer plants come up.

    The truth

    • Semenza says eliminating the mosquito is not realistic once it has settled. [34] The report gives no result yet from Portugal's releases. [34]
18. 21

    A nasal MS drug hits one goal, at its lower dose

    What happened

    • Tiziana Life Sciences, a London and Boston biotech, tested a nasal drug, foralumab, in 48 people with multiple sclerosis (MS). [24]
    • Brain scans showed less inflammation at the 50 microgram dose than on a dummy. [24] The 100 microgram dose missed that goal. [24]
    • All 48 finished the 12 weeks, and no serious side effects were linked to the drug. [24]
    • Tiredness scores improved by 6.17 and 7.18 points on the two doses. [24] A measure of disability showed no benefit. [24]

    Who is involved

    MS is a disease of the brain and nerves. [24] These patients have a form that slowly worsens without flare-ups. [24]

    Why it matters

    No US-approved drug is aimed at this form, so these patients have no treatment made for them. [24]

    How it works

    Doctors call a scan like this a surrogate endpoint: it stands in for how patients fare. [24] Here, disability did not improve. [24]

    Seen it before

    A tidier desk does not prove the homework got better.

    The truth

    • These figures come from the company's own release of results. [24]

    What comes next

    Tiziana plans to discuss the results with the FDA, the US drug regulator. [24]

19. 22

    A gene keeps bone's stem cells in reserve, in mice

    What happened

    • Researchers at NYU Langone Health found that a gene, HOXA10, keeps a lifelong supply of bone stem cells in mice. [30]
    • They deleted the gene in 6-day-old mouse pups, in a study in Science Advances. [30] 15 months later, 90% of the stem cells and their descendants had gone. [30]
    • Mice without the gene could not heal breaks properly. [30] Stem and early bone cells made up 48% of the healing tissue, against 76% in normal mice. [30]
    • In bone samples from people, silencing 3 related genes cut stem cells further, and cell death rose by 50%. [30]

    Why it matters

    Without the gene, bone "burns through its reserves too early", as in ageing bone, says surgeon Philipp Leucht. [30]

    How it works

    Stem-cell biologists call this self-renewal: a stem cell copying itself to keep a reserve. [30] HOXA10 brakes it from maturing too soon. [30]

    Seen it before

    Money kept in a savings account is still there when the car breaks down.

    The truth

    • This is mostly mouse work. [30] The authors see a possible drug target, and no treatment exists from it. [30]
20. 23

    Alethio raises $90 million for rare blood cancers

    What happened

    • Alethio Therapeutics, a UK startup spun out of the University of Oxford, raised $90 million, it announced on Thursday. [32]
    • Its lead drug, ATX-011, is an antibody, and it should enter human testing in the first half of 2028. [32]
    • Blood withdrawals and existing drugs such as Jakafi manage these conditions. [32] The chief says they do not help most patients enough. [32]

    Who is involved

    It targets myeloproliferative neoplasms, rare slow blood cancers in which the body makes too many blood cells. [32] They can cause clots and scarred bone marrow. [32]

    How it unfolded

    1. Now lab and animal work
    2. First half of 2028 first human tests

    Why it matters

    About 150,000 people in the US have essential thrombocythemia, one of these cancers, Alethio says. [32] An investor says that gives its drug greater reach. [32]

    How it works

    Pharmacologists call this targeting: ATX-011 binds G6b, a protein only on cells driving these diseases, Alethio says. [32]

    Seen it before

    A key cut for one lock opens that door and leaves the rest shut.

    The truth

    • Its chief calls ATX-011 "a well-behaved medicine", but no person has yet taken it. [32]
21. 24

    EU cancer groups fear a budget squeeze

    What happened

    • Cancer groups fear losing money in the European Union's next long-term budget, for 2028 to 2034. [35]
    • "Projects that are making a real difference" now face an uncertain future, says Isabel Rubio of the European Cancer Organisation. [35]
    • A Commission spokesperson says current health work would "generally be eligible" to compete for money. [35] Germany's health ministry agrees. [35]

    Who is involved

    The European Commission, the EU's executive, proposes a shared fund for health, biotechnology, farming and the bioeconomy. [35]

    How it unfolded

    The Beating Cancer Plan and the Cancer Mission both run until 2030, into the first years of that budget. [35]

    1. 2028 next budget starts
    2. 2030 two cancer plans end
    3. 2034 budget ends
    4. Now talks go on
    5. End of the year a deal expected

    Why it matters

    Those projects train doctors and give young people with cancer a voice, Rubio says. [35]

    How it works

    Budget experts call a dedicated pot ring-fencing: money that cannot go elsewhere, which cancer groups fear losing here. [35]

    Seen it before

    Pocket money kept in its own jar cannot get spent on snacks by mistake.

    The truth

    • This report gives no figure from either side for what cancer work would get under the new fund. [35]
    • Nobody knows yet

      How much money cancer projects will get in the EU's next budget.

      The Commission says current work would generally be eligible to compete, and gives no figure. [35]

    What comes next

    A deal between EU countries is expected by the end of the year. [35]

22. 25

    A cleaner way to edit genes in marmosets

    What happened

    • Researchers injected gene-editing tools into marmoset eggs just before fertilisation, in a paper in Scientific Reports. [31]
    • Editing an embryo often leaves a mosaic, in which some cells are changed and others are not. [31]
    • The team found that a marmoset embryo starts copying its DNA about 8 hours after fertilisation. [31] So they edited before that. [31]
    • They made marmosets with changes in 3 genes, and all were likely free of mosaics. [31]

    Who is involved

    Marmosets are small monkeys with short pregnancies and early maturity, so labs use them to make animals with altered genes. [31]

    How it unfolded

    1. Before fertilisation edit the egg
    2. About 8 hours after DNA copying starts

    Why it matters

    Marmosets take years to breed a second generation, so getting the first animal right saves years of waiting. [31]

    How it works

    Geneticists call this avoiding mosaicism: an edit made before the DNA is copied reaches every later cell. [31]

    Seen it before

    Change a recipe before the cakes bake and every cake changes, but halfway through only some do.

    The truth

    • The authors say the animals were "likely" free of mosaics. [31] This is an animal-lab method, and it treats nobody. [31]