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An mpox case has also been confirmed in a northeastern Congolese city at the centre of the Ebola outbreak. Other developments include a partnership between Anthropic and OpenEvidence to expand access to medical AI; Afshan Yasmeen reported on HEADS , an initiative using AI to help address gaps in mental healthcare. A treatment can make a difference only when patients can access it. The cost of medicines, their safety and regulation, and whether people can get the care they need are all part of that question. This week, our coverage also looks at vaccination, infectious diseases, artificial intelligence, prevention and new medical research. The report examines concerns around medicine prices and what they mean for access to treatment. A regulatory warning against the indiscriminate use of painkillers and antibiotics highlighted the risks of inappropriate medicine use, including kidney disease. India has also ordered a crackdown on nicotine pouches , citing health risks. On the infectious disease front, reports showed that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has spread to two new health zones. Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used in medical imaging, clinical decision-making and drug and vaccine development. Its expanding role also raises questions around patient safety, inaccurate information, data and the potential misuse of AI in biology. In Assam, inputs from ASHAs are being used to develop an AI-enabled training platform for cervical cancer screening. Dr. V. Divya Sai looks at what happens when cancer treatment is no longer working and treatment options change . Dr. C. Aravinda examines why male contraception continues to lag behind other forms of contraception. Another report looks at the U.S. FDA’s approval of an AbbVie drug for Parkinson’s disease . The Health Ministry’s latest advisory on stem cell therapy for autism has also drawn attention, read our explainer here.
Questions around the cost of medicines came into focus after the Supreme Court described the overpricing of essential cancer drugs as “ broad daylight dacoity”.
