Updated hourlyHourly refreshSun, Oct 25, 2026
Biotech & pharma · Government & policy
Preclinical data highlight potential advantages of targeting PRC2 via EED over EZH2, including the emergence of resistance mutations to EZH2 inhibitors like mevrometostat and against which the EED inhibitor rinzimetostat maintained effectiveness
Oct 23 · 07:15·GlobeNewswire
Biotech & pharma · Government & policy
In a 1L EGFR atypical population with more than double the rate of baseline CNS metastases as competitor datasets, enozertinib demonstrates a potential best-in-class 84% confirmed systemic ORR and 70% confirmed intracranial ORR, with multiple intracranial complete responses
Oct 23 · 07:15·GlobeNewswire
SaaS · Industrial
The Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Mr Parks Tau says bilateral trade with China and the China Zero-Tariff will give exporters certainty beyond 2028 with safeguards that will protect South African industry and jobs. Tau was speaking during the Briefing Reception on China’s Zero-Tariff Treatment to African Countries hosted today in Pretoria.
According to Tau, diversifying South Africa’s markets is how the government plans to protect South African jobs in an uncertain world. He said predictable market access gives investors the confidence to build production in South Africa.
“That is what we want as a country, not only more trade, but more factories, more processing and more jobs here at home. Today’s gathering, which is a briefing reception on China, is also aimed at raising awareness of the tariff measure and providing a structured platform to address questions from South African businesses,” he said.
Tau said the Zero-Tariff Treatment policy for South Africa means the country is implementing a unilateral preference scheme by China granting duty-free market access for 100% of the products, with exception of 47 tariff lines subject to tariff rate quota.
“This was announced by President Xi on 14 February 2026 in his congratulatory message to the African Union Summit. South African products that meet the rules of origin can enter the Chinese market without customs duties. From 1 June to 31 August, SARS has issued 25 975 certificates of origin. Customs declarations rose by 199 percent. Our export-promotion programme with China is moving beyond individual events. We intend to use a series of strategic trade fairs, targeted outward selling missions, hosted buyer missions and direct business-to-business engagements to advance clearly identified commercial opportunities,” he said.
Tau indicated that South Africa is in the final stages of negotiating China-Africa Economic Partnership for Shared Development. He said this is an agreement that will provide for South Africa and China to negotiate Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) and agreement covering trade, investment, infrastructure and logistics, small businesses, and industrial development.
“It also forms the basis for negotiation of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU)-China Early Harvest Arrangement. The reciprocal trade arrangement between SACU and China currently under negotiations, which is meant to preserve the zero-tariff arrangement for long-term for SACU countries,” Tau said.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, South Africa.
Oct 23 · 06:58·APO Group
Healthcare · Travel
Authorities in Abuja confirmed their first case of infection in an individual arriving from Uganda, which borders the worst-hit provinces in DRC.
“The source of exposure is still not known and the travel history of the patient is being pieced together now in terms of her movement from Uganda up to Nigeria,” said Dr Patrick Otim, from the UN World Health Organization (WHO)’s Emergency Response programme, in an online update.
“This is rapidly evolving. As we get more information, we’ll try to determine where she was exposed. And then it’s at that point where we can say whether there is any transmission happening.”
Nigeria is the fifth country this year after DRC, France, Uganda and Kenya to confirm the presence of Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus.
The original DRC outbreak was declared in mid-May where it has led to more than 4,600 deaths and a total of 9,552 confirmed infections. Around six in 10 of these deaths have occurred outside health centres, indicating the continuing difficulty of halting community transmission.
The latest DRC province to confirm infections is Nord Ubangi, which borders Central African Republic, where ongoing armed violence continues to uproot thousands of people, increasing the difficulty of halting transmission.
Nairobi controls
The Kenyan authorities have reported a total of nine cases of infection including one death earlier this month, of a Kenyan national who had been working in DRC before flying back to Nairobi via Entebbe, Uganda.
Uganda previously recorded two deaths and 20 confirmed cases of infection, before officially declaring the Ebola threat over at the end of August.
“Immediately after [the death of the Kenyan patient], we commenced on contact tracing,” said Dr Patrick Amoth, Director General of Kenya’s Ministry of Health, adding that 135 contacts with the deceased patient have been traced “and we have been able to account for them, 100 per cent”.
According to the Nigerian authorities, the patient developed symptoms on 7 October and sought care at a clinic before being hospitalised 48 hours later.
Genetic sequencing of the infection is underway to confirm that it is the same Ebola Bundibugyo disease circulating inside DRC. More than 40 close contacts have been identified to date, WHO has said.
“All the Infection Prevention and Control measures have been put in place to try to ensure that the risk of amplification of transmission within the health facilities is limited,” said WHO’s Dr Otim.
“The message is being passed to all the private facilities within [Abuja] and also all the other health facilities within the country to step up.”
Vaccine research ongoing
Inside DRC, in addition to the essential work of contact tracing, vaccination research is ongoing using Ervebo vaccine, which was originally designed for and is effective against Ebola disease caused by Zaire virus, in a bid to find out if it provides protection against Ebola Bundibugyo.
“We still do not have preliminary data yet as to whether there is…sufficient cross-protection between the Ervebo vaccine – which is for the Zaire species – and the Bundibugyo species. As soon as we get it, we'll be able to share that information,” Dr Otim told journalists.
Remote communities hardest-hit
Responding to questions about the Ebola response inside DRC, the UN health agency highlighted ongoing transmission of infection and reports last week of 15 deaths per day in the rural commune of Mangina in Beni territory, North Kivu province.
After negotiating access, an emergency response team from WHO arrived there two weeks ago and started working with impacted communities.
“There was a lot of community preoccupation and community resistance in the beginning to receive help, it’s a very highly insecure area,” said Dr Anne Ancia, WHO Country Representative in DRC.
“Ebola does not wait. It follows movement, exploits gaps and tests the strength of our health systems,” said Dr Mohamed Janabi, Regional Director for WHO Africa, underscoring that the virus is “no longer confined to one place, it is a regional concern”.
He added: “We must reach people earlier, bring safe care closer and strengthen trust before fear becomes a barrier to survival. We also know that success is possible where surveillance is strong, where contacts are found and followed.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN News.
Oct 23 · 06:43·APO Group
Finance · Healthcare
“We were separated only by ropes.” When Dr Prince Afandia Alafu, 33, returns to the place where he was treated for Ebola, memories of his hospitalization resurface. In Isiro, in Haut Uélé province in northeastern of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, this general practitioner discovers, just weeks after his recovery, an expanded and better equipped treatment centre. Progress has been made to improve care for Ebola patients while allowing the hospital to gradually resume its usual activities.
A few days before his admission, Dr Prince experienced persistent fever and headaches, which he initially attributed to malaria or typhoid. A test confirmed his infection with the Bundibugyo virus, responsible for the current Ebola outbreak. Accustomed to treating others, he suddenly became a patient himself. After several days of care, he managed to overcome the disease.
On August 24, when he was admitted to the Isiro Ebola Treatment Centre (ETC), the facilities were still rudimentary. Spaces were cramped and care conditions difficult. Today, the centre has 50 beds and appropriate equipment. “There has really been a big improvement. Now there is electricity and water. The rooms are maintained regularly, and the conditions of care have changed,” he notes.
Behind these changes lie the story of a hospital deeply shaken by the epidemic. Before Ebola arrived, the Isiro General Reference Hospital (GRH) had 130 beds and provided internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, and obstetrics gynecology care, with an occupancy rate above 90%. When the first cases appeared in July 2026, the facility had to reorganize its services.
“We had to move the pediatric ward. The pediatric pavilion became the first nucleus of the ETC within the hospital. With the increase in cases, we had to mobilize a second pavilion,” explains Dr David Kamalu, director of the GRH. The presence of Ebola patients in hospital buildings and fear of contamination gradually drove other patients away. According to Dr Kamalu, bed occupancy dropped to 30% in August.
For medical teams, the challenge was immense: treating Ebola patients without interrupting care for pregnant women, children, and patients with other illnesses.
As of 19 October 2026, 7 of the 13 health zones in Haut Uélé were affected by the Ebola outbreak. The province had recorded 421 confirmed cases, including 180 deaths. Isiro health zone was among the hardest hit.
Under the leadership of the Ministry of Health, with support from WHO and partners, the ETC — initially with 40 beds — was expanded to 50 beds in collaboration with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). “This extension allows us to strengthen reception capacity and improve care for Ebola patients. It helps secure care circuits and reduce transmission risks,” emphasizes Dr Catherine Smallwood, WHO incident manager. “By having an adapted treatment centre, we also help the hospital gradually resume its usual activities.”
The effects are already visible. Patients who had deserted the hospital out of fear are gradually returning. Today, we have about 55 patients hospitalized. Now that the centre is secure and circuits are better organized, patients are starting to come back for their usual care,” notes Dr Kamalu.
Improved treatment capacity is accompanied by other interventions to preserve health services. WHO has delivered more than a ton of medicines, supplies, and medical equipment to the GRH, including oxygen therapy materials, personal protective equipment, beds, and mattresses, to support continuity of essential care.
In Haut Uélé, health authorities also launched vaccination of frontline personnel for research purposes with the ERVEBO vaccine. Nationally, more than 9,000 agents have been vaccinated as part of this study. The effectiveness of this vaccine against the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, responsible for the current outbreak, is still under investigation.
For Dr Steve Ahuka, incident manager of the Presidential Task Force dedicated to the Ebola response, complementarity of interventions is essential. “When we prevent through vaccination, when we treat the disease, when we raise awareness through survivors — these packages of activities are what make the disease recede,” he explains.
For Dr Prince, the improvements are deeply meaningful. Having faced the challenges of the epidemic’s early weeks, he now sees how better care and stronger prevention are giving patients hope and helping rebuild community trust. His experience shows that Ebola does not have to be fatal: timely, appropriate care can save lives.
“With the progress made in the response and the improvement of care conditions, I have hope that more patients will overcome Ebola, reunite with their families, and resume their normal lives.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of WHO Regional Office for Africa.
Oct 23 · 06:35·APO Group
Healthcare · Education
Kenya has been named the fourth Co-Chair of the School Meals Coalition, joining Brazil, Finland and France in providing global leadership to an initiative aimed at ensuring children have access to healthy and nutritious meals at school. The announcement was made during the Third Ministerial Session of the Global School Meals Coalition held at the World Food Programme (WFP) headquarters in Rome on Wednesday, October 14th. Kenya was represented at the meeting by Cabinet Secretary for Education Julius Migos Ogamba, who said the country’s new leadership role builds on its previous contribution to the Coalition’s agenda. “Kenya is deeply honoured to officially join Brazil, Finland and France as the fourth Co-Chair of the School Meals Coalition,” said Mr. Ogamba, describing the appointment as a responsibility the country takes with a strong sense of commitment. Kenya previously hosted the Second Ministerial Meeting of the Coalition’s Task Force in Nairobi in 2024, where member states reviewed progress and identified priorities for accelerating collective action on school meals. Among the priorities identified in Nairobi were sustaining political commitment, expanding access to predictable and sustainable financing, improving the quality and reach of national school meals programmes, strengthening evidence and measurement, and increasing advocacy at all levels. According to World Food Programme, 466 million children currently receive school meals globally and while this is an enormous achievement, there remains numerous school age children that have not been reached.
Coverage has grown by about 80 million children since 2020, showing that governments are increasingly treating school meals as a national development priority, as documented by School Meals Coalition. The Coalition has continued to gain momentum, with more governments investing in national school meals programmes and increasing recognition of school feeding as a strategic public investment. Mr. Ogamba highlighted the wider benefits of school meals, noting that their impact extends beyond education to social protection, health and nutrition. He cited studies showing that every dollar invested in feeding a child can generate up to nine dollars in social and economic returns. However, he cautioned that significant challenges remain, with millions of children still unreached and countries facing financing and implementation constraints in delivering nutritious school meals. Kenya is exploring innovative approaches to financing its own School Meals Programme. These include a clean cooking programme aimed at exploring carbon financing opportunities, as well as a proposed debt-for-food conversion being developed with the WFP. The initiative could redirect savings from debt servicing towards long term investment in food security and resilience. As Co-Chair, Kenya says it will work with Brazil, Finland, France, Coalition members and partners to promote national ownership and sustainable financing, strengthen cooperation and ensure that African experiences and leadership remain central to the global school meals agenda. The Coalition’s overarching ambition is to see every child access a healthy and nutritious meal at school while enabling countries to develop strong, nationally owned school meals programmes.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Education, Kenya.
Oct 23 · 06:22·APO Group
Healthcare · Biotech & pharma
EVX-01 induced an immune response in all patients in the trial with 89% of the vaccine neoantigens generating potent specific T-cell responses Three-year data from the EVX-01 phase 2 trial in patients with advanced melanoma to be presented at the ESMO 2026 Congress supplementing very convincing two-year data from the trial The data will be … Continue reading "Evaxion announces 89% vaccine target precision and sustained T-cell and clinical responses at three-year follow-up in phase 2 trial with personalized cancer vaccine EVX-01"
Oct 23 · 06:15·PressReach
Healthcare · Food & drink
Pratteln, Switzerland, October 23, 2026 – Santhera Pharmaceuticals (SIX: SANN) today notes that its licensing partner Nxera Pharma Co., Ltd. (“Nxera”) has submitted a Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) to South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) for AGAMREE (vamorolone) for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).
Oct 23 · 05:00·GlobeNewswire
Government & policy
GAO report on marijuana scheduling is admitted into DEA hearing record as parties prepare limited briefs. DEA Administrative Judge delays recommendation until after midterm elections.
Oct 23 · 01:15·Newswire.com
Healthcare · Biotech & pharma
SUZHOU, China, Oct. 22, 2026 -- ImmVira Group ("ImmVira") today announced that updated clinical data from three bladder cancer studies of its lead oncolytic immunotherapy candidate, MVR-T3011, will be presented at the 2026 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress....
Oct 23 · 00:00·PR Newswire
Government & policy
David Pan “It would be useful to have somebody über-smart in Congress.” David Pan is one of the most intelligent candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives I have interviewed.” — John Seiler SANTA ANA, CA, UNITED STATES, October 22, 2026 / EINPresswire.com / -- Opinion columnist John Seiler at the Orange County Register praised Republican congressional candidate David Pan’s plan for a universal basic income. Pa
Oct 22 · 22:17·EIN Presswire