With a study showing that only 1.3% of Indian women aged 45 and above undergo screening for breast cancer, experts have called for immediate policy interventions, awareness campaigns and infrastructural advancements to encourage more women to opt for testing. Other countries like US & several European nations boast of screening rates above 80%, India lags even behind some African nations, where 4.5% of women undergo mammograms.

A recent study by Aiims, New Delhi, brings a powerful insight that could change the course of treatment for many. Women who underwent systematic removal of lymph nodes from the pelvis and rear abdominal walls exhibited a 5 year overall survival rate of 48.9%. The study of 105 patients with advanced-stage ovarian cancer who had undergone chemotherapy found that this surgical approach targets residual cancer cells that may persist post-chemotherapy, potentially reduces recurrence rates.

AIIMS Delhi has been ranked 97th best hospital in the world in 2025 (ranked 122nd in 2023, and 113th in 2024). Medanta Gurgaon ranked 146th in 2025 (166th in 2024). PGIMER Chandigarh ranked 228th in 2025 (ranked 246th in 2024). Who ranked 1st? In 2024 the Mayo Clinic & Cleveland Clinic in the US, followed by Toronto General in Canada & Johns Hopkins Hospital topped the list, while Sweden’s Karolinska University Hospital rounded out the top 5.

The government has prohibited cough syrups containing chlorpheniramine maleate and phenylephrine hydrochloride for children under four due to safety concerns. Drug regulators are mandating manufacturers to include explicit warnings on labels and packaging. This decision follows recommendations from India's apex drug body after examining the fixed-dose combination.

CDSCO has issued an urgent directive to all state & Union Territory drug controllers to stop the manufacturing and marketing of certain unapproved Fixed Dose Combination (FDC) drugs. These FDS drugs had been licensed for manufacture, sale and distribution without prior evaluation of safety & efficacy as per provision of NDCT Rules 2019, under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940. This poses a serious risk to public health and safety.

Following the expiration of Empagliflozin's patent, the Indian pharmaceutical market has seen a surge, with 71 new brands and 17 companies introducing their versions. This influx has significantly increased sales, driven by prices that are 80-90% lower than the original. The increased affordability is expected to improve access for a wider population, with further market expansion anticipated.

A survey of 45,202 young adults in Norway has discovered that screen-scrolling in bed drives up your risk of insomnia by 59% and cuts your sleep time by 24 minutes. While the study did not determine causality — for example whether screen use causes insomnia or if students with insomnia use screens more — researchers found that using a screen in bed at night makes it much more likely you will sleep less and sleep poorly.

In the past 3 years, at least 38% of Indian households have purchased packaged food items — well within their expiry date — which were found to be infested with insects, fungus, or other contaminants, reveals a new survey by LocalCircles, a community platform. The survey, which gathered over 40,000 responses from consumers across 341 districts, shows 59% of respondents said they are likely to completely avoid a brand after experiencing infested products. Another 25% said they would avoid that specific product, though not the brand.

Scientists have found that Gadolinium used in MRI scans can generate nanoparticles of the metal in human tissues. The worst disease caused by it is nephrogenic systemic fibrosis. People have succumbed after just a single dose. The condition can cause a thickening and hardening of the skin, heart and lungs and cause painful contracture of the joints. Even in people with no symptoms, gadolinium particles have been found in the kidney and the brain and can be detected in the blood and urine years after exposure.

A simple blood test may help determine whether your cervical cancer is responding to treatment or whether it has relapsed, shows early research by doctors from the AIIMS, Delhi. They found fragments of the DNA of human papillomavirus (HPV) — the virus responsible for the vast majority of cervical cancer cases — circulating in the blood, with their levels correlating with the size of the tumour. As patients began treatment, these levels dropped, indicating how the cancer cells were responding to treatment.