Pancreatic cancer jab offers longer survival hope for patients

 A vaccine that appears to slow the progression of one of the most deadly cancers could be manufactured in bulk, researchers say.

The jab has given hope to patients after a trial found it increased the survival of participants with pancreatic cancer.

Researchers described the findings as “remarkable” and have already started testing the efficiency of the jab among a larger group of pancreatic and bowel cancer patients.

The jab uses a new type of immunotherapy, designed to improve vaccine delivery to the lymph nodes, which help the body fight infections and disease.

Pancreatic and bowel cancers frequently carry a mutation in a gene called KRAS, which plays a key role in tumour growth, and scientists developed the jab to recognise and attack this gene.

The study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, tested the jab on 20 patients with pancreatic cancer and five with bowel cancer.

When participants were followed up after 20 months, 68 per cent had developed strong immune responses specific to mutant KRAS tumour proteins.

Participants who had the strongest immune responses lived and stayed cancer-free for longer than those with weaker responses.

Some patients survived about two years and five months after receiving the vaccine.

In comparison, just three in 10 people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer survive for a year.

Pancreatic cancer has some of the poorest survival rates due to late detection. It doesn't usually cause symptoms in the early stages, and as it grows, it can cause tummy pain, yellowing of the skin, unexplained weight loss and changes in stools.

Many patients see their cancer returning even after treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

ut the trial showed the jab could help prevent the cancer from returning for more than 15 months.

Unlike other cancer jabs which are personalised to individual patients, this vaccine, ELI-002 2P, has a single version which can be given to all patients meaning it can be manufactured in bulk and given more rapidly.

Dr Dani Edmunds, research information manager at Cancer Research UK, said: “It’s promising to see that vaccines could help people with pancreatic and bowel cancer live cancer-free for longer.”

“More research is needed to understand why some people benefit from the vaccine while others don’t, so that we can make sure we’re beating cancer for everyone,” he added.

Professor Richard Sullivan, director of the Centre for Conflict and Health Research at King’s College London, has suggested more research is needed.

“There is some interesting science in this study, but this is a long way from proving any sort of clinical utility,” he said.

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/remarkable-pancreatic-cancer-jab-offers-150320181.html

Roche, Novartis due to meet Swiss govt. amid Trump’s tariff threats

 Roche (OTCQX:RHHBY) and Novartis (NYSE:NVS) are scheduled to meet with Swiss government officials this week amid U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated threats to impose tariffs on pharmaceutical imports, Reuters reported on Monday.

Other companies can also attend the meeting with Swiss Economy Minister Guy Parmelin and Health Minister Elizabeth Baume-Schneider, the publication said, citing two sources familiar with the matter.

A spokesperson for the Swiss health minister confirmed the meeting but refused to divulge further information on attendees. Roche (OTCQX:RHHBY) and Novartis (OTCPK:NVSEF) were not available for comments, according to Reuters.

While pharmaceuticals were exempt from the 39% tariffs Trump imposed on Swiss imports last week, the industry faces trade levies reaching up to 250% as part of an ongoing U.S. Section 232 national security investigation, the outcome of which is expected within the next few weeks.

The meeting could also focus on encouraging companies to boost their investments in the United States, a source said, as Switzerland attempts to reduce its U.S. trade surplus, the reason behind its steep tariff rate.

Pharmaceuticals made up about 50% of Swiss exports to the U.S. last year, and Roche (OTCQX:RHHBF), Novartis (OTCPK:NVSEF), and other leading drugmakers have already pledged significant investments in the U.S. amid the Trump administration’s tariff threats on pharma imports.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/roche-novartis-due-to-meet-swiss-govt-amid-trump-s-tariff-threats-reuters/ar-AA1KkafN

Trump suggests he may not allow sales of advanced Nvidia chip in China

 U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that he would not make a deal with American AI chip giant Nvidia, led by CEO Jensen Huang, to allow for sales of a next-generation advanced GPU in China, but stopped short of ruling it out.

"Jensen also has the new chip, the Blackwell," Trump told reporters. "I wouldn't make a deal with that, although it's possible," he said.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-suggests-may-not-allow-161420417.html

Swiss Re Tackles Longevity Drug Impact With Life Policy Advice

 

Swiss Re AG issued guidance for underwriters on how to assess life insurance applications of people who show signs of using medications for longevity purposes.

Metformin, traditionally used to manage type 2 diabetes, and rapamycin, an immunosuppressant developed for organ transplant recipients, are part of a growing list of substances being explored for anti-aging purposes, Swiss Re said. In some cases, the medications are being self-prescribed, the reinsurer said.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-08-11/swiss-re-tackles-longevity-drug-impact-with-life-policy-advice

COVID-19 Activity Increases Across US, Mostly On West Coast: CDC

 by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

COVID-19 levels are rising in the United States, with the highest numbers occurring along the West Coast, according to new data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

On Aug. 8, the CDC stated that the national wastewater viral activity for COVID-19 increased from “low” to “moderate” from the previous week, according to an Epoch Times review. The region with the highest number of cases is the western United States, it stated.

“Wastewater monitoring can detect viruses spreading from one person to another within a community earlier than clinical testing and before people who are sick go to their doctor or hospital,” the CDC says on its website. “If you see increased wastewater viral activity levels, it might indicate that there is a higher risk of infection.”

Louisiana and Hawaii reported a very high number of cases, according to the CDC’s map. States reporting a high number of cases were California, Alaska, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Texas, Indiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and South Carolina.

In contrast to the CDC’s wastewater-based estimates, a separate update based on laboratory results and released on Aug. 8 shows that COVID-19 is currently at “low” levels in the United States but is “increasing.”

“COVID-19 laboratory percent positivity is increasing nationally,” the CDC stated. “Emergency department visits for COVID-19 are increasing among all ages. COVID-19 wastewater activity levels and model-based epidemic trends indicate that COVID-19 infections are growing or likely growing in most states.”

However, overall respiratory illness levels can be considered “very low” across the United States, according to the CDC. That includes influenza, considered “low,” and RSV, which is “very low,” according to the agency.

The CDC has not updated its COVID-19 variant estimates since mid-June. The CDC stated on its website that because of “low numbers of sequences being reported,” the agency is now moving to “longer reporting periods” for the various variants.

But in the last update, it noted that there were growing proportions of variants such as NB.1.8.1 and XFG, which were both declared “variants under monitoring” by the World Health Organization (WHO) in May and June, respectively.

“The available evidence on NB.1.8.1 does not suggest additional public health risks relative to the other currently circulating Omicron descendent lineages,” the WHO stated about the NB.1.8.1 strain.

The United Nations health body issued a similar statement about the XFG variant in June.

The NB.1.8.1 appears to have been driving a rise in cases across mainland China since earlier this year. However, because of the Chinese Communist Party’s history of blocking access to information and publishing inaccurate data, including underreporting COVID-19 infections and related deaths since 2020, it is difficult to assess the true scale of the current outbreak.

The updates come as Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has changed the COVID-19 vaccine policy since the Trump administration took over earlier this year.

Last month, the HHS dismissed all 17 members of the CDC vaccine advisory panel, ordered the removal of mercury from influenza vaccines, and ended the CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for pregnant women and healthy children.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/covid-19-activity-increases-across-us-mostly-west-coast-cdc

Ether Treasuries Climb To $13 Billion As Price Breaks $4300

 by Exra Reguerra via CoinTelegraph.com,

The total Ether held by companies with crypto treasuries has risen to 3.04 million ETH, worth $13 billion, as the cryptocurrency’s price surged past $4,300.

On Monday, Ether climbed to $4,332, surging by 20.4% in the last seven days, according to CoinGecko.

At the time of writing, ETH had dropped slightly and was sitting at $4,290.

The ETH rally is fueled by companies increasing their holdings in the last 30 days. 

BitMine Immersion Technologies, which tops the list of ETH treasury holders, boosted its holdings to 833,100 ETH, a 410.68% jump in the amount of ETH it holds over the past 30 days.

[ZH: Update - BitMine on Monday announced that it held a total of 1.15 million ETH as of Aug. 10, making the company the largest ETH treasury in the world. The company’s total ETH holdings value was reported at $4.96 billion, up from $2.9 billion reported a week earlier.

“In just a week, BitMine increased its ETH holdings by $2.0 billion to $4.96 billion (from 833,137 to 1.15 million tokens), lightning speed in the company’s pursuit of the ‘alchemy of 5%’ of ETH,” said Fundstrat’s Tom Lee, who was recently appointed chairman of BitMine’s board.]

SharpLink Gaming followed with 521,900 ETH after boosting its treasury by 141.69% in the same time period, while The Ether Machine has grown its stack by 8.01% to 345,400 ETH. 

These three entities accounted for more than half of the ETH held by the top 10 ETH treasury companies, which had a combined 2.63 million ETH, about 2.63% of the asset’s total supply. 

Top 10 entities holding Ether. Source: Strategic ETH Reserve

Top 10 ETH treasury entities hold over $11.3 billion 

The week’s price surge pushed the value of corporate ETH holdings sharply higher.

Last Monday, BitMine bought 208,137 ETH, putting its holdings at 833,100 ETH. At the time, the assets were worth about $2.9 billion as ETH hovered around $3,700.

With ETH trading at around $4,300, BitMine’s holdings are now worth over $3.58 billion, making it the first company to hold more than $3 billion in ETH. 

On Tuesday, digital asset investment firm SharpLink boosted its holdings to 521,900 ETH after an 83,562 ETH purchase.

At the time, SharpLink’s holdings were worth about $1.91 billion. With ETH’s prices surging past $4,300, the company’s ETH is now worth over $2.23 billion. 

ETH treasury data tracker Strategic ETH Reserve (SER) showed that SharpLink Gaming has over $671 million in unrealized gains from its Ether investments. 

On Aug. 3, The Ether Machine bought 15,000 ETH, coinciding with Ethereum’s 10th anniversary. According to SER data, it added another 10,600 ETH to its treasury on Sunday. It now holds 345,362 ETH worth almost $1.5 billion, keeping it in the top three by holdings.

Apart from the top companies, smaller purchases were also made last week. On Friday, the HashKey exchange announced that Hong Kong-listed IVD Medical purchased HK$149 million (about $19 million) in ETH from the trading platform. However, the actual ETH amount was not disclosed. 

Overall, SER data shows that 64 treasury companies that hold ETH have a total of 3.04 million ETH, worth over $13 billion at current market prices. 

Number of ETH held by treasury companies. Source: Strategic ETH Reserve

Ethereum market cap overtakes Mastercard

It came as Ethereum’s market capitalization soared to $523 billion on Monday, boosted by a 21% rally in Ether over the past seven days to cross the $4,000 milestone. It was trading at $4,332 at publication.

Ether’s market cap overtook payments giant Mastercard, which currently has a market capitalization of $519 billion, according to CompaniesMarketCap.

More than 304,000 ETH, worth over $1.3 billion, was added by publicly traded companies that have Ether treasuries in the past week, CoinGecko reported on Saturday.

BitMine Immersion Technologies bought the lion’s share of ETH, as the company bought more than 208,000 ETH, worth more than $900 million,  in the past week, which was followed by SharpLink Gaming buying $303 million worth of Ether.

Alongside, Ether Treasury demand, ETH ETF inflows have surged once again...

Analysts bullish on ETH’s price action

Technical analysts have also turned bullish on Ether, with some predicting that the asset might reach as high as the $20,000 mark for the first time in the coming months.

Analyst Nilesh Verma said that ETH can hit the $20,000 milestone in the next six to eight months based on historical price fractals.

Meanwhile, Merlijn The Trader, a technical analyst, predicted that the asset might surpass $20,000 and may even go beyond that mark.

On the flip side, some industry experts are cautioning investors.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin supported companies that are buying Ether to hold in their respective treasuries; however, he cautioned that it should not turn into an “overleveraged game,” which could lead to the downfall of the asset.

https://www.zerohedge.com/crypto/ether-treasuries-climb-13-billion-price-breaks-4300

MAHA Movement Continues to Gain Steam

 by John Klar

Robert F Kennedy Jr.’s clarion for children’s health struck a bipartisan political nerve when he declared in his MAHA message on August 23, 2024, “We need to love our children more than we hate each other.” One year later, the MAHA mission is still gaining force. Diverse allies continue to rally around food and farming issues, and polls show voters are paying attention.

Legacy media sought to discredit Kennedy over vaccines, past autism claims, and quirky anecdotal behaviors, but these efforts did not distract voters from issues of the “chronic disease epidemic,” including obesity, diabetes, and cancers fueled by pesticide residues, food dyes, and factory chemicals.

President Trump delivered on his promise to appoint Kennedy as Health and Human Services Secretary. The president’s MAHA Commission and its comprehensive Report created another volley of publicity around the issue. A sickened public, including precious independent swing voters and many dyed-in-the-wool Democrats who have long advocated for healthier food supplies, is supporting what is proving to be an enduring MAHA movement.

The power of MAHA is squeezing the food and agriculture industries in a pincers-type politics: bipartisan organizations are coalescing to oppose industry intransigence, while grassroots unity against sickening foods continues to gain steam – including among Gen Z. As Kennedy & co persistently announce new health initiatives, the MAHA drumbeat against Big Food grows ever louder.

Most recently, Secretary Kennedy and USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins championed SNAP food waivers for six more states that elected to improve the diets of program recipients. Such policy initiatives fuel a powerful zeitgeist that promises to propel Republicans into greater dominance in 2026 and beyond.

Legacy media is losing ground in its persistent effort to discredit MAHA. A recent NBC News poll showed that a majority of the country (51 percent) approves of RFK’s initiatives, and a plurality blames the food industry for the nation’s chronic health problems.

A 2024 survey conducted by the International Food Information Council (IFIC) determined that food and nutrition content on social media increased a whopping 12 percent between 2023 and 2024 (from 42 percent to 54 percent) and familiarity with the food guidelines of MyPlate bumped up 11 percent — from 43 percent to 54 percent overall: 78 percent for Gen Z and 61 percent of Millenials. IFIC’s analysis also showed steep increases in consumer preferences for protein (from 59 percent in 2022 to 71 percent in 2024) and noted that “Half of consumers are also looking to increase their consumption of fresh foods, which most consider to be the healthiest type of food.”

This is delicious news to MAHA supporters as momentum continues to accelerate for sensible dietary improvements. A nonpartisan coalition of food, farming, and health groups energized by the MAHA cause continues to grow in size and scope.

The Heritage Foundation has taken note of the importance of food as part of a conservative environmental platform. On August 12, Heritage is hosting an event titled “The Future of Farming: Exploring a Pro-Health, Pro-Farmer Agenda,” featuring a panel of experienced farmers to discuss the practical realities and potential challenges of employing regenerative agriculture and how emerging technology may assist in these practices.

Jennifer Galardi, senior policy analyst for Restoring American Wellness at The Heritage Foundation, explains to The American Spectator:

The Heritage Foundation understands the mission to encourage conservatives to reclaim the environment/agriculture conversation — we’ve ceded too much to the left and this is one of the areas where we should be outspoken the most. Conservatives should be concerned about CONSERVING, and fostering proper stewardship of the land as God commands us.

Ryland Engelhart, lead producer of the documentary Kiss the Ground, co-founder of the regenerative farming advocacy nonprofit of the same name, and co-executive director of American Regeneration, is on board with the MAHA movement. Ryland tells The American Spectator:

There is a unique and timely convergence of ideas, cultures, and political leanings coming together on the MAHA dance floor.

As Bobby Kennedy Jr. inspires a renewed national conversation on health and wellness, there’s a growing wave of Americans — beyond the traditional “whole food moms” — who care deeply about the food they eat and the lifestyle they raise their children in.

But the Moms are in too — Zen Honeycutt of Moms Across America warns: “This is a critical time in history …. The only way we will have a chance to Make America Healthy Again is if we decrease our exposure to pesticides. This must happen.”

The Weston A. Price Foundation, which advocates for nurturing traditional whole foods, is on board with MAHA, as are vaccine safety organizations Children’s Health Defense and Stand for Health Freedom. American homesteaders and homeschoolers are joining with suburban soccer moms to improve food supplies and children’s health.

A recent launch of the new MAHA Action initiative highlights these powerful alliances. The biweekly MAHA Action Hub features high-profile public figures discussing food safety and nutrition topics. A highly polished MAHA film titled Toxic Nation (produced by Jeff Hays) powerfully challenges the industrial food system and examines the causes of America’s epidemic of chronic diseases.

Originally created to support Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s nomination for Health and Human Services Secretary, the nonprofit MAHA Action is amplifying that mission by building a platform to distribute accurate information about the secretary’s policy initiatives through a health-motivated phalanx of social media influencers and food rights activists. As stated by Tony Lyons in The Hill:

President Trump and Secretary Kennedy have shown incredible courage in taking on powerful interests and putting the health of American families first…

MAHA Action will amplify the voices demanding an end to the corruption that has led to the chronic disease epidemic, to an existential health crisis.

Across demographics and political ideologies, the MAHA message has found eager ears in an older generation displaying the poor health of a lifetime of dependency on cheap processed foods, and a young generation seeking to avoid that fate. As the food revolution grows, so too will the cultural and political impacts of the MAHA movement.

https://spectator.org/the-maha-movement-continues-to-gain-steam/