Friday, May 29, 2026
WHO names three 'priority' Ebola drugs for trials
The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified drugs from Regeneron, Mapp Bio, and Gilead Sciences that should be fast-tracked through clinical testing to respond to the current outbreak.
The UN health agency's independent experts have said Regeneron's maftivimab, Mapp's MBP134, and Gilead's remdesivir should be trialled in patients infected with the Bundibugyo form of Ebola currently infecting more than 1,000 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with cases also reported in neighbouring Uganda.
At last count, the Bundibugyo outbreak had led to 10 confirmed deaths, with another 223 suspected, although the WHO has said it could be much larger as the virus is thought to have circulated undetected for some time. It has an estimated fatality rate of 24.6%, lower than the average of 50% observed across all Ebola outbreaks since the 1970s.
Regeneron said that maftivimab is the most potent of the three antibodies included in its already-approved Inmazeb Ebola therapy, adding that the WHO has recommended it be studied as a monotherapy in the current outbreak, and supplies are already available for that purpose.
Mapp's MBP134, meanwhile, is another antibody billed as a 'pan-Ebola' candidate designed to cover the four species that are known to infect humans.
Remdesivir, an antiviral, was an important part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the WHO would like to see trials of the drug as a monotherapy and in combination with the two antibodies.
Prophylaxis candidates
Turning to prevention, the WHO has identified Gilead's obeldesivir – a follow-up to remdesivir that has been shown in non-human primates to be protective against lethal Ebola infection – as its priority candidate for post-exposure prophylaxis.
For large-scale vaccination purposes, it has identified the single-dose rVSV Bundibugyo vaccine being developed by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and Oxford University/Serum Institute of India's ChAdOx1 Bundibugyo as the most promising candidates at the moment. However, both those vaccines need additional preclinical work to be carried out before they will be ready for human testing.
New vaccines are needed because the current shot pre-qualified by the WHO for use in Ebola outbreaks – MSD's Ervebo – targets the more common Zaire species and may not provide good protection against Bundibugyo. The WHO said this "should not be used outside carefully designed research settings, to allow for its performance against [Bundibugyo virus disease] to be assessed."
In its update, the agency said it is "working closely with the governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda to facilitate the implementation of research evaluation of these products."
https://pharmaphorum.com/news/who-names-three-priority-ebola-drugs-trials
UK Pharmacy First prescribing expanded to ease GP pressure
From the autumn, pharmacists in England will be able to prescribe a wider array of medicines under a £340 million programme announced by the UK government.
The initiative is part of the Pharmacy First programme, first introduced in 2024, which allowed pharmacists who hold an independent prescribing qualification to prescribe drugs for sore throat, earache, sinusitis, shingles, impetigo, infected bites, and urinary tract infections.
Five additional, as-yet unidentified categories are being added to that list, part of a scheme to reduce referrals back to GPs for common, minor complaints and also alleviate some of the burden on hospital A&E departments, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.
More than 3.3 million Pharmacy First consultations were delivered between March 2025 and February 2026, an increase of 43% on the previous 12 months, according to the DHSC, with surveys suggesting 86% of users are happy with the experience.
The announcement, part of the pharmacy funding package announced today, has not won over organisations like the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) and Independent Pharmacies Association (IPA), which have said it does not go far enough to address the financial pressure on the sector.
"Whilst the pharmacy contract is a step in the right direction in recognising the skills of community pharmacies in delivering accessible care to patients, there is no sufficient investment to allow this to happen," said Dr Leyla Hannbeck, IPA chief executive.
The funding on offer does not cover the workload that is required to expand Pharmacy First, she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning, "Many community pharmacies will be worried about their future in the coming months."
The NPA, meanwhile, said it is calling for urgent talks with the new Secretary of State for Health, James Murray, saying that the NHS pharmacy contract is "broken beyond repair and not fit for purpose."
"We remain concerned that [this] does very little to close the £2.5 billion funding gap that the NHS itself identified a year ago," said NPA chair Dr Olivier Picard.
"Community pharmacies are ready to play a much bigger clinical role within the NHS, but ambitions for expanded patient services must be matched by sustained funding," he added. "We are also concerned that the current funding levels mean that many pharmacies will struggle to take this development forwards, risking its success."
The government said independent prescriber programmes like Pharmacy First are crucial to the 10 Year Health Plan objective of shifting care out of hospital and into the community, adding that the funding package had been agreed with Community Pharmacy England (CPE), the official representative body for the owners of the country's approximately 10,000 NHS community pharmacies.
"We are making the most of our highly skilled pharmacists, while boosting access to services and giving patients more care right on their doorstep," said Stephen Kinnock, Minister of State for Care. "Independent prescribing will play a major part in delivering this shift – easing pressures on GPs, cutting unnecessary red tape and helping patients get the right care closer to home."
https://pharmaphorum.com/news/pharmacy-first-prescribing-expanded-ease-gp-pressure
Fed's Bowman warns against hiking interest rates because of inflation spike
Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman on Friday cautioned against raising interest rates to address the current spike in prices.
With inflation running well above the central bank’s 2% target, markets are expecting the Fed to stay on hold this year then possibly start raising rates in early 2027. Current pricing is indicating virtually no chance of cuts anytime through at least 2027.
But Bowman said adjusting policy to offset energy-driven inflation surges has proven ineffective.
“Reacting to temporarily elevated energy price inflation would add unwarranted policy restraint, weighing unnecessarily on economic activity and labor market conditions,” the policymaker said at a conference in Reykjavík, Iceland.
Bowman added that research shows that when reacting to temporary energy shocks, “policy should not be overly aggressive.”
The remarks come one day after the Commerce Department reported that the personal consumption expenditures price index — the Fed’s benchmark inflation gauge — rose 3.8% in April and 3.3% when excluding food and energy prices.
However, measures that strip out extremes in components within the gauges show inflation running closer to target. The Dallas Fed’s “trimmed mean” inflation index puts the 12-month rate at 2.3%.
Consistent with remarks from her fellow central bankers, Bowman noted that the policy reaction depends on the duration of the conflict with Iran. Should the fighting be prolonged and inflation pressures steepen, “the more likely I will consider shifting my approach to thinking about the balance of risks.”
Bowman added that she supported maintaining phrasing in the most recent post-meeting statement from the central bank that indicated the next rate move could be a cut. Three members of the Federal Open Market Committee voted against the statement, based on the inclusion of the so-called forward guidance language.
Ukraine confirms targeting Volgograd oil refinery
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed on Friday that Ukrainian forces struck the Volgograd oil refinery in Russia's Volgograd Oblast during an overnight attack.
"A fire has been reported on the premises. The primary oil refining units AVT-1, AVT-3, AVT-5, and AVT-6, as well as the secondary oil refining units, have been damaged. The plant has halted production. The extent of the damage is being assessed," it was stated on Telegram.
The military additionally stated that its troops struck the Yaroslavl-3 oil pumping station, the Russian Tor-M2 anti-aircraft missile system located in the Zaporizhzhia region, a fuel depot, and drone control centers as well.
https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Ukraine-confirms-targeting-Volgograd-oil-refinery/66397361
Iran said to agree to monitoring of nuclear facilities
Iran has agreed to international monitoring of its nuclear facilities, Al-Arabiya reported on Friday. The decision was allegedly made to avoid their dismantling.
Sources cited in the report added that "many points" regarding issues surrounding Iran's nuclear program have been resolved in the latest rounds of negotiations with the United States. They also said that Tehran is looking to transfer its enriched uranium to China and is seeking guarantees that Beijing will not hand it over to the US.
https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Iran-said-to-agree-to-monitoring-of-nuclear-facilities/66395601
Medvedev tells EU to 'shut up' over Romania incident
Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev dismissed European outrage over a drone strike in Romania, asserting that EU nations are direct participants in the Ukraine conflict.
Following an incident where a drone struck a residential building in Galati, injuring two people, Medvedev stated on social media on Friday that while the drone's origin must be determined, "all EU countries need to shut up on this topic." He labeled European states as "direct participants in the war with Russia," claiming they fight using Ukrainian proxies.
He stated that the "imbecile-like EU leaders" know "perfectly well how to end the war" and concluded that accountability rests with them, adding, "So demand answers from them."
https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Medvedev-tells-EU-to-'shut-up'-over-Romania-incident/66397398