Fri 27 June 2025: The number of drug users worldwide rose to 316 million people in 2023, according to a UN report published on Thursday. The number corresponds to 6% of the world population aged between 15 and 64 using a drug – not including tobacco or alcohol – the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna […]
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Fri 27 June 2025: Scientists in the UK have successfully converted plastic waste into the painkiller paracetamol using genetically modified bacteria, offering a potential solution to both plastic pollution and fossil fuel dependence. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh developed a method to break down PET plastics—commonly used in bottles and food packaging—and produce paracetamol from the resulting material. […]
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Thu 26 June 2025: The order to restrict cannabis use for medical purposes only must pass another hurdle before becoming law. The Thai government is moving to tighten rules around the sale of cannabis, just three years after the kingdom decriminalised recreational use of the popular substance. Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health on Tuesday night ordered […]
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Sun 22 June 2025: A new generation of weight-loss drugs has proven remarkably effective, hugely popular and massively lucrative in the last few years, though they do have some drawbacks. After France on Friday became the latest country to allow all doctors, rather than just specialists, to prescribe these drugs, here are some key questions about them. – HOW […]
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Tue 17 June 2025: Experts call for a multi-faceted approach, drawing lessons from the nation’s historic public health battles. South Africa is facing a severe public health challenge as an obesity crisis places immense strain on the nation’s healthcare system. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than half of the adult population is now classified […]
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Fri 13 June 2025: The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has warned the public to remain cautious when dealing with service providers claiming they are licensed, especially as cannabis dispensaries continue to expand. “SAHPRA has learned that individuals and companies are operating unethically by presenting falsified SAHPRA licences to gain public trust and […]
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Thu 12 June 2025: You may have come across those “what I eat in a day” videos on social media, where people – usually conventionally attractive influencers wearing activewear – list everything they consumed that day. They might seem like harmless fun but in fact they can reinforce dangerous ideas about food, weight and body […]
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Mon 09 June 2025: A Japanese research institute announced Tuesday that the final phase of a clinical trial testing a Parkinson’s drug as a potential treatment for familial Alzheimer’s disease has been underway since May. The project, led by Towa Pharmaceutical Co. in partnership with Kyoto University’s Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, uses […]
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Sat 07 June 2025: A new strain of coronavirus discovered in China has raised concerns that it could cause a global pandemic due to its potential to mutate and infect humans. Named HKU5-CoV-2, this variant is capable of infecting more animal species than the COVID-19 virus, increasing the risk of cross-species transmission. The virus was first discovered in China […]
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Sat 07 June 2025: When it comes to our health, we’re constantly being warned about being taken in by misinformation. Yet for most of us what we believe ultimately comes down to who we trust, including which “experts” we trust. The problem is that not everyone who presents themselves as an expert is actually an […]
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