International
Cancer drug cooperation could save 1.5 mn lives a year: researchers
AFP
Around 1.5 million lives could be saved every year if the world worked together to more swiftly approve new cancer drugs, researchers said Tuesday.
The figure was based on how long it took two recent cancer drugs to be approved across the world after they were given the green light by the United States.
Pembrolizumab, an effective treatment for most lung cancers, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2016.
More than 600,000 years of patients’ lives could have been saved if Brazil, Canada, China, India, Japan and the European Union had approved the drug at the same time, according to an analysis published in the Harvard Business Review, which is not peer-reviewed.
The authors, including US oncologist Bobby Daly, also looked at enzalutamide, which is used to treat prostate cancer.
Enzalutamide was approved by the FDA in 2012, but was not authorised in China for another seven years, partly due to a requirement for separate trials to be carried out there.
The analysis by members of the Bloomberg New Economy International Cancer Coalition found that 284,000 years of patient lives could have been saved if other countries had approved the drug alongside the FDA.
Extrapolating out from their findings, the researchers estimated that if each of the approximately seven cancer drugs approved by the FDA a year were authorised worldwide, it would reduce the number of cancer-related deaths by 10-20 percent.
That represents roughly 1.5 million of the around 10 million people who die of cancer every year.
‘Challenging’ for doctors
“In China alone an estimated 500,000 patient life-years could be saved through harmonisation of trial requirements that have delayed patient access to treatment,” former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd, co-chair of the Bloomberg cancer coalition, said in a statement.
Mary Gospodarowicz, also a member of the coalition, said that it was “challenging” as an oncologist in Canada when a drug was approved in the US but would take years to be able to prescribe it to her patients.
The study assumed that the rest of the world had the infrastructure to diagnose and treat cancer as well as the US, which is not always the case, Gospodarowicz told AFP via phone from the World Cancer Congress in Geneva on Tuesday.
But it served as an example of how “removing the barriers to drug approval would be beneficial to patients around the world,” said the former president of the Union for International Cancer Control, which is holding the congress.
The authors of the analysis called on countries to embrace Project Orbis, a US-led framework aiming to get cancer drugs trialled and approved at the same time in multiple countries.
“The US has already made significant progress in setting up the regulatory infrastructure for cancer treatment with the Project Orbis initiative and the task ahead is to take that framework and internationalise it,” former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement.
International
Spain’s irregular migrant population rises to 840,000, study finds
The number of migrants living in Spain without legal residency status continues to rise and has reached 840,000 people, with 91% originating from the Americas, particularly Colombia, Peru and Honduras, according to a report by the Spanish think tank Funcas (Foundation of the Savings Banks).
An estimated 17.2% of the non-EU foreign population living in Spain is in an irregular administrative situation. The estimate is based on the gap between the number of foreign residents effectively living in Spain, according to the National Statistics Institute (INE), and those who hold a residence permit, benefit from international protection, or are in the process of obtaining it.
The data, as of January 1, 2025, point to a notable and sustained increase in irregular migration since 2017, when the estimated figure stood at around 107,000 people, representing 4.2% of the non-EU population residing in Spain.
By origin, migrants from the American continent stand out, totaling around 760,000 people, or 91% of all irregular migrants. Colombians account for nearly 290,000, followed by Peruvians with almost 110,000, and Hondurans with about 90,000. Migrants from Africa (50,000), Asia (15,000) and Europe (14,000) trail far behind.
The figures predate Spain’s latest immigration regulation reform, which came into force in May 2025 and introduces measures to ease access to legal status through residency ties. According to Funcas, the reform would, in principle, tend to reduce the number of migrants in an irregular situation.
International
Historic snowstorm paralyzes Toronto after 60 centimeters of snow
Toronto, Canada’s largest city and the fourth most populous in North America, was largely paralyzed on Monday after a historic snowstorm dumped up to 60 centimeters of snow and sent temperatures plunging to -15 degrees Celsius, authorities said.
Late Sunday, as the scale of the snowfall became clear, city officials declared a climate emergency, triggering extraordinary measures including parking bans on several major streets to facilitate snow removal operations.
Toronto’s public transit authority reported that while some buses remain immobilized, subway and streetcar services are operating with relative normality, though localized disruptions may occur.
A similar situation is affecting the city’s commuter rail network, which remains operational but is experiencing significant delays on its main routes due to the severe weather conditions.
International
Venezuela frees at least 80 political prisoners, NGO says
At least 80 political prisoners were released on Sunday across Venezuela, human rights group Foro Penal reported, as the broader process of detainee releases continues at a slow pace under the interim government.
Foro Penal’s director, Alfredo Romero, wrote on social media platform X that verified releases took place nationwide and that the figure could rise as more confirmations are completed.
Attorney Gonzalo Himiob, also from Foro Penal, said the excarcelations occurred during the early hours of the day and emphasized that the number is not yet final pending further verification.
The releases are part of a series of steps announced by Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, who took power after the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro in a U.S. military operation on Jan. 3, 2026. Rodríguez has pledged a significant number of liberations but has been criticized by opposition groups and rights organizations for the slow and nontransparent nature of the process.
So far, the Venezuelan government reports that 626 detainees have been freed since December, though independent counts by human rights groups suggest the number of actual political prisoner releases is lower and that many remain behind bars.
Families of those still detained have maintained vigils outside prisons, hopeful for further releases even as broader concerns about political imprisonment and due process persist.
-
International5 days agoMexican influencer “La Nicholette” kidnapped in exclusive area of Culiacán
-
International4 days agoTrump to invite Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez to Washington
-
Central America4 days agoMazatenango Carnival cancelled amid State of Siege in Guatemala
-
International5 days agoMajor winter storm to blanket U.S. and Canada with snow, ice and arctic cold
-
International4 days agoMarkets rise as Trump halts Europe tariffs and floats Greenland agreement framework
-
International5 days agoColombia slams Ecuador’s 30% tariff as ‘economic aggression’
-
International5 days agoTrump announces preliminary NATO agreement on Greenland, suspends tariffs on Europe
-
International4 days agoVenezuela’s interim president predicts 37% increase in revenues for 2026
-
Internacionales3 days agoMajor winter storm threatens “catastrophic” ice and snow across much of the U.S.
-
International2 days agoTrump-Era Defense Plan Prioritizes Border Security and Scales Back Global Commitments
-
International4 days agoFour minors killed in deadly clash between FARC dissidents in Colombia’s Amazon
-
International4 days agoJapan reopens Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Plant despite public concerns
-
Central America3 days agoGuatemala’s president rules out negotiations with inmates after prison riots
-
International3 days agoGuatemala considers sending high-risk gang members to military prisons
-
International2 days agoBogotá and Quito Seek Dialogue After Tariffs and Power Cut Escalate Tensions
-
International5 days agoJosé Jerí claims destabilization attempt after videos of secretive meetings surface
-
International1 day agoDelcy Rodríguez seeks political agreements after Maduro’s ouster
-
International3 days agoRights group says over 5,000 killed in Iran protests, mostly civilians
-
International1 day agoFederal immigration agents kill man in Minneapolis, sparking protests and outrage
-
Central America3 hours agoGuatemala seizes over a ton of cocaine hidden in flour at Pacific port
-
International3 hours agoEU launches new probe into X over AI-generated fake nude images
-
International3 hours agoVenezuela frees at least 80 political prisoners, NGO says
-
International3 hours agoSpain’s irregular migrant population rises to 840,000, study finds
-
International4 hours agoFrance debates ban on social media for children under 15
-
International3 hours agoHistoric snowstorm paralyzes Toronto after 60 centimeters of snow
-
International4 hours agoSevere winter storm grips U.S., leaves multiple dead as extreme cold persists
-
International3 hours agoRights group says nearly 6,000 killed in Iran protest crackdown























