A major Cochrane review published April 16 analysed 17 clinical trials involving more than 20,300 people and concluded that drugs designed to clear amyloid plaques in the brain produce effects that are “trivial” or too small to be clinically meaningful after roughly 18 months. The analysis included newer monoclonal antibodies such as lecanemab and donanemab alongside earlier failed programmes and found modest slowing of cognitive decline but increases in brain swelling and bleeding (ARIA) and substantial treatment burdens — regular IV infusions every 2–4 weeks and repeated MRIs. The report has reignited debate: authors say pooling is justified because all drugs target amyloid, while critics — including leading dementia researchers and charities — argue combining dissimilar drugs masks modest benefits seen with the newest agents. The findings reinforce why some public health bodies, including the UK’s NICE, have refused routine funding; an 18‑month private course has been reported to cost about £90,000 in the UK. Cochrane’s authors call for research into alternative biological targets and caution about overpromising to patients and carers.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has issued new guidance reshaping the Title X family planning program, signaling a shift away from contraception toward fertility awareness, pregnancy support and treatment of reproductive health conditions. The Office of Population Affairs said it expects to distribute about $257 million for up to 90 grant awards for a five‑year period, down from roughly $286 million in prior years; final funding will depend on enactment of the FY2027 budget. The guidance — issued in a detailed notice to prospective applicants — mentions contraception only once and encourages noninvasive, lifestyle‑focused approaches such as “fertility‑awareness‑based” methods and counseling to promote pregnancy. The administration’s FY2027 budget proposal also lists eliminating Title X as an option. The announcement comes as U.S. births fell to about 3.6 million in 2025 (a 1% decline from 2024) and the fertility rate dropped to 53.1 births per 1,000 women ages 15–44. Reproductive health groups including ACOG criticized the change as narrowing access to contraception and preventive care for low‑income patients; pro‑life and pronatalist groups have praised the pivot. Grant applications are due next January.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will convene an outside advisory panel July 23-24 to consider whether compounding pharmacies should be allowed to manufacture seven popular peptide injections, the agency announced April 15-16. The compounds under review include BPC-157, KPV, TB-500, MOTS‑c, emideltide, semax and epitalon; another meeting is planned before February 2027 to assess additional peptides. The substances were among nearly 20 peptides placed on a restricted list in 2023 amid concerns about immunogenicity, toxicity, impurities and potential organ risks and cancer, and because most lack robust human safety and efficacy data. The move follows public advocacy by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has said he uses and supports peptide access, and has prompted warnings from former FDA officials and scientists that loosening rules without stronger clinical evidence could undermine drug-safety standards. Proponents say regulated access could reduce a thriving gray market and improve quality control.

Swedish researchers report that artificial intelligence trained on nationwide healthcare registry data can identify people at elevated risk of developing melanoma within five years. The study, led by Sam Polesie at the University of Gothenburg with major analysis by Martin Gillstedt, analysed records for 6,036,186 adults resident in Sweden between 2005 and 2014; 38,582 (0.64%) developed melanoma within five years. Models incorporating age, sex, diagnoses, medication history and socioeconomic variables distinguished future melanoma cases correctly in about 73% of instances, versus roughly 64% when using only age and sex. By combining clinical and sociodemographic inputs, the team identified small high‑risk subgroups with an estimated ~33% probability of developing melanoma within five years. The research, published in Acta Dermato‑Venereologica in April 2026, suggests selective, data‑driven screening could improve early detection and resource allocation. Authors and funders caution further validation, policy discussion and safeguards are needed before routine clinical deployment.

A BMJ Open study published in April 2026 found that five widely used AI chatbots frequently produce inaccurate or incomplete medical information. Researchers probed ChatGPT (OpenAI), Gemini (Google), Grok (xAI), Meta AI (Meta) and DeepSeek (High-Flyer) using 250 prompts across five topics — cancer, vaccines, stem cells, nutrition and athletic performance — designed to reflect common public queries and misinformation tropes. Overall, 50% of responses were judged problematic (30% somewhat problematic, 20% highly problematic). Open-ended prompts yielded disproportionately more highly problematic answers than closed questions. Model behaviour varied: Grok produced significantly more highly problematic responses while Gemini produced the fewest. Reference quality was poor (average completeness ~40%), with instances of fabricated citations; responses were typically expressed with unwarranted certainty and few caveats. Only two refusals to answer were recorded, both from Meta AI. The researchers noted limitations: the study stressed models with adversarial prompts, sampled five chatbots tested in February 2025, and commercial systems evolve rapidly, but concluded risks remain if chatbots are deployed for public-facing health guidance without stronger safeguards.