June 2026

An international team of researchers has identified a previously unknown genetic cause of severe Crohn's disease in children, a breakthrough that could improve diagnosis and pave the way for more targeted treatments for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The findings were published in the journal Gastroenterology.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new indication for Pfizer's IBRANCE (palbociclib), allowing its use in combination with trastuzumab, with or without pertuzumab, and endocrine therapy as maintenance treatment for adults with hormone receptor-positive (HR+), HER2-positive (HER2+) locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer following induction therapy. The approval marks a significant expansion for the widely used CDK4/6 inhibitor.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has taken another significant step toward strengthening the quality, safety, and regulation of herbal medicines by advancing the development of an International Herbal Pharmacopoeia (IHP). During the 5th WHO Expert Meeting held in Hong Kong SAR (China) from 16–18 June 2026, experts from all six WHO regions met to accelerate the creation of globally harmonized standards for herbal medicines.

The European Union has awarded 15 million euro under its Horizon Europe research and innovation program to launch REPhRAME, an ambitious international project aimed at developing a new treatment strategy for recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs). Coordinated by Universitätsmedizin Frankfurt under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Maria J.G.T. Vehreschild, the five-year project will evaluate phage therapy as a potential alternative to antibiotics in patients suffering from recurrent bacterial infections.

Researchers from Chiba University, Japan, have identified a promising strategy that could help prevent cancer from returning after treatment with KRAS-targeted drugs. The study reveals that a small population of cancer cells, known as drug-tolerant persister cells (DTPs), survives KRAS inhibitor therapy by rewiring its metabolism. By targeting these newly discovered survival mechanisms, scientists believe it may be possible to eliminate these residual cells and reduce the risk of relapse.