Australia approves new drug to treat early Alzheimer’s disease

Australia’s medicines regulator has approved a new drug to treat the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, but experts warn that less than one in five people with dementia will be eligible for the treatment that could cost more than $80,000 out of pocket.The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has registered donanemab, sold under the brand name Kisunla and developed by pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, for the treatment of adults with early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease who have a specific genetic profile.Donanemab is given as an intravenous infusion through the arm every four weeks for a maximum of 18 months, and works by targeting amyloid proteins in the brain – the buildup of which researchers believe contributes to Alzheimer’s disease.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news emailThe registration marks the first new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease in 25 years, and the first time a treatment affects the outcome of the disease, Prof Christopher Rowe, the director of the Australian Dementia Network said.The medications that were approved 20 years ago temporarily improved symptoms, “but this one actually slows down the rate of decline by about one-third,” Rowe said

Heavy periods affect school attendance and exam scores, study in England finds

Heavy, prolonged periods and severe menstrual pain are linked with lower school attendance and poorer GCSE scores, according to new research.The England-based study found that more than a third of girls (36%) who participated experienced heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding, which was associated with missing an additional 1.7 days of school every year.These symptoms were associated with achieving about one grade lower at GCSE, as well as 27% lower odds of achieving five standard GCSE passes, often required to enable a student to go on to the next stage of their education.Girls were also asked about severe cramps and pain during periods, which was experienced by more than half (56%) of participants and was linked with an additional 1

Shabana Mahmood considers chemical castration for serious sex offenders

Shabana Mahmood, the lord chancellor, is considering mandatory chemical castration for the most serious sex offenders, according to government sources.The minister’s department is planning to expand a pilot to 20 regions as part of a package of “radical” measures to free thousands of prisoners and ease prison overcrowding in England and Wales.As well as releasing and tagging killers and rapists after they have served half of their sentence, she is considering the findings of an independent sentencing review that has also called for the government to build an evidence base on drugs that “suppress libido” or reduce “sexual thoughts”.They are among 48 recommendations put forward by David Gauke, the chair of the review.Mahmood is expected to address the Commons on Thursday to outline which measures she will accept in a major overhaul of criminal justice

Extra cancer scans for women with dense breasts could save 700 lives a year – UK study

Hundreds of lives could be saved every year with extra cancer checks for women with very dense breasts, a study suggests.Millions of women undergo breast screening, but regular mammograms can be less effective at spotting cancer in the 10% with very dense breasts, as the tissue can hide tumours on X-rays. This is because very dense breasts look whiter on scans, making it harder to detect early-stage disease, which also appears white.Offering this group of women enhanced scans could find 3,500 more cases of cancer and save 700 lives a year in the UK, researchers from the University of Cambridge said. Their findings were published in the Lancet

‘It’s all people wanted to talk about’: How Labour U-turned on winter fuel payment cut

Rarely are British voters united by one issue, but Labour MPs returning to Westminster after the local election campaign this month all reported a single policy dominating all others: cuts to the winter fuel allowance.“It is all people wanted to talk about on the doorstep,” said one. “Some were upset about the coming cuts to disability benefits, some were exercised by immigration. But everyone was angry about winter fuel payments.”And so when Keir Starmer confirmed on Wednesday his government would change the threshold at which the cuts bite, it should not have come as a surprise

More community sentences in England and Wales could be ‘catastrophic’, warns watchdog

Plans to allow thousands more criminals in England and Wales to serve their sentence in the community risk “catastrophic consequences” unless the Probation Service is overhauled, a watchdog has told the Guardian.Martin Jones, HM chief inspector of probation, said government plans to hand responsibility for overseeing offenders from prisons to probation officers meant the risk “is carried directly into the community”.He called for extra funds, greater staff numbers, a slashing of red tape and better retention of experienced staff, saying that “any response to simply shift demand from prison to probation will be ineffective at best, and dangerous at worst”.His comments come as Shabana Mahmood prepares to announce an overhaul of criminal justice on Thursday after the publication of an independent review carried out by David Gauke, a former Conservative justice secretary.Judges and magistrates in England and Wales will be told to move away from handing out short custodial sentences in favour of community based alternatives, increasing pressure on the probation service