Oct. 19, 2026 — The Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval for Jemperli (dostarlimab-gxly) alone in adults with previously untreated stage II or III locally advanced rectal cancer whose tumors are mismatch repair deficient or microsatellite instability-high, the agency said. In a 154-patient study, almost three-fourths of patients had not needed surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy after a median follow-up of more than two years. Published estimates the agency cited put such tumors at about 3% of locally advanced rectal cancers. The drug can cause severe or fatal immune reactions, and the maker, GlaxoSmithKline, must confirm lasting benefit.
Oct. 19, 2026 — This updates our Oct. 17 report. The UN Biodiversity Conference, COP17, opened in Yerevan, Armenia, where countries will review their collective progress under the 2022 Kunming-Montreal framework for the first time, UN News reported. "What happens here in Yerevan matters," said Astrid Schomaker, executive secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. The framework calls for at least $200 billion a year from all sources by 2030 for biodiversity, including at least $30 billion in international finance, according to Armenia's UN ambassador, Paruyr Hovhannisyan.
Oct. 19, 2026 — California's Fish and Game Commission last week created the state's first new marine protected areas in more than a decade, the governor's office said, adding 15,000 acres and bringing the share of coastal waters conserved to 22.2%. The new Point Sal State Marine Conservation Area, in San Luis Obispo County, and Mishopshno State Marine Conservation Area, at Carpinteria Reef in Santa Barbara County, were proposed by Chumash tribes. The commission also expanded the Point Dume area off Malibu and strengthened protections at Pyramid Point on the North Coast.
Oct. 19, 2026 — Students enrolled at least half time at a California community college, California State University or University of California campus now meet CalFresh's enrollment requirement, San Diego County said. Benefits can provide up to $306 a month for groceries. Students can call the County's Access Customer Service Call Center at 866-262-9881 or visit the BenefitsCal Student Center.