What!? Having sex with the corpse?
A morgue technician has been fired after tests showed he had sex with the dead body of a murdered reality star.
Oksana Aplekaeva, a former star of Russia's top reality show Dom-2, was murdered in 2008 and her corpse was discovered by a lorry driver on the side of a motorway.
The murderer has yet been found but new information led police to exhume the corpse for more forensic tests. Her body was found sexually violated.
DNA tests indicated a 37-year-old forensic morgue technician named Alexander, who worked for the morgue for 12 years, was the offender. He has been forced to resign.
"I could not argue against science. I have not been able to find a job for three months," he said. He also claims his wife left him and changed the phone number.
Police said Alexander was not in relation to Aplekaeva's murder and Russian media have reported that Alexander will not face any changes for his deed since there is no law in Russian to deal with the incident.
AMSTERDAM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 22, 2026--
Avanzanite Bioscience B.V., a rapidly growing commercial-stage European specialty pharmaceutical company focused on rare diseases, today reported that its partner, Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGIO), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts focused on delivering innovative medicines for patients with rare diseases, announced that the European Commission has granted marketing authorisation for PYRUKYND® (mitapivat), an oral pyruvate kinase (PK) activator, in adults for the treatment of anaemia associated with transfusion-dependent and non-transfusion-dependent alpha- or beta-thalassaemia, with an orphan medicinal product designation.
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“Thalassaemia is a complex, chronic and multisystem disease characterised by anaemia, ineffective erythropoiesis and haemolysis, which together place a significant burden on patients, including a substantial impact on quality of life and persistent fatigue,” commented Raffaella Origa M.D., PhD., Professor of Paediatrics at University of Cagliari, Italy and President of the Italian Society of Thalassaemia and Haemoglobinopathies (SITE). “The approval of PYRUKYND in the EU represents an important step forward, introducing a new oral treatment option regardless of genotype or transfusion burden, with the potential to address key aspects of the disease, including reducing transfusion burden and improving patient outcomes.”
The EC’s decision follows the positive opinion issued by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) and is based on results from the global, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled ENERGIZE and ENERGIZE-T Phase 3 trials. The approval of PYRUKYND for adults with thalassaemia marks its second indication in the EU, following its 2022 approval for adults with PK deficiency.
“The treatment of thalassaemia continues to place a profound burden on patients and healthcare systems,” said Antonis Kattamis M.D., Professor at the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece, and an investigator in the PYRUKYND thalassaemia Phase 3 clinical program. “An oral therapy such as PYRUKYND has the potential to transform the care of both transfusion-dependent and non-transfusion-dependent patients, and we welcome being able to provide this option in our clinical practice.”
In June 2025, Avanzanite entered into an exclusive agreement with Agios to commercialise and distribute PYRUKYND across the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland. Avanzanite will continue to work closely with Agios, local health authorities and patient communities to secure access for PYRUKYND across the EU.
“Today’s approval of Agios’ first-in-class PK activator in the EU is great news for adults living with thalassaemia and we are proud and privileged to partner with Agios to distribute and commercialise this medicine in the region,” said Adam Plich, CEO and Co-Founder of Avanzanite Bioscience. “Our role now is to collaborate with local authorities, drive a successful launch, and enable broad access to PYRUKYND in this indication, helping to ensure no thalassaemia patient is left behind, across the EU.”
This milestone represents the fourth rare disease launch that Avanzanite has led, further demonstrating the strength of its pan-European commercial platform. With a ‘Champions League’ team of more than 100 rare disease professionals conducting operations spanning 32 European countries, the company is well-positioned to partner with biotech innovators to deliver transformative therapies to patients across Europe.
About Thalassaemia
Thalassaemia is a rare, inherited blood disease that affects the production of haemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells responsible for carrying oxygen throughout the body. The disease is categorised into two main types: alpha-thalassaemia and beta-thalassaemia, depending on which globin chain of the haemoglobin is affected. By disrupting haemoglobin production, thalassaemia reduces the number of circulating red blood cells and shortens their lifespan, which leads to anaemia, fatigue, and serious complications.
Some individuals with thalassaemia require regular transfusions (classified as transfusion-dependent thalassaemia), while others only need them intermittently (classified as non-transfusion-dependent thalassaemia). All patients with thalassaemia experience a significant disease burden, including comorbidities, reduced quality of life and shortened life expectancy.
About ENERGIZE and ENERGIZE-T
ENERGIZE ( NCT04770753 ) and ENERGIZE-T ( NCT04770779 ) are global, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 trials evaluating the efficacy and safety of mitapivat in adults with alpha- or beta-thalassaemia.
The ENERGIZE trial randomised 194 non-transfusion-dependent alpha- or beta-thalassaemia patients 2:1 to receive either mitapivat 100 mg twice daily or placebo. The primary endpoint was haemoglobin response, defined as an increase of ≥1.0 g/dL in average haemoglobin concentration from Week 12 through Week 24 compared with baseline. Key secondary endpoints included changes from baseline in average fatigue scores and in average haemoglobin concentration from Week 12 to Week 24. The trial also assessed safety and tolerability.
The ENERGIZE-T trial randomised 258 transfusion-dependent alpha- or beta-thalassaemia patients 2:1 to receive either mitapivat 100 mg twice daily or placebo. The primary endpoint was transfusion reduction response, defined as a ≥50% reduction in transfused red blood cell (RBC) units with a reduction of ≥2 units of RBCs transfused in any consecutive 12-week period through Week 48 compared with baseline. Several transfusion reduction measures were included as key secondary endpoints, and achievement of transfusion independence was a secondary endpoint. The trial also assessed safety and tolerability.
For each trial, patients who completed the double-blind period had the option to transition into a corresponding open-label extension period, during which all patients receive mitapivat.
About Avanzanite Bioscience
Avanzanite is redefining launches of rare disease medicines across Europe. Founded in 2022 and based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, the company partners with biotech innovators to unlock the full commercial value of orphan medicines through a fully integrated platform spanning 32 countries. With our deep expertise in market access, we navigate Europe’s complex landscape like master chess players – ensuring no patient is left behind while delivering measurable impact and growth opportunities for alliance partners.
For more information, visit www.avanzanite.com.
Adam Plich, CEO and Co-Founder of Avanzanite Bioscience.
