7 days in healthcare (December 22nd-28th, 2025)

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Summary

The most impactful health news of the week included:

  • Biomedicine: New and improved “ozempics.”
  • Global health: In 50 years, vaccines have prevented more than 154 million deaths worldwide.
  • International health policy: It appears that the extension of Obamacare subsidies will be approved by a bipartisan majority.
  • National health policy: CESM and SMA denounce the draft Framework Statute as being “against doctors.”
  • Companies: Massive increases of 10% and 20% in health insurance in Spain amidst the public healthcare crisis.

Biomedicine

  • New and improved “ozempics.” The revolution in anti-obesity medications has only just begun: new molecules are already being researched, and an oral treatment is about to be released.
  • Cardiologists warn that any type of nicotine consumption harms the heart and blood vessels. Whether it’s through a vaporizer, in bags, a hookah, or a cigarette, nicotine is toxic to the heart and blood vessels. This is the conclusion of a consensus report by experts published in the European Heart Journal, the journal of the European Society of Cardiology.
  • The Manhattan Project: Several companies want to modify embryos and pave the way for designer babies. Biotechnology companies Manhattan Genomics and Preventive are studying how to create genetically edited babies, an objective that challenges ethical boundaries and represents “opening Pandora’s box,” according to experts.

Global Health

  • In 50 years, vaccines have prevented more than 154 million deaths worldwide. Equitable and universal access to vaccines remains key to saving millions of lives in the future.

International Health Policy

  • Jeffries says that the extension of Obamacare subsidies will be approved by a bipartisan majority. The Democratic leader of the House of Representatives expects a yes vote despite opposition from some Republicans.
  • Is the NHS the loser in the US-UK drug deal? Experts say the recent US-UK drug agreement will be a catastrophe for the NHS and will open the door to inequities.

National Health Policy (Spain)

  • CESM and SMA denounce the draft Framework Statute as being “against doctors.” The Spanish Confederation of Medical Unions and the Andalusian Medical Union have issued a statement clearly rejecting the draft Framework Statute that the Ministry of Health sent on December 20.
  • The cost of sick leave exceeds €16.6 billion: 14% more than in 2024.

Companies

  • International
    • Novo Nordisk leads the gains in Europe after the US approves the obesity pill. The stock surged nearly 8% on the stock exchange this Tuesday. Wegovy is the first GLP-1 oral therapy authorized for weight management.
  • National News
    • Massive increases of 10% and 20% in health insurance amid the public healthcare crisis. Insurers are raising premiums due to increased costs and because they are expanding their profit margins. They see increasingly loyal customers and are squeezing prices.

Biomedicine

  • It’s time to give more respect to the ovaries. Recent research shows that the ovary is almost as important as the egg for fertility (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/27/health/eggs-ovaries-fertility-aging.html)
  • Thousands of volunteers are needed for an experiment that aims to save millions of lives. The National Center for Cardiovascular Research will analyze the inside of the arteries of 8,000 people in Spain to try to find a cure for deadly atherosclerosis (https://elpais.com/ciencia/2025-12-27/se-buscan-miles-de-voluntarios-para-un-experimento-que-pretende-salvar-millones-de-vidas.html)
  • New and better “ozempics.” The revolution in obesity medications has only just begun: new molecules are already being researched, and an oral treatment is about to be released (https://elpais.com/eps/2025-12-27/nuevos-ozempics-y-mejores.html)
  • Cardiologists warn that any type of nicotine consumption harms the heart and blood vessels. Whether it’s through a vaporizer, bags, shisha, or cigarettes, nicotine is toxic to the heart and blood vessels. This is the conclusion of the expert consensus report published in the European Heart Journal, the journal of the European Society of Cardiology (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2025/12/27/694fa03ae85ece8c5d8b457a.html)
  • The genetic Manhattan Project: several companies want to modify embryos and pave the way for designer babies. Biotechnology companies Manhattan Genomics and Preventive are studying how to create genetically edited babies, an objective that challenges ethical boundaries and represents “opening Pandora’s box,” according to experts (https://www.eldiario.es/sociedad/proyecto-manhattan-genetico-empresas-quieren-modificar-embriones-abrir-camino-bebes-carta_1_12865776.html)

Global Health

International Health Policy

  • USA
    • Ultra-processed food manufacturers have a response to RFK, Jr. Manufacturers say the health secretary’s policies will raise the price of food (https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/25/ultraprocessed-food-rfk-affordability-maha-00692808)
    • Jeffries says Obamacare subsidy extension will pass with a bipartisan majority. The Democratic leader of the House expects a yes vote despite opposition from some Republicans (https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/21/hakeem-jeffries-obamacare-subsidy-extension-00702216)
  • United Kingdom
    • Is the NHS the loser in the US-UK drug deal? Experts say the recent US-UK drug deal will be a catastrophe for the NHS and will open the door to inequities (https://www.bmj.com/content/391/bmj.r2678)
  • France
    • Hospital fees remain stable, causing concern in hospitals. According to the government, hospital fees will remain unchanged next year, which the sector views as a cost-cutting measure (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2025/12/26/budget-des-tarifs-hospitaliers-stables-qui-provoquent-l-inquietude-des-hopitaux_6659500_3224.html)

National Health Policy

  • Central Government Initiatives
    • The Ministry of Health is making progress in the final review of comments on the Medicines Act. Dubbed by the Ministry of Health as a “strategic piece to modernize the pharmaceutical ecosystem and ensure the sustainability of the National Health System,” it is one step away from beginning its parliamentary process (https://www.consalud.es/industria/recta-final-para-la-ley-del-medicamento-sanidad-continua-con-el-analisis-de-las-alegaciones.html)
    • The State Public Health Agency will choose its headquarters from among nine candidate cities. The government aims to have the agency fully operational between January and May 2026, a goal that has been reinforced following the official publication of the evaluation criteria and participation requirements in the Official State Gazette (BOE) (https://www.consalud.es/politica/la-aesap-conocera-su-sede-este-2026-hasta-9-ciudades-podrian-entrar-en-la-carrera.html)
    • The latest irregularity by the Ministry of Health could lead to the annulment of the 2026 MIR (Medical Residency Exam). Mónica García’s ministry appointed the evaluation committees before publishing the final list of admitted candidates, an illegal sequence that, added to previous errors, gives the challenge a solid legal basis. (https://www.larazon.es/sociedad/ultima-irregularidad-sanidad-puede-causar-nulidad-mir-2026_20251227694f3feeaf09df501094b697.html)
  • Initiatives of the Autonomous Communities
    • Madrid, Barcelona, ​​and Valencia are vying to host the national headquarters for advanced therapies (CERTERA). The goal of CERTERA is to provide Spain with a coordinated scientific infrastructure to promote cutting-edge treatments for complex diseases, such as CAR-T cell therapies. (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20251223/madrid-barcelona-valencia-postulan-candidatas-alojar-sede-nacional-terapias-avanzadas/1003744068284_0.html)
    • The Valencian Community is “making progress” in the liquidation of concessions. The audit office emphasizes that “the concession holders filed lawsuits before the administrative courts against practically all previous agreements and liquidations” by the Health Department. However, the courts ruled in favor of the Administration (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/c-valenciana-sanidad-avanza-liquidacion-concesiones.html)
    • Asturias mobilizes 3.6 million to promote AI in medical diagnosis (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/asturias/asturias-moviliza-3-6-millones-para-impulsar-la-ia-en-el-diagnostico-medico-1036)
    • The HUCA (Central University Hospital of Asturias) will have a rare diseases unit. The project involves adapting a 278 m2 space, which will include a day hospital (https://www.lne.es/oviedo/2025/12/27/tres-empresas-optan-obra-unidad-125165475.html)
  • Framework Statute
    • CESM and SMA denounce that the draft Framework Statute is “against doctors”. The Spanish Confederation of Medical Unions and the Andalusian Medical Union have issued a statement clearly rejecting the draft of the Framework Statute that the Ministry of Health sent on December 20 (https://www.consalud.es/profesionales/cesm-y-sma-denuncian-que-el-borrador-de-estatuto-marco-esta-contra-el-medico.html)
  • Euthanasia
    • 426 people died by euthanasia in Spain in 2024. The most frequent underlying illnesses among those requesting the procedure were neurological (32.51%) and oncological (29.71%) (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2025/12/23/694a652dfdddff3f4f8b4573.html)
  • MUFACE
    • The future of MUFACE after having been on the verge of perishing. The mutual insurance system’s future is only guaranteed until 2027. Meanwhile, the Government admits that changes are necessary to guarantee its future (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20251227/horizonte-muface-punto-perecer-reinventarse-morir/1003744065365_0.html)

Companies

  • International
    • Ipsen acquires exclusive worldwide rights to an anticancer drug from the Chinese laboratory Simcere Zaiming (https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2025/12/22/ipsen-rachete-au-laboratoire-chinois-simcere-zaiming-les-droits-mondiaux-exclusifs-sur-un-medicament-anticancereux_6659099_3234.html)
    • Novo Nordisk leads the gains in Europe after the US approves the obesity pill. The stock jumps almost 8% on the stock exchange this Tuesday. Wegovy is the first GLP-1 oral therapy authorized for weight management (https://www.eleconomista.es/mercados-cotizaciones/noticias/13703781/12/25/novo-nordisk-lidera-las-subidas-en-europa-despues-de-que-eeuu-apruebe-su-pildora-contra-la-obesidad.html)
    • Sanofi launches a $2 billion takeover bid for Dynavax, a hepatitis B vaccine manufacturer. Sanofi, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, has announced it will launch a takeover bid to acquire the US firm Dynavax, known for its hepatitis B vaccine. (https://www.expansion.com/empresas/2025/12/24/694bcff9468aeb00568b458b.html)
    • Pharmaceutical companies look to China to find their new blockbusters. Western pharmaceutical companies are turning to the Asian giant, which has reduced R&D times, at a time when the patents on their drugs are nearing expiration (https://www.expansion.com/empresas/industria/2025/12/26/694db544468aebb7488b4585.html)
  • National
    • Massive increases of 10% and 20% in health insurance amidst the public healthcare crisis. Insurers are raising premiums due to increased costs and because they are expanding their profit margins. They see increasingly loyal customers and are squeezing prices (https://www.elconfidencial.com/empresas/2025-12-26/seguro-salud-subidas-precio-poliza-sanidad-publica_4274263/)
    • Almirall sues Indian generics giant Sun Pharma over a €250 million patent (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud-bienestar/noticias/13703024/12/25/almirall-demanda-al-gigante-indio-de-los-genericos-sun-pharma-por-una-patente-de-250-millones.html)
    • Grifols will address the repurchase of the Scranton centers in 2026 for more than 500 million (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud-bienestar/noticias/13704691/12/25/grifols-abordara-en-2026-la-recompra-de-los-centros-de-scranton-por-mas-de-500-millones.html)

This post is also available in: Spanish