7 days in healthcare (February 17th-23th, 2025)

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Summary

The most impactful news in health this week were:

  • Biomedicine: RedETS puts a stop to enthusiasm for proton therapy
  • Global health: The environment surpasses genetics in importance in predicting longevity
  • International health policy: Agreement between the NHS and the independent sector to address the waiting list and give patients more choice.
  • National health policy. Adeslas returns to MUFACE, saving the model.
  • Companies: The drugs that will become stars in 2023: obesity, cancer, dermatitis.

Biomedicine

  • Stop to enthusiasm for proton therapy. A report by RedETS, prepared by the Catalan Agency for Quality and Health Assessment (Aquas), concludes that the certainty of the evidence on the efficacy of proton therapy in cancer is low or very low, which prevents recommending its widespread use compared to conventional radiotherapy.
  • Gene therapy in congenital blindness and deafness. Advances in this field published in The Lancet.

Global Health

  • Environment and lifestyle are more important than genetics. Environment outweighs genetics in predicting longevity. The study highlights lifestyles as more closely related to premature death and disease than genetics.
  • Life expectancy in Europeans is no longer growing as it used to. The increase in obesity and overweight and the consumption of alcohol and tobacco are among the factors that explain the trend.

International health policy

  • The development of medicines in China is surprising. Its companies are at the forefront of cheaper and faster medicines. The Chinese government identified biotechnology as a priority twenty years ago.
  • The British government signs an agreement with the independent health sector to address waiting lists. Agreement between the NHS and the independent sector to address the waiting list and give patients more choice. A similar agreement would be good for Spain, at a national level or in some autonomous community. National Health Policy (Spain)
  • Adeslas will submit its bid for the MUFACE tender, thereby saving the model, thanks to the negotiating capacity of Adeslas and ASISA and the government’s desire to make the continuity of the model possible. The role of CSIF in the solution has been important.
  • Catalonia wants to maintain preferential health agreement with consortia and the non-profit sector. This seems to be deduced from the unfortunate statements of the Minister when she says that in this way they will avoid “vulture funds”. She would have to explain to us what she means by “vulture funds”. The exclusion of the profit-making sector from health agreement in Catalonia is not new and is something of great tradition, which now seems to be reinforced.

Companies

  • International
    • Star drugs in 2030: obesity, cancer, dermatitis
  • National
    • ASISA, record billing for premiums in 2024. 4.3% more than the previous year.

Biomedicine

  • Gene therapies in eyes and ears. Advances in gene therapy for congenital blindness and deafness (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)00339-3/fulltext)
  • An AI is capable of diagnosing diseases of the immune system. According to a study published in Science, a tool is presented capable of accurately diagnosing immune disorders, viral infections and responses to vaccines (https://www.abc.es/salud/enfermedades/ia-capaz-diagnosticar-enfermedades-sistema-inmune-20250220133706-nt.html)
  • Mariano Barbacid: Chemotherapy is a thing of the past, it has not advanced in years. Personalized medicine is the future (https://www.alimente.elconfidencial.com/bienestar/2025-02-19/podcast-farma-fin-cancer-quimioterapia_4066615/)
  • What does DeepSeek mean for healthcare? (https://www.healthcare.digital/single-post/deepseek-what-does-deepseek-r1-mean-for-healthtech)
  • The RedETS puts the brakes on enthusiasm for proton therapy. A report by the RedETS, prepared by the Agency for Quality and Health Assessment of Catalonia (Aquas), concludes that the certainty of the evidence on the efficacy of proton therapy in cancer is low or very low, which prevents its widespread use from being recommended compared to conventional radiotherapy, after analyzing 77 studies. Lack of double-blind studies, Most of the works are observational studies (https://diariofarma.com/2025/02/17/la-redets-pone-freno-al-entusiasmo-por-la-protonterapia-la-evidencia-es-debil). Access to the original article: https://aquas.gencat.cat/web/.content/minisite/aquas/publicacions/2024/protonterapia-tratamiento-cancer-redets-aquas2024.pdf

Global Health

  • The environment surpasses genetics in importance in predicting longevity. The study highlights lifestyles as more related to premature death and disease than genetic load (https://www.ft.com/content/5b5ed942-ff10-4fb9-adf7-f8f1e7d9a478). Access to the original article in Nature Medicine: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03483-9
  • Life expectancy in Europeans is no longer increasing as it used to. The increase in obesity and overweight and the consumption of alcohol and tobacco are among the factors that explain the trend (https://elpais.com/ciencia/2025-02-18/la-esperanza-de-vida-de-los-europeos-ya-no-crece-como-antes.html). Access to the original article in The Lancet Public Health: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(25)00009-X/fulltext
  • Who will fill the gap caused by the US’ withdrawal from international aid? In theory, China and Western countries, but this aid is also decreasing. Philanthropic organizations say they cannot fill that gap (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/22/health/usaid-who-trump-china.html)

International Health Policy

  • USA
    • How the Trump Administration wants to remake American science. Cuts to all public research-related institutions are intense and will impact the entire world (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/02/19/how-the-trump-administration-wants-to-reshape-american-science)
    • Layoffs at the FDA decimated teams reviewing AI and food safety (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/21/health/fda-trump-layoffs-device-and-food-safety.html)
  • China
    • Not just AI, Chinese drugs are taking the world by storm. Their firms are at the forefront of cheaper and faster drugs. The Chinese government identified biotechnology as a priority twenty years ago (https://www.economist.com/business/2025/02/16/its-not-just-ai-chinas-medicines-are-surprising-the-world-too)
  • UK and the National Health Service
    • Deal between the NHS and the independent sector to tackle waiting lists and give patients more choice (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/deal-between-nhs-and-independent-sector-to-cut-nhs-waiting-lists)
    • NHS document on waiting lists and elective surgery (https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/reforming-elective-care-for-patients.pdf)
  • Denmark
    • Reform of community pharmacies in primary care in Denmark. The agreement is for 2025-2026, (https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/monitors/health-systems-monitor/updates/hspm/denmark-2024/new-agreement-on-strengthening-the-role-of-pharmacies-in-primary-healthcare)

National health policy

  • Central administration
    • The Public Health Agency is awaiting approval with its headquarters still up in the air (https://www.consalud.es/politica/agencia-estatal-salud-publica-aguarda-su-aprobacion-mantiene-incertidumbre-sobre-su-sede_155056_102.html)
    • The PSOE rescues the possibility of partial retirement up to 72 years of age in public health (https://www.consalud.es/politica/psoe-rescata-posibilidad-jubilacion-parcial-hasta-72-ano-en-sanidad-publica_155034_102.html)
  • Initiatives and news from the autonomous communities
    • The bioregion of Catalonia consolidates its strength in innovation and advanced therapies. According to the report, the Catalan health and innovation ecosystem reaches 44.8 billion euros in turnover and generates 17,500 new jobs. The report highlights its international appeal and the rise of advanced therapies. (https://diariofarma.com/2025/02/17/bioregion-2024-cataluna-consolida-su-fortaleza-en-innovacion-y-terapias-avanzadas). Catalan Bioregion Report 2024 (https://report.biocat.cat)
    • Catalonia adapts the concerted health system to avoid vulture funds (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/cataluna/cataluna-idea-una-sanidad-concertada-mas-agil-y-alejada-de-fondos-buitre–6882)
    • The Catalan government plans a health management law (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/gobierno-catalan-proyecta-ley-gestion-sanitaria.html)
    • The Canary Islands begin work to set up the Las Palmas Research Unit (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/canarias/canarias-inicia-trabajos-poner-marcha-unidad-investigacion-clinica-palmas_154924_102.html)
    • Madrid will collaborate with the NHS in digital transformation (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/madrid-colaborara-nhs-transformacion-digital.html)
  • MUFACE
    • Adeslas returns to MUFACE (https://elpais.com/economia/2025-02-20/adeslas-vuelve-a-muface-y-pone-asi-punto-final-al-culebron-de-la-mutualidad.html)
  • Framework Statute
    • Reasons why doctors demand their own Statute (https://www.consalud.es/profesionales/medicina/por-medicos-defienden-estatuto-marco-propio-estas-son-sus-razones_154894_102.html)
  • Drug prospectus
    • Doctors, pharmacists and patients demand that the paper drug prospectus be maintained (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-02-19/medicos-farmaceuticos-consumidores-pacientes-y-mayores-exigen-que-se-mantenga-el-prospecto-en-papel-de-los-medicamentos.html)

Companies

  • International news
    • GSK tries to convince the market that it can meet its pipeline plan (https://www.ft.com/content/67b15531-f7d3-4e60-b94d-80e9816a090b)
    • Star drugs Ozempic and Wegovy were responsible for 63.4% of NovoNordisk’s sales in 2024 (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20250218/medicamentos-estrella-ozempic-wegovy-responsables-ventas-novo-nordisk/923657931_0.html)
    • The drugs that will become stars in 2030, from obesity to cancer(https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20250223/medicamentos-convertiran-superventas-obesidad-cancer/925907479_0.html)

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