7 days in healthcare (July 7th-13th, 2025)

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Summary

The most impactful health news of the week were:

  • Biomedicine: Cancer vaccines and the important role of immunotherapy.
  • Global health: Plastic pollution is increasing, requiring an ambitious UN Treaty to curb it.
  • International health policy: Dentists fight RFK Jr. over fluoride.
  • National health policy: Feijóo believes the main healthcare problem is the lack of doctors. A blatant error.
  • Business: HM Hospitals increases its turnover by 160% and has opened 16 hospitals in the last ten years.

Biomedicine

  • Cancer vaccines and the future of immunotherapy. Vaccines have a major impact on the control of infectious diseases, most recently with COVID-19, as well as prophylactic vaccines for cancers related to certain pathogens. More recently, their use to modify the immune system, for example against melanoma and pancreatic cancer, has been envisioned. In macrometastasis, vaccines have induced regression in advanced stages of lung cancer, breast cancer, and lymphoma.
  • Could hormones help treat certain forms of anxiety and depression? Conventional medications for these diseases don’t work in many cases. One promising area is hormone therapy. The idea is to increase the levels of existing hormones in patients’ bodies.
  • Psychiatric medication needs innovation. Half of patients with depression don’t improve with antidepressants or antipsychotics. Most of the medications used have the same targets as in the 1960s. New developments are needed, although this is an area fraught with risk for investors.

Global Health

  • Plastic pollution is growing, requiring the UN Treaty to curb it to be ambitious. Negotiations resume in Switzerland next month. Most plastics are single-use, and less than 10% are recycled.

International Health Policy

  • Healthcare spending in the US will reach 20.3% of GDP in 2033 (i.e., it will continue to grow above GDP). Healthcare spending projections for the 2024-2033 period in the US. Spending projections in the US are for growth of 5.8% annually in the 2024-2033 period, above GDP growth (4.3%, on average), which would reach a GDP percentage of 20.3% in 2033, compared to 17.6% in 2023. And all this, despite the decline in health insurance coverage.
  • Dentists are fighting RFK Jr. over fluoride. Some Republican states like Utah and Florida have already banned fluoride in water, considered by the CDC to be one of the greatest health achievements of the 20th century. Another RFK Jr. blunder, with difficult-to-calculate but serious effects.

National Health Policy (Spain)

  • Feijóo’s verbatim statement at the PP National Congress: “We need doctors in Spain, and no one can champion public services without addressing the main shortcoming of the Welfare State.” All this, despite the fact that Spain is one of the OECD and EU countries with the highest ratio of doctors per 100,000 inhabitants. A blatant error. In Spain, we do not have a global shortage of doctors; what we have is a lack of attraction for Primary Care; problems in areas that are difficult to cover; shortages in certain specialties, as a result of a lack of planning; and a pending discussion about what doctors do in relation to other professions (nurses, administrative clinical assistants, etc.). By the way, according to the “10-Year Health Plan for England,” released on July 3, fewer staff are expected by 2035 than the “Long Term NHS Workforce Plan” of 2023. The new digital environment and new professional interactions must be taken into account. We knew that the Spanish Ministry of Health lacks a policy, which it replaces with isolated and sometimes contradictory or negative actions, but we see that the PP opposition is not much better equipped on this issue. And, in that case, it is a civic duty to say so.

Companies

  • International
    • Pharmaceutical companies ignore the threat of tariffs on the stock market. Pharmaceutical stocks show little reaction to Donald Trump’s latest announcement to impose 200% tariffs on the sector.
  • National
    • HM Hospitals increases its turnover by 160% and has opened 16 hospitals in the last ten years.

Biomedicine

  • Cancer vaccines and the future of immunotherapy. Vaccines have a major impact on the control of infectious diseases, most recently with COVID-19, as well as prophylactic vaccines for cancers related to some pathogens. More recently, their use is being envisioned to modify the immune system, for example against melanoma and pancreatic cancer. In macrometastasis, vaccines have induced regression in advanced stages of lung cancer, breast cancer, and lymphoma (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)00553-7/abstract)
  • Editorial in The Economist: Could hormones help treat certain forms of anxiety and depression? Conventional medications for these diseases do not work in many cases. One promising area is hormone therapy. The idea is to increase the levels of existing hormones in patients’ bodies (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/07/10/could-hormones-help-treat-some-forms-of-anxiety-and-depression)
  • Brain aging is the best predictor of longevity, scientists say. The biological age of the brain plays a greater role in determining life expectancy than the biological age of muscles, heart, lungs, arteries, kidneys, pancreas, or the immune system (https://www.ft.com/content/06e6f310-ba2b-4e7b-a4ce-0a3d092450c4)
  • Psychiatric medication needs innovation. Half of patients with depression do not improve with antidepressants or antipsychotics. Most of the drugs used have the same targets as in the 1960s. New developments are needed, although this is a risky area for investors (https://www.ft.com/content/e9ec21e8-7bdc-4a47-9b5d-1c3a6e192df7)
  • This bacterium (Helicobacter pylori) will cause 11 million cases of gastric cancer in the coming years. 15.6 million people born between 2008 and 2017 worldwide will develop gastric cancer at some point in their lives, and 76% of these tumors—about 11 million—will be linked to a specific pathogen (https://www.ees/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2025/07/07/686bd6bafc6c83f9108b4594.html)
  • A robot shows that machines may one day replace human surgeons (https://elpais.com/salud-y-bienestar/2025-07-09/un-robot-muestra-que-algun-dia-las-maquinas-pueden-sustituir-a-los-cirujanos-humanos.html)

Global Health

  • Nature Editorial: Plastic pollution is growing, requiring an ambitious UN Treaty to curb it. Negotiations resume in Switzerland next month. Most plastics are single-use, and less than 10% are recycled (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02064-1)
  • The WHO is warning globally of the resurgence of diseases that were once feared. It has published global guidelines for the clinical management of arboviruses, such as dengue, Zika virus, and yellow fever. Although these pathogens transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes were limited to tropical and subtropical climates, their outbreaks are spreading as a result of climate change, population growth, increased travel and urbanization (https://www.eleconomista.es/actualidad/noticias/13457719/07/25/la-oms-advierte-a-nivel-mundial-de-la-reaparicion-de-unas-enfermedades-muy-temidas-del-pasado.html)

International Health Policy

  • USA
    • Healthcare Spending Projections 2024-2033 in the USA. Spending projections in the USA predict annual growth of 5.8% in the period 2024-2033, above GDP growth (4.3% on average), which would reach a GDP percentage of 20.3% in 2033, compared to 17.6% in 2023. And all this, despite the decline in health insurance coverage (https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2025.00545)
    • Dentists battle RFK Jr. over fluoride. Some Republican states like Utah and Florida have already banned fluoride in water, considered by the CDC to be one of the greatest health achievements of the 20th century (https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/10/rfk-jr-is-winning-on-fluoride-dentists-foresee-a-cavity-crisis-00445489)
    • The 2025 measles outbreak is the largest since 1992. Most cases are from Texas (https://www.ft.com/content/7de74912-04fd-4460-8c26-6df3185f9ad2)
  • China
    • Anti-obesity drugs made in China may drive the next wave of treatment. Although the Chinese initially limited themselves to imitating Western medicines, they are now rapidly innovating in this field (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01987-z)

National health policy

  • Central government initiatives
    • Historic restructuring of military healthcare. The Ministry of Defense’s decision introduces a new model within the military medical leadership, with direct implications for the military careers of dozens of healthcare professionals. Robles advocates for a European military healthcare corps to address future pandemics (https://www.consalud.es/profesionales/reestructuracion-historica-en-la-sanidad-militar-asi-afectara-a-la-carrera-del-cuerpo-de-sanitarios.html)
  • Autonomous community initiatives
    • Cantabria promotes the first European law to protect neuro-rights and brain data (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-07-09/cantabria-impulsa-la-primera-ley-europea-para-proteger-los-neuroderechos-y-los-datos-cerebrales.html)
  • Healthcare in Feijóo’s June 6 speech before the PP National Congress
    • Textual statement: There is a need for doctors in Spain, and no one can claim to champion public services without addressing the main shortcoming of the Welfare State. All this, despite the fact that Spain is one of the OECD and EU countries with the highest ratio of doctors per 100,000 inhabitants. A blatant error (https://www.pp.es/storage/2025/07/25.07.05-Discurso-Feijoo.pdf)
  • Heat wave
    • The heat wave Heat wave leaves 286 dead in Barcelona and 108 in Madrid (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2025/07/09/686d0e1be85eceea068b459e.html)
  • Laboratory Genetics Specialty
    • The General Council of Pharmaceutical Colleges opposes this specialty, considering that it would duplicate already established functions (https://www.farmaceuticos.com/noticias/el-consejo-general-de-colegios-farmaceuticos-se-opone-a-la-nueva-especialidad-de-genetica-de-laboratorio-por-considerar-que-duplicaria-funciones-ya-consolidadas/)
  • Farmaindustria Mental Health Report
    • Farmaindustria promotes a report on mental health coordinated by psychiatrist Celso Arango. Raise awareness in society, improve training, and coordination among all professionals Integrating pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments based on scientific evidence, and improving information and monitoring systems are among the main recommendations (https://www.farmaindustria.es/web/prensa/notas-de-prensa/2025/07/02/el-primer-informe-del-comite-de-expertos-para-la-salud-mental-impulsado-por-farmaindustria-presenta-20-propuestas-para-reforzar-la-atencion-y-mejorar-el-uso-de-los-psicofarmacos/). Access the report: https://www.farmaindustria.es/web/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/InformeSaludMental_Farmaindustria.pdf
  • New Healthcare Barometer
    • 53.9% of the population believes the healthcare system works well, and if they have used it, this figure rises to more than 80%. (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/barometro-sanitario-539-poblacion-cree-sistema-sanitario-funciona-han-usado-sube-mas-80.html). Access to the 2025 Health Barometer, First wave (April 2025), https://www.sanidad.gob.es/estadEstudios/estadisticas/BarometroSanitario/home_BS.htm

Companies

  • International
    • Merck reaches a $10 billion agreement to acquire Verona, a pharmaceutical company specializing in respiratory medications (https://www.ft.com/content/bf1c2253-15b3-426a-975d-15ddca1d84a5)
    • Novartis obtains approval for the first malaria drug for newborns (https://www.ft.com/content/71f07328-6414-4ddb-89bc-4ec700b7f839)
    • Medtronic records a 5% stock rise following important milestones in medical technology (https://www.consalud.es/salud35/economia/medtronic-registra-alza-bursatil-del-5-tras-importantes-hitos-en-tecnologia-medica.html)
    • Pharmaceutical companies ignore the threat of tariffs on the stock market. Pharmaceutical stocks show a positive trend. Little reaction to Donald Trump’s latest announcement to impose 200% tariffs on the sector. (https://www.expansion.com/economia/financial-times/2025/07/11/68703d47e5fdea93208b459c.html)
  • National News
    • Ribera Salud buys a surgical center in Slovakia (https://www.expansion.com/valencia/2025/07/09/686e34c7468aeb7c5d8b457d.html)
    • HM Hospitals increases its turnover by 160% and has opened 16 hospitals in the last ten years (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20250711/hm-hospitales-aumenta-facturacion-abierto-hospitales-ultimos-anos/1003743841939_0.html#:~:text=10%20years%2C%20HM%20Hospitales,de%20euros%20el%20año%20pasado.). Access to the HM 2024 Annual Report

This post is also available in: Spanish