7 days in healthcare (June 16th-22nd, 2025)

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Summary

The most impactful health news of the week were:

  • Biomedicine: People with severe diabetes are cured in trials with new drugs.
  • Global health: More than 13 million people in Africa may contract malaria due to cuts in American aid.
  • International health policy: The British Parliament approves both the decriminalization of abortion and the right to assisted dying for England and Wales.
  • National health policy: Congress approves the creation of the State Public Health Agency.
  • Business: HM Hospitals buys a plot of land in Malaga to build a large hospital.

Biomedicine

  • People with severe diabetes are cured in trials with new drugs. Most patients who received a stem cell infusion no longer needed insulin. The trial was conducted by the Vertex laboratory. Around 2 million people in the USA have type 1 diabetes.
  • The relationship between autism and the microbiota is discussed. It is unclear whether the observed alterations in the microbiota of autistic children are a cause or a consequence.

Global Health

  • More than 13 million people in Africa may contract malaria due to US aid cuts. A Lancet study demonstrates the potential impact of Trump’s plans to halve funding by 2025.
  • The response to MPOX: African leadership and global responsibility. On June 9, 2025, the WHO Director-General said that MPOX remains a public health emergency of international concern. The announcement coincides with an increase in cases in Sierra Leone and the emergence of cases in some new countries, such as Ethiopia. The African CDC is leading the efforts, yet the number of people vaccinated is only 10% of the target. This is a testament to post-COVID efforts in an era of collapsing multilateralism.

International Health Policy

  • Congress offers the first signs of resisting Trump’s plans to cut science budgets. A House of Representatives committee rejects cuts to agricultural research, and senators express doubts about cuts to the National Health Institutes and forestry research.
  • The Sanming model, reform of the Chinese healthcare system. The Chinese healthcare system has changed significantly since Mao Zedong’s death in 1976, moving from “barefoot doctors” with minimal training to a more institutional approach. The Sanming region has 22 hospitals and 15,000 doctors. It had a large healthcare deficit. After some reforms, it managed to move from deficit to surplus. Perhaps many of these reforms can be introduced in other parts of China.
  • Assisted dying, legal in England and Wales, after approval by Parliament. Terminally ill patients with less than six months of life expectancy will have the opportunity to choose their method of death, following medical and committee approval. MPs had a free vote, and Starmer voted in favor. The NHS will have four years to implement the measure. 
  • Parliamentarians vote in favor of decriminalizing abortion in England and Wales. This will prevent women from being investigated, arrested, prosecuted, and imprisoned for terminating their own pregnancies.
  • The EU escalates its tensions with China by vetoing large-scale public procurement of its medical supplies. Starting in July, the Union will ban purchases of more than five million medical devices from the Asian giant, unless there are no alternatives. Brussels launches its International Public Procurement Instrument, a new tool to defend EU positions in a context of escalating trade war.

National Health Policy (Spain)

  • Congress approves the creation of the State Public Health Agency. With votes against from the PP, Vox, and Junts, the law will now go to the Senate. An amendment is included to require that the appointment of the head of the Agency be made under the principles of equality, merit, and ability.
  • The Cantabria Health Plan 2025-2029 is presented, which includes six strategic lines. Among other things, the plan is to connect private healthcare with a clinical data gateway.
  • Restrictions on combining public and private practice in Asturias are being eased. Doctors who combine public and private healthcare will lose €391 instead of €1,026.

Companies

  • International
    • Lilly reaches an agreement to buy the gene-editing biotech company Verve.
  • National
    • HM Hospitals buys a plot of land in Malaga to build a large hospital.

Biomedicine

  • NEJM article: The role of pathobiology in contemporary medicine. This article discusses the lesser emphasis placed in American medical schools on basic medical sciences, and specifically on pathology. Pathology is frequently included in an organ-based approach to pathology, often taught by clinicians. This is considered negative, as many students lack adequate knowledge of basic medical sciences (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2414384).
  • People with severe diabetes are cured in trials with new drugs. Most patients who received a stem cell infusion no longer required insulin. The trial was conducted by the Vertex laboratory. Around 2 million people in the US have type 1 diabetes (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/20/health/diabetes-cure-insulin-stem-cell.html)
  • The relationship between autism and the microbiota is being discussed. It is unclear whether the alterations observed in the microbiota of autistic children are a cause or a consequence (https://elpais.com/ciencia/las-cientificas-responden/2025-06-21/esta-relacionado-el-autismo-con-la-microbiota.html)
  • They convert mouse cancer cells into healthy cells (https://www.abc.es/salud/enfermedades/convierten-celulas-cancerosas-ratones-celulas-sanas-20250616134146-nt.html#:~:text=Un%20equipo%20del%20Instituto%20Karolinska,representa%20una%20de%20las%20principales)

Global Health

  • The response to MPOX: African leadership and global responsibility. On June 9, 2025, the WHO Director-General stated that MPOX remains a public health emergency of international concern. The announcement coincides with a surge in cases in Sierra Leone and the emergence of cases in some new countries, such as Ethiopia. The Africa CDC is leading the efforts, yet the number of people vaccinated is only 10% of the target. This is a testament to the post-COVID efforts in an era of collapsing multilateralism (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01284-X/fulltext)
  • Children who report online addiction have worse mental health (https://www.ft.com/content/28097d95-f8da-4e0d-80fb-c4a9d7f65d20)
  • More than 13 million people in Africa are at risk of malaria due to US aid cuts. A Lancet study demonstrates the potential impact of Trump’s plans to halve funding by 2025 (https://www.ft.com/content/b5a1d178-6823-4227-8f2d-81a66edbd71e)
  • Children to suffer record levels of violence in conflict zones in 2024 (https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jun/20/violence-against-children-conflict-zones-un-report) Access the UN Secretary-General’s Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict: https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Secretary-General-Annual-Report-on-Children-and-Armed-Conflict-Covering-2024.pdf

International Health Policy

  • USA
    • Science Article: Congress shows first signs of resisting Trump’s plans to cut science budgets. A House committee rejects cuts to agricultural research, and senators express doubts about cuts to the National Health Institutes and forestry research (https://www.science.org/content/article/congress-shows-first-signs-resisting-trump-s-plans-slash-science-budgets)
    • Why Trump’s pro-natalist plans are ill-conceived. Many international attempts to encourage births have either failed or proven extraordinarily expensive (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2025/06/19/why-magas-pro-natalist-plans-are-ill-conceived)
    • The USA approves a new form of HIV prevention using a twice-yearly injectable treatment. The FDA gives the green light to lenacapavir, a semiannual injectable that prevents infection in almost 100% of cases (https://www.elmunes/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2025/06/19/6853430be4d4d806438b45a1.html)
  • China
    • The Sanming model, the reform of the Chinese healthcare system. The Chinese healthcare system has changed significantly since Mao Zedong’s death in 1976, moving from “barefoot doctors” with minimal training to a more institutional approach. The Sanming region has 22 hospitals and 15,000 doctors. It had a large healthcare deficit. After some reforms, it managed to go from deficit to surplus. Perhaps many of these reforms could be introduced elsewhere in China (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01285-1/fulltext)
  • United Kingdom
    • Assisted dying is legal in England and Wales, following parliamentary approval. Those with less than six months of life expectancy will have the opportunity to choose their method of death, following medical and committee approval. MPs had a free vote, and Starmer voted in favor. The NHS will have four years to implement the measure (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jun/20/assisted-dying-law-england-and-wales-bill-passed)
    • MPs vote to decriminalize abortion in England and Wales. This will prevent women from being investigated, arrested, prosecuted, and imprisoned for terminating their own pregnancies (https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/jun/17/decriminalisation-abortion-vote-mps)
    • All children in England will have a DNA test to assess their risk of disease over the next 10 years. Newborns will undergo genomic sequencing to enable personalized medicine and prevent disease (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/jun/20/all-babies-in-england-to-get-dna-test-to-assess-risk-of-diseases-within-10-years)
    • Air pollution kills more than 500 people a week (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jun/19/uk-toxic-air-killing-people-doctors-warn)
    • Britain’s new way of demoralizing doctors. The system for assigning top positions to British doctors has gone from an exam to a kind of lottery. This was introduced by the NHS in 2024, using a computerized priority system, something strongly opposed by the British Medical Association (https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/06/13/britains-newest-way-of-demoralizing-doctors)
  • European Union
    • The EU escalates the tension with China by vetoing large public purchases of its medical supplies. Starting in July, the Union will ban purchases of more than five million medical devices from the Asian giant, unless there are no alternatives. Brussels launches its International Public Procurement Instrument, a new tool to defend EU positions in a context of escalating trade war. (https://elpais.com/economia/2025-06-20/la-ue-eleva-el-pulso-con-china-al-vetar-las-grandes-compras-publicas-de-su-material-sanitario.html)
    • A large European study detects the toxoplasmosis parasite in one in every 25 bagged salads (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-06-17/un-gran-estudio-europeo-detecta-el-parasito-de-la-toxoplasmosis-en-una-de-cada-25-ensaladas-en-bolsa.html)
    • Europe advances in prescribing “climate-responsible” inhalers (https://www.consalud.es/politica/europa-prescripcion-inhaladores-climaticamente-responsables.html)
    • EPSCO (Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumers Council) reaffirms its support for the pharmaceutical reform and the Critical Medicines Law. The health ministers insist on a “balanced approach” to the pharmaceutical package (https://diaricom/2025/06/21/epsco-reafirma-el-apoyo-a-la-reforma-farmaceutica-y-ley-de-medicamentos-criticos)

National Health Policy

  • Central Administration Initiatives
    • Congress approves the creation of the State Public Health Agency. The PP, Vox, and Junts voted against it. The law will now have to go to the Senate. An amendment is included so that the appointment of the person in charge of the Agency’s management will be made under the principles of equality, merit, and ability. (https://www.elconfidencial.com/salud/2025-06-19/aprobada-la-creacion-de-agencia-de-salud-publica_4154866/)
    • The Ministry accelerates the negotiation of the Framework Statute (https://www.consalud.es/politica/sanidad-acelera-en-la-negociacion-del-estatuto-marco-hasta-cinco-reuniones-antes-de-finalizar-julio.html)
  • Autonomous community initiatives
    • The Valdecilla proton therapy will be launched in early 2027 (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/cantabria/protonterapia-valdecilla-marcha-primeros-2027.html)
    • The Cantabria Health Plan 2025-2029 is being presented, which includes six strategic lines. Among other things, it proposes connecting private healthcare with a clinical data gateway. (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/cantabria/cantabria-conectara-a-la-sanidad-privada-con-una-pasarela-de-datos-clinicos-6638). Access to the Cantabria Health Plan: https://www.scsalud.es/documents/20117/200245/Plan%20Salud%20Cantabria%202025-2029.pdf/59ed1418-4fb8-81af-ee4f-0b14750ae83d
    • Doctors who combine public and private healthcare in Asturias will go from losing 1,026 euros to 391 euros. (https://www.elcomercio.es/asturias/medicos-asturias-sanidad-publica-privada-perdida-sueldo-20250620204235-nt.html#:~:text=El%20Gobierno%20autonómico%2C%20que%20durante,de%20percibir%201.026%20euros%20mensuales.)
  • Waiting lists
    • The private sector collaborates with the regional governments against waiting lists. ASPE proposes modernizing collaboration methods (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/privada/la-privada-redirige-su-colaboracion-a-las-ccaa-contra-las-listas-de-espera-5576)
  • SEMERGEN
    • Semergen presents an innovation project to transform primary care from the bottom up. The roadmap will be presented in October at the Granada Congress (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/profesion/semergen-presenta-proyecto-innovacion-transformar-ap-abajo.html)

Companies

  • International
    • Lilly reaches an agreement to acquire the gene-editing biotech company Verve (https://www.ft.com/content/53d021c9-d15f-4471-86ef-e9abfc3ae7db)
    • NovoNordisk’s new drug could beat the weight-loss market leaders (https://www.ft.com/content/d39efa0a-d63d-418c-8208-3bfb1614b9fa)

This post is also available in: Spanish