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

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Summary

The week’s most impactful health news stories were:

  • Biomedicine: How to improve humans, an activity that should not be left to eccentrics.
  • Global Health: A story of “geopolitical vandalism,” the freezing of USAID activities.
  • International Health Policy: American universities warn of the danger to innovation in the US as a result of cuts.
  • National Health Policy: The State Public Health Agency rejected by Congress.
  • Business: Microsoft continues its efforts to have AI simulate brain reasoning.

Biomedicine

  • How to improve humans. Finding ways to live longer should not be left to eccentrics. The idea that medicine should be involved in improving the body, not just curing diseases, is gaining ground. This requires regulatory changes to guide clinical trials in this direction.
  • Do viruses trigger Alzheimer’s? Until now, it was believed that Alzheimer’s was caused by amyloid plaques in the brain. But several studies are demonstrating a possible relationship between Alzheimer’s and the herpes virus. The viral theory offers promise for treatment.
  • Psychotropic drugs: 50 years of stagnation? While treatments for cancer and heart disease have advanced, psychiatry continues to use, with some variations, the same mechanisms of action discovered more than half a century ago with antipsychotics and antidepressants.

Global Healthecare

  • The closure of USAID: “political vandalism.” After USAID, what will happen in Africa? The closure of this agency means the end of 90% of the 6,300 projects and can be considered a form of “geopolitical vandalism,” since the decision was made overnight and without consultation with African governments, non-governmental organizations, or the millions of people who depend on USAID. This forces Africa to take the lead in public health actions.
  • Malaria mapping: progress and challenges. The recent WHO annual report on malaria estimates that there were 263 million cases and 597,000 deaths from malaria in 2023. Cases have increased by 11 million compared to 2022, but deaths have stabilized. Ninety-five percent of deaths occurred in the African region, and three-quarters of them were in children. The recent Global Burden of Malaria study analyzes the period from 2000 to 2022 and presents high-resolution maps on the evolution of malaria. Malaria remains a serious public health problem and is a preventable and avoidable morbidity and mortality issue.

International Health Policy

  • Universities warn of the danger to innovation in the US as a result of cuts.. This threatens one of the US’s clearest competitive advantages: with 4% of the population, it has 25% of the world’s GDP and 62% of the most prestigious universities according to recognized rankings.
  • Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE reform of the Veterans Administration have thrown the mental health system into chaos. A disastrous restructuring threatens to degrade services for veterans of wars such as Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
  • Starmer unveils drastic cuts to benefits for the disabled, despite opposition from the Labour Party itself and economists. The measures could affect people who need help with personal hygiene, meal preparation, or who have forgotten how to use the toilet. The government doesn’t link this to the economic crisis, but rather says it’s a “moral obligation” to tweak these benefits.

National Health Policy (Spain)

  • Congress rejects the State Agency for Public Health. Although the corresponding complaints and calls for responsibility have been heard in recent days, there are objective reasons that must be analyzed for the rejection of this law: the government’s lack of a stable parliamentary majority; the reluctance of the pro-independence parties, always opposed to a state structure of this nature; Minister Garcia’s regrettable and incendiary speech and the lack of trust in the government regarding respect for independent bodies. The minister’s actions with the former spokesperson during COVID, Fernando Simón, didn’t help either. Nothing irreparable, but the fact that five years after COVID and following the recommendations of the Opinion of the Commission for Social and Economic Reconstruction, we don’t have a prestigious and independent State Public Health Agency is a serious failure of the government.
  • Catalonia: 27 primary care teams will be “Comprehensive Reference Health Centers” and will have greater autonomy and management capacity. These centers will be launched as a pilot project and participation will be voluntary.
  • Catalonia plans its Secondary Data Access Office.

Companies

  • International
    • Microsoft continues its efforts to enable AI to simulate brain reasoning, partnering with a Swiss startup with experience in research.
  • National
    • Investment in nursing homes is increasing, reaching 317 million in 2024 and expected to exceed this figure in 2025.

Biomedicine

  • How to enhance humans. Finding ways to live longer should not be left to the eccentric. The idea that medicine should be involved in improving the body, not just curing diseases, is gaining ground. This requires regulatory changes to guide clinical trials in this direction. https://www.economist.com/leaders/2025/03/20/how-to-enhance-humans
  • Do viruses trigger Alzheimer’s? Until now, it was believed that Alzheimer’s was caused by amyloid plaques in the brain. But several studies are demonstrating a possible relationship between Alzheimer’s and the herpes virus. Viral theory offers promise for treatment https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/03/17/do-viruses-trigger-alzheimers
  • Vaccines save lives. Leaders must protect them. Measles had been declared extinct by the WHO in 82 countries. Now it is making a comeback and is on the rise worldwide. In 2023, 57 countries experienced outbreaks, coinciding with a decline in vaccination. These are why Robert J. Kennedy Jr.’s misleading messages are serious when he recommends cod liver oil or vitamin A as useful supplements to treat the disease, while hindering vaccine research. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00789-7
  • Type 2 diabetes increases the risk of liver and pancreatic cancer. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/22/type-2-diabetes-increases-risk-of-liver-and-pancreatic-cancers-study-shows
  • Dementia may not have always been the great threat it is today. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/22/health/dementia-rates-elderly.html
  • The polypill is back: could everyone over 50 be given a pill to prevent cardiovascular disease? Some recommend it for those over 50, saying it would save many lives and would be similar to vaccination, others are more skeptical https://elpais.com/salud-y-bienestar/2025-03-18/vuelve-la-polipildora-se-podria-dar-una-pastilla-a-todos-los-mayores-de-50-anos-para-prevenir-las-enfermedades-cardiovasculares.html, Access the BMJ article: https://www.bmj.com/content/388/bmj.r208
  • Psychotropic drugs: 50 years of stagnation? While treatments for cancer and heart disease have advanced, the same mechanisms of action discovered more than half a century ago with antipsychotics and antidepressants continue to be used in psychiatry, with some variations. https://elpais.com/salud-y-bienestar/2025-03-21/psicofarmacos-cincuenta-anos-de-estancamiento.html, Original article in The Lancet Psychiatry: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39952266/

Global Health

  • Malaria mapping: progress and challenges. The recent WHO annual report on malaria estimates that there were 263 million cases and 597,000 deaths from malaria in 2023. Cases have increased by 11 million compared to 2022, but deaths have stabilized. Ninety-five percent of deaths were in the African region, and three-quarters were in children. The recent Global Burden of Malaria study analyzes the period from 2000 to 2022 and presents high-resolution maps of the evolution of malaria. Malaria remains a serious public health problem and is a preventable and avoidable morbidity and mortality issue. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)00418-0/abstract?rss=yes. Access the base article: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)00038-8/fulltext?rss=yes
  • After USAID, what will happen in Africa? The closure of this agency means the end of 90% of the 6,300 projects and can be considered a form of “geopolitical vandalism,” since the decision was made overnight and without consultation with African governments, non-governmental organizations, or the millions of people who depend on USAID. This forces Africa to take the lead in public health actions https://www.bmj.com/content/388/bmj.r479
  • COP 30: Brazilian policies must change. The 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference will take place in the Brazilian Amazon in November 2025. A success of this policy would be to curb deforestation and reduce fossil fuel consumption. However, all of Brazil’s policies currently aim to increase consumption of these fuels https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adu9113
  • The WHO warns that “measles is back,” as the virus spreads in Europe, America, and Afghanistan https://www.bmj.com/content/388/bmj.r528

International Health Policy

  • USA
    • Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE are throwing the Veterans Administration’s mental health system into chaos. A disastrous restructuring threatens to degrade services for veterans of wars like Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/22/us/politics/veterans-affairs-mental-health-doge.html
    • Universities warn of the danger to innovation in the US as a result of the cuts. This threatens one of the USA’s clearest competitive advantages: with 4% of the population, it has 25% of the world’s GDP and 62% of the most prestigious universities, according to renowned rankings. https://www.ft.com/content/e5ae9e28-3823-4429-a144-af70c38f4bcb
    • How hospitals inflate the already gigantic American healthcare bill. Although drug spending and insurance companies are often blamed for the high cost of American healthcare, a third of total healthcare spending is on hospitals, which is three times as much as spending on drugs. Poorly designed incentives are at the root of this. Most hospitals charge on a fee-for-service basis, with opaque rates, and consolidation has made the situation worse. The presence of private equity firms as hospital owners is also seen as negative. There are signs that the Trump administration wants to address this problem: https://www.economist.com/business/2025/03/20/how-hospitals-inflate-americas-giant-health-care-bill
    • Five reasons why Republicans won’t cut Medicaid (too much): Medicaid is popular; it’s efficient; it improves health; it’s relatively cheap; and it helps all kinds of people https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/five-reasons-republicans-won-t-cut-medicaid-much
  • United Kingdom and the National Health Service
    • The closure of NHS England, which is met with great skepticism, despite acknowledging that the NHS needed reforms. Let’s see what the “10-year plan” holds, which will appear in May. Analysis by The Lancet: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)00550-1/abstract?rss=yes; analysis by the BMJ: https://www.bmj.com/content/388/bmj.r555;
    • The NHS finally agrees to share primary care clinical data for research. Clinical information will be placed on an OpenSAFELY platform, allowing researchers to analyze the data without seeing any patient-identifying information. https://www.bmj.com/content/388/bmj.r501
    • Research reveals UK dependence on doctors from “red list” countries, as well as drug shortages. https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/research-reveals-nhs-overreliance-on-doctors-from-red-list-countries-and-renewed-signs-of-widespread-medicines-shortages
    • Brexit is a major factor driving drug shortages in the UK, according to a report by the Nuffield Trust, with drugs for epilepsy and cystic fibrosis among them. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/22/brexit-key-factor-worst-uk-drug-shortages-in-four-years
    • Starmer unveils drastic cuts to disability benefits, despite opposition from the Labour Party itself and economists. The measures could affect people who need help with personal hygiene, meal preparation, or who forget how to use the toilet. The government doesn’t link this to the economic crisis, but says it’s a moral obligation to tweak these benefits https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/17/keir-starmer-to-unveil-drastic-disability-benefit-cuts-despite-opposition
    • Post-Brexit dependence on “red list” countries is unethical, according to the British health secretary. 9% of doctors working in the NHS are from “red list” countries (classified by the WHO as having a shortage of professionals, such as Nigeria, https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/21/post-brexit-reliance-on-nhs-staff-from-red-list-countries-is-unethical-streeting-says
  • France
    • Five years after Covid-19, teleworking has become a common practice; one in five private sector employees in France were using teleworking in 2024, https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2025/03/20/cinq-ans-apres-le-covid-19-campings-locations-de-maisons-et-toujours-plus-de-touristes-etrangers-le-nouveau-visage-du-tourisme_6583823_3234.html
  • Greece
    • Quality and Patient Safety Plan, 2025-2030, https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/monitors/health-systems-monitor/updates/hspm/greece-2017/national-strategy-for-quality-of-care-and-patient-safety-2025-2030

National health policy

  • Central administration
    • State Agency for Public Health: García’s intervention and the government’s weak parliamentary support led to the rejection of this initiative, https://diariofarma.com/2025/03/20/aesap-garcia’s-intervention-led-the-pp-to-reject-the-dictamen-que-aprobo-en-comision
    • The government is considering ways to bring the AESP back to Congress, https://www.consalud.es/politica/volvera-llevar-sanidad-agencia-estatal-salud-publica-congreso_156187_102.html
    • The Commonwealth law is still pending; the delay is due to the non-submission of the 2024 Budget Law, https://www.consalud.es/politica/ley-ela-sigue-pendiente-incapacidad-gobierno-sacar-adelante-presupuestos_156174_102.html
  • Initiatives and news from the autonomous communities
    • Catalonia: 27 Primary Care teams will be “Comprehensive Reference Health Centers,” with greater autonomy and management capacity. These centers will be launched as a pilot experience in voluntarily participating centers. https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/cataluna-27-equipos-ap-seran-centros-salud-integral-referencia.html
    • Catalonia: The government begins updating the Health Plan, https://diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/gobierno-catalan-inicia-actualizacion-plan-salud.html
    • Catalonia plans its Secondary Use Data Access Office, https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/cataluna-proyecta-oficina-acceso-datos-secundario.html
    • The SERMAS OPE (Service for the Promotion of Primary Care) will have a total of 6,757 places. https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/madrid/la-ope-2025-del-sermas-contara-con-6-757-plazas-en-total-2046
  • Private healthcare
    • Doctors are satisfied with their experience in private practice. 69% of doctors and 55% of nurses in private healthcare have rated their experience working in these centers with more than seven out of ten points. https://www.abc.es/salud/mayoria-medicos-valoran-positivamente-experiencia-trabajo-sanidad-20250320163351-nt.html. Access the original document from the IDIS Foundation: https://www.medicosypacientes.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Informe_EX_profesional_sanitario-c.pdf

Companies

  • International News
    • Abu Dhabi seeks to turn its DNA gold mine into a big business, https://www.ft.com/content/8eb374aa-1777-4940-a383-36de8dac7fd7
    • AstraZeneca to invest $2.5 billion in China, https://www.ft.com/content/3f1a9c29-2f69-4490-94d1-a990605a7b41
    • Microsoft continues its efforts to use AI to simulate brain reasoning, partnering with a Swiss startup with experience in neuroscience research https://www.ft.com/content/37e44758-04a6-450b-abe3-f51f1d7d972a
    • Temasek and Warburg Pincus intend to offer $5 billion for the healthcare company GHX, https://www.ft.com/content/2adc0736-98cc-4017-a870-83bcd9be63ab
    • These are the 10 best-sellers that will lose their American patent in 2025, https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/empresas/son-10-farmacos-superventas-pierden-patente-estadounidense-2025.html
    • Pfizer sells its stake in Haleon and ceases to be its main shareholder, https://www.consalud.es/salud35/internacional/pfizer-vende-su-participacion-en-haleon-por-2974-millones-deja-ser-su-mayor-accionista_156056_102.html