7 days in healthcare (March 9th-15th, 2026)

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Summary

The most impactful health news of the week included:

  • Biomedicine: Changing guidelines on high blood pressure.
  • Global health: Data control and sovereignty concerns lead African countries to reject agreements with the US.
  • International health policy: One-third of Americans have cut spending or resorted to debt for healthcare.
  • National health policy: The Council of Ministers approves the Royal Decree guaranteeing healthcare for undocumented migrants.
  • Companies: The FDA proposes eliminating PK clinical trials (pharmacokinetic tests) to expedite the development of biosimilars.

Biomedicine

  • Changing guidelines on high blood pressure. The trend is to lower the threshold for what is considered hypertension.
  • Certain cancers may be less frequent among vegetarians: prostate, breast, pancreatic, etc. A study in four countries demonstrates a lower risk of cancer in those who abstain from eating meat.
  • Breast cancer surgery can be less invasive without losing effectiveness. The study analyzed the evolution of axillary surgery in more than 17,300 breast cancer patients treated between 2010 and 2021 at 68 accredited centers across Europe.

Global Health

  • Data control and sovereignty concerns are leading African countries to reject agreements with the US being designed under the increasingly criticized America First Global Health Strategy (AFGHS).
  • The human consequences of Epic Fury. The health crisis in Iran and the surrounding Middle East is escalating rapidly, according to Hanan Balkhy, the WHO Regional Director for the Middle East.

International Health Policy

  • One-third of Americans have cut back on healthcare spending or taken out loans. Many Americans are making sacrifices in the face of rising healthcare costs.
  • UK-US agreement on drug prices. Ministers give NICE a role in approvals, despite reservations.

National Health Policy (Spain)

  • The Council of Ministers approves the Royal Decree guaranteeing healthcare for undocumented migrants. It appears the measure was improvised, without assessing the economic impact or the potential pull factor. According to this law, any relative of immigrants can come to Spain and seek medical treatment. It would be important to analyze comparative law to see if this is the case in other European countries. The People’s Party (PP) opposes this Royal Decree.
  • The Community of Madrid is the first autonomous community to support the creation of its own statute for physicians.

Companies

  • International
    • The FDA proposes eliminating PK clinical trials (pharmacokinetic tests) to expedite the development of biosimilars.
  • National
    • Dental visits are the biggest healthcare expense for Spanish families. According to the Spanish Consumers and Users Organization (OCU), households spend an average of €667 annually on dental expenses, making it the largest single healthcare expenditure in the country.

Biomedicine

  • Changing guidelines on high blood pressure. The trend is to lower the threshold for what is considered hypertension. (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/14/health/blood-pressure-guidelines-hypertension-dementia.html)
  • The battle for supremacy in weight loss shifts from injections to pills. Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy tablet offers the Danish manufacturer the opportunity to compete with Lilly (https://www.ft.com/content/6e805306-5195-40d5-b1a2-fe2700d7721b)
  • Certain cancers may be less common among vegetarians: prostate, breast, pancreatic, etc. A study conducted in four countries shows a lower risk of cancer in those who abstain from eating meat (https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2026/03/11/prostate-sein-pancreas-certains-cancers-seraient-moins-frequents-chez-les-vegetariens_6670539_3244.html)
  • Wegovy is associated with a higher risk of “eye stroke” than other anti-obesity drugs. An FDA adverse effects analysis reveals that the chances of developing ischemic optic neuropathy are five times higher with this drug than with Ozempic. All signs point to high doses (https://www.abc.es/salud/wegovy-asocia-mayor-riesgo-infarto-ocular-farmacos-20260310042620-nt.html)
  • Breast cancer surgery can be less invasive without losing effectiveness. The study analyzed the evolution of axillary surgery in more than 17,300 breast cancer patients treated between 2010 and 2021 in 68 accredited units across Europe (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2026/03/10/69b00b5621efa08e578b456e.html)
  • The solution to fertility problems may lie in the brain. The RANK protein acts as a key mediator in cell-to-cell communication (https://www.elconfidencial.com/salud/2026-03-12/relacion-celulas-cerebro-fertilidad_43)

Global Health

  • Global health in an era of US extraction, with the destruction of global health by 2025. The United States is targeting African countries with high-cost bilateral agreements. Extraction is a word Trump likes (https://www.bmj.com/content/392/bmj.s394?nbd_source=adestra&nbd=8fbb67008476fb2494c9dc673c1a59b833545ade97e59cd7efd9c117443308b8&uaa_id=8fbb67008476fb2494c9dc673c1a59b833545ade97e59cd7efd9c117443308b8&utm_campaign=This%20week%20in%20The%20BMJ%20-%20Fortnightly%20manual%20alert&utm_medium=email&utm_source=adestra)
  • Iran: WHO calls For the protection of healthcare workers. Healthcare workers and facilities are under fire in the Middle East conflict, warn health leaders and charities. (https://www.bmj.com/content/392/bmj.s445?nbd_source=adestra&nbd=8fbb67008476fb2494c9dc673c1a59b833545ade97e59cd7efd9c117443308b8&uaa_id=8fbb67008476fb2494c9dc673c1a59b833545ade97e59cd7efd9c117443308b8&utm_campaign=This%20week%20in%20The%20BMJ%20-%20Fortnightly%20manual%20alert&utm_medium=email&utm_source=adestra)
  • The human consequences of Epic Fury. The health crisis in Iran and the surrounding Middle East is escalating rapidly, according to Hanan Balkhy, the WHO Regional Director for the Middle East (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00497-6/fulltext).
  • Peace, let it come quickly. War is bad for health; how can we avoid a war that is being chosen? (https://www.bmj.com/content/392/bmj.s480)
  • Data control and sovereignty concerns are leading African countries to reject agreements with the US designed under the increasingly criticized American First Global Health Strategy (AFGHS) (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00509-X/fulltext)

International Health Policy

  • USA
    • A new wave of disruptors is trying to control American healthcare. American healthcare is very expensive and generates significant user dissatisfaction. This has led many large companies, such as Google, IBM, Amazon, and others, to experience major failures in trying to “fix” the system. In these changing times, AI is looking to play a role in this regard, and the ChapGPT is playing an increasingly important part (https://www.economist.com/business/2026/03/10/a-new-wave-of-disrupters-takes-on-american-health-care)
    • Two states (Vermont and Indiana) stand out for their soaring hospital prices. Since 2000, hospital prices have risen 250%, double the rate of healthcare spending and triple the rate of inflation (https://www.economist.com/united-states/2026/03/12/two-very-different-states-take-aim-at-soaring-hospital-prices)
    • One-third of Americans have cut back on healthcare spending or taken out loans. Many Americans are making sacrifices in the face of rising healthcare costs (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/health/health-costs-cutting-back.html)
    • The FDA opens the door to cigarettes with more flavors, such as mint, coffee, or tea, to attract more adults (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/09/health/fda-e-cigarettes-flavors.html)
    • A Trump memo attacks the Cuban doctors program. The US government is trying to hinder the Cuban doctors program abroad (https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/13/cuban-doctors-us-pressure-00827683)
  • United Kingdom
    • New deficits in NHS funding. Many of the trusts are in deficit, meaning spending exceeds the budget (https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/data-and-charts/nhs-trusts-deficit)
    • UK-USA agreement on drug prices. Ministers give NICE a role in approvals, despite reservations (https://www.bmj.com/content/392/bmj.s442?nbd_source=adestra&nbd=8fbb67008476fb2494c9dc673c1a59b833545ade97e59cd7efd9c117443308b8&uaa_id=8fbb67008476fb2494c9dc673c1a59b833545ade97e59cd7efd9c117443308b8&utm_campaign=This%20week%20in%20The%20BMJ%20-%20Fortnightly%20manual%20alert&utm_medium=email&utm_source=adestra)
  • France
    • More than 20,000 people from over 65 people died from falls in 2024. Between 2019 and 2024, the number of deaths from falls rose by 18% (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2026/03/13/plus-de-20-000-personnes-de-plus-de-65-ans-sont-mortes-a-cause-d-une-chute-en-2024-un-phenomene-en-augmentation-et-encore-inexplique_6671008_3225.html)

National Health Policy

  • Central Government
    • The Council of Ministers approves the Royal Decree guaranteeing healthcare for undocumented migrants (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2026/03/10/69afd778e9cf4a47378b45a8.html)
    • The Ministry of Health rules out an audit of the controversial MIR exam, but will allocate €10.2 million to its management and digitization (https://www.elconfidencial.com/salud/2026-03-10/10-2-millones-gestion-mir-ministerio-de-sanidad_4317899/)
  • Regional Governments
    • The Canary Islands approves the 2026-2031 Health Plan with 49 priority areas (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/canarias/canarias-aprueba-el-plan-de-salud-2026-2031.html)
    • The Parliament of Cantabria sets a maximum of 15 days for delivering the results of biopsies suspected of being cancerous (https://diariofarma.com/2026/03/12/el-parlamento-de-cataluna-exige-retirar-el-proyecto-de-ley-de-gestion-publica-por-invadir-competencias)
    • The initial project for the future Girona health campus has been selected (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/seleccionado-proyecto-inicial-futuro-campus-salud-girona.html)
    • Asturian healthcare will subject the specialties with the longest waiting lists to an audit (https://www.elcomercio.es/asturias/sanidad-asturias-especialidades-listas-espera-auditoria-20260310201008-nt.html)
    • Galicia’s new strategy against rare diseases (https://gacetamedica.com/politica/enfermedades-raras-galicia-acceso-precoz/)
  • Negotiations on the Framework Statute
    • The Community of Madrid, the first autonomous community to support the creation of its own statute for doctors (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2026/03/12/69b2f4a2e4d4d8801f8b45b9.html)
    • Doctors deny the existence of the agreement defended by Mónica García and call her proposal “poor and ridiculous” (https://www.larazon.es/sociedad/medicos-niegan-que-exista-acuerdo-que-defiende-monica-garcia-califican-propuesta-pobre-ridicula_2026031369b414cfd489bf782e18fb37.html)
  • Public Management Law
    • The Parliament of Catalonia demands the withdrawal of the Public Management Law (https://diariofarma.com/2026/03/12/el-parlamento-de-cataluna-exige-retirar-el-proyecto-de-ley-de-gestion-publica-por-invadir-competencias)
    • The Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) and Together for Catalonia (Junts) avoid supporting a motion on public management of the National Health System (SNS) proposed by the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE). (https://diariofarma.com/2026/03/08/pnv-y-junts-evitan-apoyar-una-mocion-sobre-gestion-publica-del-sns-del-psoe)
  • Royal Decree on healthcare for undocumented immigrants
    • The PP opposes it. It warns that the measure is being taken without planning and in a context of overburdened public healthcare professionals (https://diariofarma.com/2026/03/10/criticas-del-pp-al-decreto-de-cobertura-universal-convierte-la-irregularidad-en-un-derecho)
  • Study on oral health in Spain
    • White Paper on Oral Health from the General Council of Dentists. It analyzes the evolution over a quarter of a century: 2000-2025 (https://consejodentistas.es/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026.02.09-Libro-blanco-salud-oral-2025-1.pdf)

Companies

  • International
    • The boom in counterfeit obesity drugs. Due to high prices, lack of insurance coverage, and the desire to lose weight, counterfeit medications are proliferating, generating health concerns. (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00461-7/fulltext)
    • Sales of the obesity drug Mounjaro catapult Lilly to the top spot as the world’s leading pharmaceutical company in revenue (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260313/ventas-farmaco-obesidad-mounjaro-catapultan-eli-lilly-primera-pharma-mundial-ingresos/1003744166443_0.html)
    • The FDA is considering eliminating PK clinical trials (pharmacokinetic tests) to expedite the development of biosimilars (https://diariofarma.com/2026/03/09/la-fda-plantea-la-eliminacion-de-estudios-clinicos-pk-para-agilizar-el-desarrollo-de-biosimilares)

 

 

This post is also available in: Spanish