Summary

The most impactful health news stories of the week were:

• Biomedicine: How science can replace the use of laboratory animals.
• Global health: Infant mortality is expected to rise again in 2025, for the first time in 25 years, due to reduced development aid.
• International health policy: Cuba is sinking into a major health crisis.
• National health policy: Following the Torrejón scandal, the Minister of Health announces a law to prevent the private management of public hospitals.
• Business: Ribera plans to sell assets in Murcia and Extremadura to improve its balance sheet and seek an investor in 2026.

Biomedicine

• How science can replace the use of laboratory animals. New technologies using miniature human organs can replace procedures currently performed on animals.
• An experimental DNA-repairing drug ushers in a new era of regenerative therapies. US scientists have developed a drug that repairs DNA and serves as a prototype for a new class of medications that correct tissue damage caused by heart attacks.

Global Health

• Child mortality is set to rise again in 2025, for the first time in 25 years, due to reduced development aid. The Gates Foundation’s Goalkeepers report warns that the decline in global health funding is responsible for halting more than two decades of progress. The WHO, in its annual report on malaria, notes that progress against the disease has stalled.
• Ultra-processed foods: time to prioritize health over profit. The rise of ultra-processed foods in human diets is harming public health by driving chronic diseases globally. Addressing this challenge requires a global response. At the heart of this type of food is the large-scale processing of cheap products: corn, wheat, soy, and palm oil. In many countries, these foods make up 50% of the diet.

International Health Policy

• Cuba is sinking into a major health crisis. Hospitals are overwhelmed, and the death toll is rising daily. Cuba is experiencing a health crisis of “combined arboviral diseases,” including dengue, chikungunya, oropouche, and other respiratory viruses. It has been known for many years that the Cuban health system is backward, lacking even the most basic technology or medicines.
• US Republicans still don’t know what to do with Obamacare. The necessary update, or lack thereof, of Obamacare subsidies is a headache for Republicans. This issue was behind the recent US government shutdown.
• US-UK agreement: the NHS will pay much more for medicines. The agreement involves the US not raising tariffs and increasing the price of new treatments by 25% in the UK.

National Health Policy (Spain)

• In the wake of the Torrejón scandal, the Minister of Health announced a law to prevent the private management of public hospitals. She denounced the fact that in Madrid, La Paz Hospital loses 50,000 patients a year; the 12 de Octubre Hospital, 25,000; and the Ramón y Cajal Hospital, 30,000, all to the benefit of the Quirón and Ribera concessions in Madrid, with the resulting economic benefits. Despite this announcement, it is highly unlikely that, in the current political climate, this law will be passed. The idea that because a problem arises in one hospital, all public hospital services should be provided by public hospitals, as some seem to advocate, is unacceptable and completely contrary to European experience. Public services can be offered by private companies (properly regulated and with a rigorous agreement), and not all public management should be administrative; public companies, foundations, and consortia should also flourish.
• An audio recording reveals that Torrejón Hospital is turning away patients to increase profits. The Ribera Group, which manages the hospital, is asking its management to make adjustments to achieve a profit of “four or five million.” The leak of this video is a serious reputational problem for the concession system. However, concessions, in themselves, are a good model. Nevertheless, they require an administration capable of rigorously monitoring activity and promoting transparency. Regarding the changes in patient flow denounced by the minister, the Community of Madrid has established, without properly considering the consequences, free choice of healthcare center, including private-public partnership centers in this system, but with different rules than those for directly managed public hospitals. Private-public partnership centers operate as businesses and are able to optimize their ability to attract patients (in addition to having incentives to do so), while public hospitals are constrained by the rules of the administrative framework. This explains the results of this option, which sometimes have a significant economic impact. While supporting the right to choose, this must be done under the same rules. That’s why it’s necessary to reform the governance and management of public institutions.
• Keys to the swine fever outbreak: too many wild boars roaming free, a highly contagious virus, and the possible link to the sandwich. After three decades, the dreaded virus has returned to Spain. It is not transmissible to humans: pork products, including sausages, can be consumed.

Companies

• International
  • Will the next blockbuster come from China? These days, Western pharmaceutical companies and investors are privately alarmed that their companies risk falling behind Chinese innovation.

• National news
  • Ribera plans to sell assets in Murcia and Extremadura to strengthen its balance sheet and seek an investor in 2026. Vivalto Santé, the owner of the hospital concessionaire Ribera Salud, plans to divest assets in Extremadura and Murcia to improve its balance sheet in preparation for seeking a new financial investor in 2026. This plan appears to be a response to the acquisition of low-value assets, a consequence of the rapid growth through acquisitions in recent years.

Biomedicine

• Lab-grown genomes capable of altering human DNA. Research shows how synthetic chromosomes can be transferred into human cells with the potential to increase viral resistance. This allows for DNA transformation on a scale not possible with today’s more limited gene-editing techniques (https://www.ft.com/content/8b06f15b-3a4e-49e7-8993-e6d6d5fc2309)
• How science can displace the use of laboratory animals. New technologies using miniature human organs can replace procedures currently performed on animals (https://www.ft.com/content/4d4e0f4b-b564-432e-a2aa-cba0000013f9)
• COVID-19: The efficacy and lack of risk of mRNA vaccines demonstrated in a large-scale study, as shown by a French study published in JAMA. It incorporates data from 28 million people (https://www.lemondfr/planete/article/2025/12/04/covid-19-l-absence-de-danger-et-l-efficacite-des-vaccins-a-arn-messager-demontrees-par-une-vaste-etude_6656015_3244.html)
• A key mechanism driving metastasis in cancer has been discovered. The advance provides a deeper understanding of DNA and RNA modifications in metastatic cancer (https://theobjective.com/sociedad/ciencia/2025-12-02/descubren-mecanismo-metastasis-cancer/). Access the original article: https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-24-3975
• A vaccine against fentanyl overdose. The first clinical trials for this injection involve the immune system in the treatment of addiction for the first time (https://www.elespanol.com/ciencia/salud/20251205/vacuna-sobredosis-fentanilo-puede-convertir-inmunologia-nuevo-arma-droga/1003744043242_0.html)
• An experimental drug that repairs DNA ushers in a new phase of regenerative therapies. US scientists have developed a drug that repairs DNA and serves as a prototype for a new class of medications that correct tissue damage caused by a heart attack (https://www.es/salud/enfermedades/farmaco-experimental-repara-dano-causado-infarto-20251203190000-nt.html)
• Long-term data show that lecanemab slows Alzheimer’s by up to 8.3 years. Eisai presents a study with results from the open-label extension phase of the pivotal trial showing that the greatest benefit is obtained in patients in very early stages (https://www.diariomedico.com/farmacia/industria/datos-plazo-muestran-lecanemab-ralentiza-83-anos-alzheimer.html)

Global Health

• Ultra-processed foods: time to put health before profit. The increase in ultra-processed foods in human diets is harming public health by driving chronic diseases globally. Addressing this challenge requires a global response. At the heart of these types of foods is the large-scale processing of cheap products: corn, wheat, soy, and palm oil. In many countries, these foods make up 50% of the diet (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)02322-0/fulltext)
• Colombia, a pioneer in taxes on ultra-processed foods. This country introduced a 10% tax on these foods, which will rise to 20% this year. Colombia has a high rate of obesity and hypertension (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)02465-1/fulltext)
• Bill Gates warns that cuts in global aid will increase infant mortality (https://www.ft.com/content/e3f00645-63ee-469e-aa0a-8e82c442519a)
• Infant mortality is set to rise again in 2025, for the first time in 25 years, due to cuts in development aid. The Gates Foundation’s ‘Goalkeepers’ report warns that the decline in global health funding is responsible for reversing more than two decades of progress. The WHO, in its annual report on malaria, notes that progress against the disease has stalled (https://elpais.com/planeta-futuro/2025-12-04/la-mortalidad-infantil-vuelve-a-subir-en-2025-por-primera-vez-en-25-anos-debido-en-parte-a-los-recortes-de-la-ayuda-al-desarrollo.html)

International Health Policy

• USA
  • Republicans still don’t know what to do with Obamacare. The need to update Obamacare subsidies is a headache for Republicans. This issue was behind the recent US government shutdown (https://www.economist.com/united-states/2025/12/04/republicans-still-dont-know-what-to-do-with-obamacare)
  • Trump wants a health care deal, leaving the details to Congress (https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/04/trump-health-care-congress-00675170)
  • Polls suggest voters may blame Republicans if Obamacare subsidies are removed. Half of Americans covered by Obamacare say that increased subsidies could change their vote in the 2026 election (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/04/us/politics/poll-republicans-health-insurance-subsidies-affordable-care-act.html)

• United Kingdom
  • US-UK agreement: The NHS will pay significantly more for medications. The agreement involves the US not raising tariffs and increasing the price of new treatments by 25% (https://www.bmj.com/content/391/bmj.r2538)

• France
  • France appears poised to withdraw from subsidies for AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. For the first time since 2002, these subsidies are being interrupted (https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2025/12/01/sida-la-france-est-elle-en-train-de-se-desengager-du-fonds-mondial_6655544_3244.html)

• Cuba
  • Cuba is sinking into a major health crisis. Hospitals are overwhelmed and the death toll is rising daily. Cuba is experiencing a health crisis of “combined arboviral diseases” that includes dengue, chikungunya, oropouche, and other respiratory viruses (https://elpais.com/america/2025-12-06/nos-estamos-muriendo-cuba-se-hunde-en-una-gran-crisis-sanitaria-entre-falta-de-medicinas-y-diagnosticos-falsos.html)

• WHO
  • The WHO supports the drugs Ozempic and Wegovy Mounjaro to combat obesity. These drugs, called GLP-1, mimic the action of this hormone linked to both insulin secretion and the feeling of satiety through brain mechanisms (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2025/12/03/692fe66ffdddff9a098b458a.html)
  • European healthcare systems are not prepared to integrate AI. The WHO warns of an uneven implementation of AI in European healthcare. Spain is now among the few countries with its own strategy after approving the eIASNS (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/sistemas-sanitarios-europeos-estan-preparados-integrar-ia-segun-oms.html)

• European Union
  • Pharmaceutical companies are asking the EU to better define what constitutes drugs of interest in the Critical Medicines Act. They have indicated that it should not lead to a proliferation of procedures that reduce the Predictability (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20251203/laboratorios-piden-ue-precise-mejor-farmacos-interes-ley-medicamentos-criticos/1003744041749_0.html)
  • Europe is working on the development of 91 vaccines, 41% of which are dedicated to treatments with no other options (https://diariofarma.com/2025/12/01/europa-trabaja-en-el-desarrollo-91-vacunas-el-41-destinadas-a-tratamientos-sin-opciones)

National Health Policy

• Impact of General Policy on Health
  • Pedro Sánchez criticizes the PP over the Torrejón hospital scandal (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-12-03/la-ministra-de-sanidad-carga-contra-ayuso-por-el-escandalo-del-hospital-de-torrejon-este-es-el-modelo-del-pp.html)

• Central Government Initiatives
  • Following the Torrejón scandal, the Minister of Health announces a law to prevent the private management of public centers. She reports that in Madrid, La Paz Hospital loses 50,000 patients a year; on October 12th, 25,000; The Ramón y Cajal Hospital, with 30,000 members, always favors the Quirón and Ribera concessions in Madrid, with the consequent economic flow (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-12-07/monica-garcia-con-la-nueva-ley-no-se-permitira-el-modelo-de-torrejon.html)
  • The government will prohibit ultra-processed foods on children’s menus in hospitals. Bustinduy announces that the measure will be included in the royal decree on healthy food in hospitals and nursing homes (https://www.abc.es/sociedad/gobierno-prohibira-alimentos-ultraprocesados-menus-infantiles-hospitales-20251126115303-nt.html)
  • Consumer Affairs will require that 80% of the products in vending machines in hospitals and nursing homes be healthy (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-12-01/consumo-obligara-a-que-el-80-de-los-productos-de-las-maquinas-expendedoras-de-hospitales-y-residencias-sean-saludables.html)

• Initiatives of the autonomous communities
  • Andalusia will have 69 new healthcare facilities by 2026. Of these 69 new facilities, 16 are already completed and They will become operational in the first quarter of 2026; 13 are currently under construction and will be ready from April onwards (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/andalucia/andalucia-contara-con-69-nuevas-infraestructuras-sanitarias-en-2026-6853)

• Scandal surrounding news from Torrejón Hospital
  • An audio recording reveals that Torrejón Hospital is rejecting patients to increase its profits. The Ribera group, which manages the hospital, is asking its management to make adjustments to achieve a profit of “four or five million” (https://theobjective.com/espana/politica/2025-12-03/madrid-controles-hospital-torrejon-ardoz-gerente/)
  • The hospital’s management company dismissed four executives who had reported the situation through an internal channel (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-12-04/ribera-despidio-a-cuatro-directivos-que-denunciaron-internamente-los-recortes-en-el-hospital-de-torrejon.html)
  • The Community of Madrid denies malpractice at the Torrejón hospital and attributes the scandal to “internal squabbles” (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-12-05/la-comunidad-de-madrid-niega-malas-practicas-en-el-hospital-de-torrejon-y-atribuye-el-escandalo-a-rencillas-internas.html)
  • The Ayuso government pays Quirón hospitals double the budgeted amount over four years. The initial funding allocated to the four hospitals for the four-year period 2021-2024 totals €2.543 billion, but the sum of all payments made during those years approaches €5 billion. (https://www.eldiario.es/madrid/gobierno-ayuso-paga-hospitales-quiron-doble-presupuestado-cuatro-anos_1_12818388.html)

• Framework Statute
  • Doctors call an indefinite strike in January against the Ministry’s Framework Statute. The organizations denounce that Minister Mónica García has no intention of reaching a “fair, useful, and beneficial” agreement (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-12-04/los-sindicatos-convocan-una-huelga-indefinida-en-enero-contra-el-estatuto-de-sanidad.html)
  • Latest draft of the Framework Statute (https://gacetamedica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Propuesta-de-Anteproyecto-de-Ley-del-Estatuto-Marco-del-personal-estatutario-de-los-servicios-de-salud.pdf)

• Flu epidemic
  • The Ministry of Health and the autonomous communities agree on the flu plan: widespread use of masks and increased vaccination (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20251203/sanidad-ccaa-dan-luz-verde-plan-frente-gripe-mascarillas-obligatorias-medidas/1003744041141_0.html)

• Swine fever
  • Key points about swine fever: too many wild boars roaming free, a highly contagious virus, and the possible clue of the sandwich. After three decades, the dreaded virus has returned to Spain. It is not transmitted to humans: pork products, including sausages, can be consumed (https://elpais.com/clima-y-medio-ambiente/2025-12-01/claves-de-la-peste-porcina-demasiados-jabalies-sueltos-un-virus-muy-contagioso-y-la-posible-pista-del-bocata.html)
  • The Catalan government commissions an audit amid suspicions that the swine fever virus escaped from a public laboratory. The Catalan government has commissioned an audit by the Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA) to analyze whether there has been a possible leak of the African swine fever virus from one of its facilities (https://elpais.com/espana/catalunya/2025-12-06/la-generalitat-encarga-una-auditoria-ante-las-sospechas-de-que-el-virus-de-peste-porcina-escapara-de-un-laboratorio-publico.html)
  • Spain finalizes three live attenuated virus vaccines against African swine fever (https://www.larazon.es/salud/espana-ultima-3-variantes-vacuna-virus-vivos-atenuados-peste-porcina-africana_20251207693161369261f37ec73bde19.html)
  • The swine fever crisis: losses of hundreds Millions, and not just for Catalonia (https://www.elconfidencial.com/empresas/2025-12-06/crisis-peste-porcina-perdidas-cientos-millones_4260876/)

• National Health System Annual Report 2024
  • Access the report: https://www.sanidad.gob.es/estadEstudios/estadisticas/sisInfSanSNS/tablasEstadisticas/InfAnual2024/INFORME_ANUAL_2024.pdf. Access the executive summary: https://www.sanidad.gob.es/estadEstudios/estadisticas/sisInfSanSNS/tablasEstadisticas/InfAnual2024/Informe_Anual_2024_Resumen_ejecutivo.pdf

Companies

• International
  • Will the new Chinese blockbuster arrive? Today, Western pharmaceutical companies and investors are privately raising concerns that their companies risk falling behind Chinese innovation (https://www.ft.com/content/3bfe96d3-593c-498a-9da4-0c1ed359ff74)

• National News
  • Sanofi, GSK, MSD, Pfizer, and three other laboratories are competing for the Ministry of Health’s mega-contract for 1.7 billion vaccines (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20251202/sanofi-gsk-msd-pfizer-laboratorios-compiten-megacontrato-millones-vacunas-sanidad/1003744037002_0.html)
  • Faes Farma will use its new ophthalmology business to boost its expansion in Latin America and the Middle East (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/empresas/sanidad/20251204/faes-farma-usara-nuevo-negocio-oftalmologia-impulsar-expansion-latinoamerica-oriente-medio/1003744041715_0.html)
  • Clínica Baviera exploits its “recipe for success” on the Stock Exchange: +650% in five years and a potential of 27% (https://www.elconfidencial.com/mercados/2025-12-03/clinica-baviera-bolsa-informe-cantor-fitzgerald_4258211/)
  • Ribera plans to sell assets in Murcia and Extremadura to clean up its balance sheet and seek an investor in 2026. Vivalto Santé, the owner of the hospital concessionaire Ribera Salud, plans to divest assets in Extremadura and Murcia to improve its balance sheet for the upcoming year. search for a new financial investor in 2026 (https://www.elconfidencial.com/empresas/2025-12-06/ribera-activo-murcia-extremadura-balance-vivalto_4261477/)

This post is also available in: Spanish