Summary

The most impactful health news of the week included:

• Biomedicine: First transplant of kidneys modified with human renal organoids in pigs.
• Global Health: Aid cuts are devastating health services in Africa.
• International Health Policy: Health in the midst of the US government shutdown.
• National Health Policy: The Minister of Health announces “legal action” to obtain screening data from the autonomous communities governed by the People’s Party (PP).
• Business: The pharmaceutical industry announces more than $450 billion in investments in the USA.

Biomedicine

• First transplant of kidneys modified with human renal organoids in pigs. Spanish scientists have successfully tested a human renal organoid technology to repair kidneys and improve their viability for transplantation.
• A drug has saved the lives of eight young people with the most common childhood cancer, specifically B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The sophisticated experimental treatment involves extracting a sample of immune cells, redesigning them in the laboratory to increase their ability to destroy cancer cells, and then reintroducing them into the body to kill the tumor. The lead researcher, pediatrician Antonio Pérez, presented the results this Thursday at La Paz University Hospital in Madrid.
• Eleven children with incurable deafness can hear again thanks to gene therapy. One of the first gene therapies developed to cure congenital deafness has just shown initial success, potentially reversing a disease for which there is currently no cure. In rare cases, children are born with genetic defects that prevent them from hearing anything, even though their ears are physically intact. The new treatment has been applied to 12 children, several of them in Spain, and has worked in 11. It has restored completely normal hearing ability to three of them.

Global Health

• Aid cuts are devastating health services in Africa. The rapid dismantling of USAID is leading to more deaths and illnesses.
• The genocide in Gaza has not stopped, according to charitable organizations, as Israel continues to block aid. Agencies warn that Israel continues to hinder the delivery of aid to Gaza, despite ceasefire agreements.
• The Gates Foundation has become the key force at the WHO following the withdrawal of US aid. In fact, after the US withdrawal, it is the main funder, something Bill Gates says is “a very strange thing.”

International Health Policy

• Health during the US government shutdown. The US government shutdown is now the second longest in history. One cause of this shutdown is disagreements over the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Its extension is affecting Medicare home hospitalization. The lockdown is also affecting access to healthcare for those most in need.
• The unstoppable rise of medical science in China. American shortsightedness and restrictions on research funding have left China with free rein for decades.
• The British government’s plan to bring care to the community is under threat. The CQC (Care Quality Commission) report says that the 10-year health plan’s targets may not be met without sufficient community support for vulnerable groups who have to endure long waits, access problems, and worse outcomes.

National Health Policy (Spain)

• The Minister of Health announces “legal action” to obtain screening data from the PP-governed autonomous communities. Health Minister Mónica García stated this Thursday that the Government will take “all legal action” to obtain the data from cancer screening programs that the PP-governed autonomous communities refuse to share with the Ministry. “This information doesn’t belong to Moreno Bonilla, nor to the current regional health minister, nor to the three ministers who came before him; it belongs to the citizens who want to know what happened so they can restore peace of mind and confidence in their healthcare system,” said the Sumar leader after meeting in Seville with Ángela Claverol, president of Amama, the association of Andalusian women who are breast cancer survivors. Aside from other considerations, it was surely a serious mistake on the part of the PP to refuse to provide this information, as it appears they are trying to hide the truth.
• Catalonia announces the creation of Integrated Health Areas (AIS) at the territorial level. This is a proposal from Cairós to the Ministry of Health to improve coordination between public health, primary care, hospitals, intermediate care, mental health, and emergency services.
• The Spanish Medical Association (OMC) warns: Spain does not have a shortage of doctors, and urges a replacement agreement to distribute them equitably. The General Council of Official Medical Associations (CGCOM) presents its 2025 Medical Demographics Study, following the last one published in 2017, which concludes that to ensure the sustainability of the system, a dynamic adjustment of the MIR (Medical Residency Exam), expanded use of new technologies and AI, and the promotion of female leadership will also be necessary. This is a significant contribution from the OMC, which also contradicts the oft-repeated claim that Spain lacks doctors, a claim frequently used by both the government and healthcare companies.
• Andalusia allocates 31% of its budget to healthcare following the screening crisis, although the healthcare problem is not only one of money but also “structural” and related to management, as acknowledged by the Andalusian president, Juan Manuel Moreno, on the 15th.

Companies

• International
  • The pharmaceutical industry announces more than $450 billion in investments in the USA, following Trump’s threats. MSD, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, J&J, Roche, GSK, Lilly, Novartis, Sanofi, Gilead, Biogen, Amgen, and even Rovi are in the running. From this perspective, Trump’s policy has been extremely successful.

• National
  • HM will double the number of nursing homes in Madrid. The hospital group will open four social and healthcare centers under its joint venture, Valdeluz Mayores.

Biomedicine

• Early detection of prostate cancer. After much controversy regarding the value of PSA for the early diagnosis of prostate cancer, a large study published in the NEJM has shown that the use of this marker reduces prostate cancer mortality by 13% (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe2509793)
• Pig kidney removed from a transplant recipient after nine months. Of the four patients transplanted with a pig kidney, this one lasted the longest. The first two patients died shortly after receiving the transplant; the third had to have it removed after 130 days due to rejection; in this case, the removal was due to declining kidney function (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/health/pig-kidney-tim-andrews.html)
• First transplant of kidneys modified with human kidney organoids into pigs. Spanish scientists have successfully tested a human kidney organoid technology to repair kidneys and improve their viability for transplantation (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2025/10/31/6904dbdae85ecea30b8b4583.html)
• A drug saves the lives of eight young people with the most common childhood cancer, specifically B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The sophisticated experimental treatment involves extracting a sample of immune cells, re-engineering them in the laboratory to increase their ability to destroy cancer cells, and then reintroducing them into the body to kill the tumor. The lead researcher, pediatrician Antonio Pérez, presented the results this Thursday at La Paz University Hospital (https://elpais.com/salud-y-bienestar/2025-10-30/un-medicamento-viviente-que-cabe-en-una-cuchara-salva-la-vida-de-ocho-jovenes-con-el-cancer-infantil-mas-comun.html). Access the original article on eBiomedicine: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352396425003160
• Eleven children with incurable deafness can hear again thanks to gene therapy. One of the first gene therapies developed to cure congenital deafness has just shown initial success, potentially reversing a disease for which there is currently no cure. In rare cases, children are born with genetic defects that prevent them from hearing anything, even though their ears are physically intact. The new treatment has been applied to 12 children, several of them in Spain, and has been successful in 11. It has restored completely normal hearing to three of them. (https://elpais.com/ciencia/2025-10-28/once-ninos-con-sordera-incurable-vuelven-a-oir-gracias-a-la-terapia-genica.html). Access the original article in the NEJM: https://www.nejm.org/doi/abs/10.1056/NEJMoa2400521

Global Health

• Trust and science: the essential elements missing from the plastics treaty. More than 400 million tons of plastic waste are produced annually and growing. A better understanding of the science’s findings and more informal space for delegates can change this situation (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03469-8)
• The tobacco treaty has to deal with new nicotine products (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)02206-8/fulltext)
• The counterintuitive economics of tobacco. Although the number of smokers is decreasing, the value of tobacco company stocks continues to rise. This is because the remaining smokers are “price inelastic” and willing to tolerate cigarette price increases (https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/10/26/the-counterintuitive-economics-of-smoking).

• The genocide in Gaza has not stopped, according to charitable organizations, as Israel continues to block aid. The agencies warn that Israel continues to hinder the delivery of aid to Gaza, despite ceasefire agreements. (https://www.bmj.com/content/391/bmj.r2247?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)
• Aid cuts are devastating healthcare services in Africa. The rapid dismantling of USAID is leading to more deaths and illnesses (https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2025/10/30/aid-cuts-are-devastating-health-services-in-africa)
• The return of cholera to Haiti, where numerous displaced people are surviving in catastrophic conditions. Since the beginning of the year, this disease has affected 3,000 people and caused 53 deaths (https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2025/10/27/a-haiti-ou-de-nombreux-deplaces-survivent-dans-des-conditions-catastrophiques-le-retour-du-cholera_6649830_3244.html)
• The Gates Foundation becomes the key force at the WHO, following the withdrawal of US aid. In fact, after the US withdrawal, it is the main funder, something Bill Gates says is “a very strange thing” (https://www.ft.com/content/d2c6dcf9-0023-4fe1-a146-162051457002)
• More than 500,000 deaths a year from heat: climate denial and inaction threaten the lives of millions. The thousands of deaths worldwide due to emissions show the health impact of the setbacks being made by oil companies, banks, and governments like those of Trump, Milei, and Orbán (https://elpais.com/clima-y-medio-ambiente/2025-10-29/mas-de-500000-muertos-al-ano-por-calor-el-negacionismo-y-la-inaccion-climatica-amenazan-la-vida-de-millones-de-personas.html)

International Health Policy

• USA
  • The Trump Administration’s approach to global health is flawed, but fixable. It’s hard to imagine that the evidence of the damage done won’t lead to a change in policy, given that more than three-quarters of Americans support the policy of saving lives. “America First” doesn’t necessarily mean Africans last (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2025/10/30/the-trump-administrations-approach-to-global-health-is-flawed-but-fixable)
  • Health during the US government shutdown. The US government shutdown is now the second longest in history. One cause of this shutdown is precisely the disagreements surrounding Obamacare. Its extension is affecting Medicare home hospitalization. The shutdown is affecting access to healthcare for those most in need (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)02207-X/fulltext)
  • Obamacare prices made public, revealing significant increases. The Trump Administration has released health insurance prices from marketplaces in 30 states created by Obamacare. Substantial increase in health insurance prices (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/health/obamacare-prices-health-insurance.html)

• China
  • The unstoppable rise of medical science in China. American shortsightedness and restrictions on research funding have left China with free rein for decades (https://www.bmj.com/content/391/bmj.r2303)

 

• United Kingdom
  • The British government’s plan to bring care to the community is under threat. The CQC (Care Quality Commission) report says that the health plan’s 10-year targets may not be met without sufficient community support for vulnerable groups who have to endure long waits, access problems, and worse outcomes. (https://www.bmj.com/content/391/bmj.r2255?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)
  • From Hospital to Community: International Lessons on Moving Care to the Proximity. This Nuffield Trust study analyzes the experience of two countries, Denmark and Ireland, committed to rebalancing hospital/community care. It demonstrates that this is probably the most challenging ambition in England’s 10-year health plan (https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/research/from-hospital-to-community-international-lessons-on-moving-care-closer-to-home). To read the full report: https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/sites/default/files/2025-09/Nuffield%20Trust%20-%20From%20hospital%20to%20community_WEB.pdf
  • NHS priorities, from 2026/27 to 2028/29. Experts from the King’s Fund analyze NHS priorities in light of the 10-year health plan for England (https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/blogs/nhs-priorities-2026-27-to-2028-29-system-staff-patients)

• France
  • The difficult fight against social inequalities in health. As Social Security celebrates its 80th anniversary, stark health inequalities are also evident (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2025/10/26/sante-la-difficile-lutte-contre-les-inegalites-sociales_6649650_3224.html)
  • The rise in neonatal mortality in France is concentrated in the poorest communities, according to a comprehensive study published in September (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2025/10/26/la-hausse-de-la-mortalite-neonatale-se-concentre-sur-les-communes-les-plus-pauvres_6649674_3224.html)
  • The 2026 Social Security budget: our system is becoming self-destructive (https://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2025/10/30/budget-de-la-securite-sociale-2026-notre-systeme-de-sante-devient-autophage-il-se-nourrit-de-ses-propres-organes_6650248_3232.html)

National Health Policy

• Central Government Initiatives
  • The Minister of Health announces “legal action” to obtain screening data from the PP-governed autonomous communities. The Minister of Health, Mónica García, stated this Thursday that the Government will take “all legal action” to obtain the data from cancer screening programs that the PP-governed autonomous communities refuse to share with the Ministry. “This information doesn’t belong to Moreno Bonilla, nor to the current health minister, nor to the three ministers who came before him; it belongs to the citizens who want to know what happened so they can restore peace of mind and confidence in their healthcare system,” said the leader of Sumar after meeting in Seville with Ángela Claverol, president of Amama, the association of Andalusian women who are victims of breast cancer. (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-10-30/la-ministra-de-sanidad-anuncia-medidas-legales-para-obtener-los-datos-de-cribados-de-las-comunidades-autonomas-del-pp.html)
  • The government approves the extension of the ALS Law to other irreversible diseases. The aid will be extended to illnesses with no therapeutic response, requiring complex care and rapid progression (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-10-28/el-gobierno-aprueba-la-ampliacion-de-la-ley-ela-a-otras-enfermedades-irreversibles.html)
  • The Ministry of Health is “open” to the MIR exam being administered in Basque and other languages. However, in his response, Padilla explained that the ministry requested a report from the State Attorney’s Office, and their response was that the request “would be difficult to reconcile” with current legislation. (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/ministerio-sanidad-abierto-examen-mir-haga-euskera-lenguas.html)

• Initiatives of the Autonomous Communities
  • Only three autonomous communities have consolidation plans for the development of precision oncology medicine. Specifically, Galicia, Catalonia, and the Valencian Community (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20251028/solo-ccaa-cuentan-planes-consolidacion-desarrollo-medicina-oncologica-precision/1003743988847_0.html)
  • Catalonia announces the creation of Integrated Health Areas (AIS) at the territorial level. This is a proposal from Cairós a Salud to improve coordination between public health, primary care, hospitals, intermediate care, mental health, and emergency services (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/cataluna-anuncia-creacion-areas-integradas-salud-ais-territoriales.html)
  • Asturias will reconsider its exclusivity. “We understand that exclusivity must continue, but we also want to be attractive to professionals and not stand out as much as the other regions,” according to statements by the Regional Minister (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/asturias/asturias-repensara-la-exclusividad-medica-pero-la-abrira-a-mas-profesiones-1969)
  • Aragon promotes innovative procurement to transform its healthcare system (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/aragon/aragon-impulsa-la-compra-publica-innovadora-y-agregada-para-modernizar-su-sistema-sanitario.html)

• Medical Demographics
  • The OMC warns: Spain does not have a shortage of doctors, and urges a replacement agreement to distribute them equitably. The General Council of Official Medical Associations (CGCOM) presents its 2025 Medical Demographics Study, following the last one published in 2017. The study concludes that ensuring the sustainability of the system will also require a dynamic adjustment of the MIR (Medical Residency Exam), expanded use of new technologies and AI, and the promotion of female leadership (https://isanidad.com/348778/la-omc-avisa-espana-no-tiene-deficit-de-medicos-e-insta-a-un-pacto-de-reposicion-para-distribuirlos-equitativamente/). Access the original report: https://www.cgcom.es/sites/main/files/files/2025-10/OMC_Demografía_Médica_2025.pdf.

• Sick Leave
  • Agreements with mutual insurance companies to expedite sick leave are not taking off. The Social Security system is trying to revive the signing of these agreements in the face of resistance from the autonomous communities and collaborating entities. The problem of sick leave is a major concern, both due to its volume and its upward trend. Currently, only the Balearic Islands, Asturias, and Catalonia have any kind of agreement in place (https://elpais.com/economia/2025-11-01/los-pactos-con-las-mutuas-para-agilizar-las-bajas-medicas-no-despegan-solo-tres-comunidades-los-han-suscrito-en-un-ano.html).
• The controversy surrounding breast cancer screening in Andalusia and the plans of the new Andalusian Health Minister.
  • Andalusia allocates 31% of its budget to healthcare following the screening crisis, although the healthcare problem is not only financial but also “structural” and related to management, as acknowledged by the Andalusian president, Juan Manuel Moreno, on [date missing]. 15.(https://elpais.com/espana/andalucia/2025-10-28/andalucia-destina-el-31-de-su-presupuesto-a-sanidad-tras-la-crisis-de-los-cribados.html)

Companies

• International
  • Weight-loss drugs are spreading worldwide, especially following the upcoming patent expirations in China and India (https://www.economist.com/business/2025/10/28/weight-loss-drugs-are-spreading-across-the-world)
  • The pharmaceutical industry announces over $450 billion in investments in the USA, following Trump’s threats. MSD, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, J&J, Roche, GSK, Lilly, Novartis, Sanofi, Gilead, Biogen, Amgen, and even Rovi are in that race (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20251028/industria-farmaceutica-anuncia-inversiones-eeuu-amenazas-donald-trump/1003743979112_0.html)

• National
  • Novo Nordisk restores regular supply of Ozempic in Spain after three years of shortages. The Spanish Agency for Medicines has removed the drug from the list of therapies with stock shortages (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud-bienestar/noticias/13614147/10/25/novo-nordisk-restablece-el-suministro-regular-de-ozempic-en-espana-tras-tres-anos-de-escasez.html)
  • HM will double the number of nursing homes in Madrid. The hospital group will open four social and healthcare centers under its joint venture Valdeluz Mayores (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud-bienestar/noticias/13620431/10/25/hm-hospitales-duplicara-su-numero-de-residencias-en-madrid.html)
  • Healthcare Activos invests 150 million in the purchase of seven social and healthcare centers (https://www.expansion.com/catalunya/2025/10/27/68ffd07f468aeba7168b4577.html)

This post is also available in: Spanish