7 days in healthcare (April 14th-20th, 2025)

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Summary

The most impactful health news of the week were:

  • Biomedicine: Lilly successfully tests an anti-obesity pill that will compete with previous injection therapies.
  • Global Health: WHO members, without the US, reach an agreement on the Pandemic Treaty.
  • International Health Policy: Trump promises drug price cuts, but disrupts the price negotiation process with Medicare, which could lead to increased pharmaceutical spending.
  • National Health Policy: Illa meets with pharmaceutical companies to analyze the impact of Trump’s tariff measures and offer assistance.
  • Companies: Johnson & Johnson, Roche, and AstraZeneca, leaders in drugs for rare diseases.

Biomedicine

  • Lily’s weight-loss pill. Lilly has shown promising results with an anti-obesity pill, with essentially the same results as the popular injections for treating obesity and diabetes.
  • Chinese patients are swapping human doctors for clones of famous doctors. A Chinese company (Ant Group, a subsidiary of Alibaba) is making clones of the country’s top 100 doctors available, who can answer questions 24 hours a day.
  • They are creating “glasses” that use AI to guide blind people. A new visual aid makes it possible to interpret external information and guide blind people.

Global Health

  • WHO members, without the US, reach an agreement on the Pandemic Treaty. Member states approved the Treaty, without US participation, following Trump’s announcement of his withdrawal from the WHO. The US is also not expected to ratify the Treaty. The approved Treaty is more limited in scope than the one previously presented.
  • The US withdrawal from the WHO. NEJM article: How President Trump is weakening global health. The decision will have catastrophic effects on domestic and global health.

International Health Policy

  • Trump takes the first step toward imposing tariffs on chips and pharmaceuticals, goods that had been exempt from the tariffs approved on April 2. In the case of medicines, Trump has argued that the tariffs should be applied to strengthen American drug production.
  • Trump intends to lower drug prices through Medicare and some imports. What he proposes is to make it easier for states to import drugs from Canada. But the executive order overrides all regulations governing drug price negotiations with Medicare, passed during the Biden Administration. It is estimated that this could lead to a significant increase in drug prices.
  • The British Supreme Court answers the question of what constitutes a woman. According to the Court, for the purposes of the Equality Act, which covers discrimination in employment, education, and public services, the term “woman” refers to a biological woman. This overrides legislation that allowed a person to be declared “female” with sex dysphoria or by declaration of two doctors.

National Health Policy (Spain)

  • Illa meets with representatives of the pharmaceutical industry and offers support against Trump’s tariffs. The meeting, which was also attended by the Regional Minister of Health, Olga Pané, was attended by representatives of the pharmaceutical companies Boehringer Ingelheim Spain, Sandoz, Amgen, Menarini, Almirall, Ferrer, Esteve, Grifols, Reig Jofre, Chiesi Spain, Kern Pharma, Merck Sharp and Dohme Spain, Farmaindustria, and Biosim. Illa informed them that the Responem Plan promoted by the Catalan government establishes monitoring mechanisms to be able to “react effectively.”
  • Olga Pané’s roadmap for reforming Catalan healthcare. The healthcare measures are included in the Government Plan for the 15th Legislature and consist of six objectives and 63 measures.
  • Pané will reform the critical patient care model. A governance model is established for the entire critical care system in Catalonia.

Companies

  • International
    • Johnson & Johnson, Roche, and AstraZeneca will lead the way in treatments for rare diseases by 2030. In that year, medications for rare diseases will represent a fifth of prescription drug sales, according to Evaluate.
  • National
    • If current trends continue, the hospital pharmaceutical market will surpass the prescription market in five years, according to the FEFE Drug Observatory.

Biomedicine

  • Nature editorial: Let’s not rush into promising stem cell therapies. It’s important that these therapies, including others for Parkinson’s, not reach the clinic too quickly until we are assured of the highest standards of safety and efficacy (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01176-y)
  • What to know about Lilly’s weight-loss pill. Lilly has shown promising results with an anti-obesity pill, with essentially the same results as popular injections for treating obesity and diabetes (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/17/health/weight-loss-pill-eli-lilly.html)
  • The race to transform brain waves into intelligible language. Neuroscientists are fighting to give voice to brain waves (https://www.ft.com/content/9c21afa6-bd1e-4edb-867d-e6c3067ae486)
  • A new weapon against gonorrhea, after 30 years without new therapeutic alternatives. An antibiotic discovered to treat urinary tract infections could also be useful for treating gonorrhea (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2025/04/14/67fa87c8e4d4d84b4a8b45b1.html)
  • A key mechanism in the aggressiveness of pancreatic cancer has been identified. Pancreatic cancer appears to build a wall around itself, helping it hide from the immune system and continue to grow unabated (https://elpais.com/salud-y-bienestar/2025-04-15/identificado-un-mecanismo-clave-en-la-agresividad-del-cancer-de-pancreas.html). Access the original article: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2424051122
  • Chinese patients are swapping human doctors for clones of famous doctors. A Chinese company (Ant Group, a subsidiary of Alibaba) is making clones of the country’s top 100 doctors available, who can answer questions 24 hours a day (https://www.elconfidencial.com/tecnologia/novaceno/2025-04-20/china-medicos-inteligencia-artificial-famosos_4110118/).
  • LSD to treat schizophrenia. An analogue of this drug is being developed, but without hallucinogenic potential (https://www.abc.es/salud/enfermedades/lsd-tratar-esquizofrenia-20250415111947-nt.html).
  • Initial success of two stem cell transplants against Parkinson’s disease (https://elpais.com/ciencia/2025-04-16/exito-inicial-de-dos-trasplantes-de-celulas-madre-contra-el-parkinson.html). Access the original article in Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08700-0
  • The blood test that warns if melanoma recurs (https://www.abc.es/salud/enfermedades/test-sangre-avisa-reaparece-melanoma-20250416003300-nt.html)
  • They create “glasses” that use AI to guide blind people. A new visual aid allows interpreting external information and guiding blind people (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2025/04/14/67fb9d6dfdddff0b438b4588.html)

Global Health

  • NEJM article: The US withdrawal from the WHO. How President Trump is weakening global health. The decision will have catastrophic effects on domestic and global health (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2501790
  • Microplastics have not yet earned their bad reputation. Although there are some worrying results, we still do not know the full impact of microplastics (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/04/16/microplastics-have-not-yet-earned-their-bad-reputation)
  • Nature editorial: Now is the time to track drug-resistant fungal infections. Research efforts must be made to combat fungal pathogens (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01177-x)
  • WHO members reach agreement on the Pandemic Treaty. Member states approved the Treaty, without the participation of The United States, following Trump’s announcement of its withdrawal from the WHO, is also not expected to ratify the Treaty. The approved Treaty is more limited in scope than the one previously presented. “It shows that with or without the United States, the world recognizes that pandemics require global solidarity,” said Nina Schwalbe, an international consultant involved in the approval (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/16/health/pandemic-treaty-who.html).
  • Measles outbreaks in Canada and Mexico carry a poor prognosis (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/17/health/measles-texas-mexico-canada.html).
  • The UN is working to protect the rights of older persons with an international convention. The idea is to launch an instrument that prevents discrimination based on age, such as access to healthcare (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-04-17/la-onu-trabaja-para-proteger-los-derechos-de-las-personas-mayores-con-una-convencion-internacional.html)

International Health Policy

  • Trump’s Trade War and Its Impact on Healthcare
    • Trump takes the first step toward imposing tariffs on chips and pharmaceuticals, goods that had been exempt from the tariffs approved on April 2. In the case of medications, Trump has argued that tariffs should be applied to strengthen American drug production (https://elpais.com/internacional/2025-04-14/trump-da-el-primer-paso-para-imponer-aranceles-a-los-chips-y-los-productos-farmaceuticos.html)
  • USA
    • Trump intends to lower drug prices through Medicare and some imports. What he proposes is to make it easier for states to import medications from Canada. But the executive order overrides all regulations for drug price negotiations with Medicare, approved during the Biden administration. It is estimated that this could mean a significant increase in drug prices (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/15/health/trump-executive-order-prescription-drug-pricing.html)
    • Trump declares on his website that the origin of COVID was a laboratory leak (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/18/science/trump-covid-website-lab-leak.html)
    • The Trump Administration proposes severe cuts to the Department of Health. The cuts would total $40 billion and would defund dozens of programs, including those for autism, teen pregnancy, lead poisoning, opioid recovery, and rural hospitals. The cuts initially spare Medicare and Medicaid (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/17/us/politics/trump-administration-proposes-health-department-cuts.html)
    • Just as fentanyl deaths decline, meth is coming from Maine. This powerful stimulant keeps users sleepless for days and can trigger psychosis and violence (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/16/health/meth-maine-fentanyl.html)
  • United Kingdom and the National Health Service
    • The British Supreme Court answers the question of what constitutes a woman. According to the Court, for the purposes of the Equality Act, which covers discrimination in employment, education, and public services, the term “woman” refers to a biological woman. This overturns legislation that allowed a person to be declared a “woman” with gender dysphoria or by declaration by two doctors (https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/04/16/what-is-a-woman-britains-supreme-court-gives-its-answer)
    • Chinese researchers revealed to have access to half a million medical records of British primary care physicians (GPs) (https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/apr/15/revealed-chinese-researchers-access-half-a-million-uk-gp-records)
    • British hospitals introduce heart failure treatments that reduce mortality by 62%. The treatment consists of higher doses of drugs at the beginning of treatment (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/apr/16/hospitals-britain-heart-failure-treatment)

National Health Policy

  • Central Administration Initiatives
    • Prohibition of serving sugary foods and pastries in school cafeterias. This is the announcement of a law, which will have to be approved (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2025/04/15/67fe4edfe4d4d87d778b45bc-video.html)
    • The Ministry has several open fronts: from the Drug Law to the Framework Statute, with the strong opposition of the pharmaceutical sector and medical groups (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20250419/frentes-abiertos-sanidad-ley-medicamento-estatuto-marco/1003743716001_0.html)
    • The Ministry expects the Public Health Agency to be completed in a month and a half (https://gacetamedica.com/politica/agencia-salud-publica-hecha-congreso-padilla/)
  • Autonomous community initiatives
    • La Rioja manages to retain 84% of its population their family MIRs (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/la-rioja/rioja-logra-retener-84-sus-mir-en-medicina-familiar-comunitaria-plan-funciona_157153_102.html)
    • The surgical wait time at the SACYL: the best figure in the last five years (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/castilla-y-leon/espera-quirurgica-en-sacyl-presenta-mejor-cifra-ultimos-cinco-anos-81dias_157191_102.html)
    • Implementation of the Unified Medical Record Viewer in the Canary Islands (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/canarias/canarias-concluye-la-implantacion-del-visor-de-historia-clinica-unificada-6355)
    • Illa receives representatives of the pharmaceutical sector and offers support against Trump’s tariffs. The meeting, which also included the Regional Minister of Health, Olga Pané, was attended by representatives from the pharmaceutical companies Boehringer Ingelheim Spain, Sandoz, Amgen, Menarini, Almirall, Ferrer, Esteve, Grifols, Reig Jofre, Chiesi Spain, Kern Pharma, Merck Sharp and Dohme Spain, Farmaindustria, and Biosim. Illa informed them that the Responem Plan promoted by the Catalan government establishes monitoring mechanisms to be able to “react effectively.” (https://diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/illa-recibe-representantes-sector-farmaceutico-ofrece-apoyos-frente-aranceles-trump.html)
    • Olga Pané’s roadmap for reforming the Catalan healthcare system. The healthcare measures are included in the Government Plan for the 15th Legislature and consist of six objectives and 63 measures (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/cataluna/los-6-objetivos-y-63-medidas-de-pane-para-reformar-la-sanidad-catalana-3145). Government Plan: https://govern.cat/govern/docs/Seguiment_Pladegovern.pdf
    • Pané will reform the critical patient care model. A governance model is established for the entire critical care system in Catalonia (https://diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/cataluna-pane-reformara-modelo-atencion-paciente-critico.html)
  • “Not to do” policies
    • 23 hospitals join forces to implement ineffective or harmful measures. The initiative has managed to reduce blood transfusions and preoperative examinations by half (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-04-16/23-hospitales-se-unen-para-dejar-de-hacer-cosas-ineficaces-o-que-pueden-perjudicar-al-paciente.html)
  • Healthcare, the second most pressing issue
    • According to the CIS (National Institute of Statistics and Census), healthcare is the second most pressing issue for Spaniards, surpassing housing. The report highlights that citizens perceive the National Health System to be deficient. Many frequent patient complaints tend to include a lack of staff in primary care, waiting times, or access to specialists. All of these problems seem to generate increasing distrust and a general feeling of insecurity regarding the quality and accessibility of healthcare, a factor that directly affects the population’s well-being. (https://gacetamedica.com/politica/cis-sanidad-segundo-problema-afecta-espanoles/)

Companies

  • International News
    • UnitedHealth shares fall 20% after insurers’ profit forecasts (https://www.ft.com/content/a8ab05e8-515f-4f43-9a82-a258bc0073d5)
    • Pfizer halts development of its obesity drug (https://www.ft.com/content/159502e7-0c4b-4024-8b77-33dbcf01fea2)
    • Johnson & Johnson warns that drug tariffs could lead to shortages (https://www.ft.com/content/3d1cebdd-3670-4e8d-9bfc-2a6398ede14b)
    • New drugs expected from the EMA for 2025, from Alzheimer’s to cancer drugs (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2025/04/17/6800d8cdfc6c83ae548b45ad.html)
    • Johnson & Johnson, Roche, and AstraZeneca will lead the treatment of rare diseases by 2030. In that year, drugs for rare diseases will represent a fifth of prescription drug sales, according to Evaluate (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20250417/johnson-astrazeneca-roche-lideraran-mercado-terapias-enfermedades-raras/1003743715267_0.html)
  • National
    • If current trends continue, the hospital pharmaceutical market will surpass the prescription market in five years, according to the FEFE Drug Observatory. (https://elglobalfarma.com/farmacia/si-continuan-las-tendencias-de-crecimiento-actuales-el-mercado-hospitalario-superara-al-de-recetas-en-cinco-anos/)
    • The Ministry of Health will force down prices on neurological therapies, statins, and antacids (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud-bienestar/noticias/13322478/04/25/sanidad-forzara-precios-a-la-baja-en-terapias-neurologicas-estatinas-o-antiacidos.html)
    • Cinfa increases its sales by 10% and consolidates its leadership in the pharmacy channel (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud-bienestar/noticias/13315995/04/25/cinfa-sube-sus-ventas-un-10-en-2024-y-consolida-su-liderazgo-en-el-canal-farmacia.html)

This post is also available in: Spanish