7 days in healthcare (October 6th-12th, 2025)

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Summary

The most impactful health news of the week were:

  • Biomedicine: Chinese doctors perform the first pig-to-human liver transplant.
  • Global Health: The burden of global cancer: progress, projections, and challenges.
  • International Health Policy: What do Trump’s agreements with pharmaceutical companies mean?
  • National Health Policy: The government launches an ideological offensive on healthcare.
  • Business: HM Hospitals will open four new centers in Malaga, Barcelona, ​​and Madrid before 2030.

Biomedicine

  • Chinese doctors perform the first pig-to-human liver transplant. They transplanted a section of a genetically modified pig’s liver into a cancer patient, detecting no signs of rejection.
  • The Nobel Prize in Medicine rewards three scientists for research into what prevents the immune system from attacking its own body: Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi.
  • Initial clues to cancer found in changes in blood proteins. Scientists have found a way to raise the alarm about the risk of certain diseases by monitoring the levels of thousands of blood proteins.

Global Health

  • The burden of global cancer: progress, projections, and challenges. The study published in The Lancet examines 47 types of cancer in 204 groups of countries and territories. Cancers of the trachea, bronchus, and lung were the leading cause of death, followed by colorectal, stomach, breast, and esophagus.
  • Vaping is triggering a new era of nicotine addiction. The WHO says at least 15 million children globally are addicted to vaping and accuses the tobacco industry of recruiting more customers through these new products. E-cigarettes are creating new nicotine addicts. Studies have suggested that e-cigarettes can damage blood vessels and lung function.

International Health Policy

  • What does Trump’s deal with Pfizer mean for global drug pricing? So far, Trump has secured price agreements with Pfizer and AstraZeneca and promised investment in the US from Roche, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Lilly. However, there is one important restriction: the reductions will not affect all drugs. Furthermore, Trump’s agreements are not based on regulation, but on the power of pressure and threats. It is doubtful that a stable future can be built on these foundations.
  • The British government is prepared to pay more for drugs purchased by the NHS. The government is willing to pay up to 25% more for medicines to curb the flight of companies from the United Kingdom. This demonstrates the strength of the pharmaceutical industry and the British government’s high value on having an innovative biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry.

National Health Policy (Spain)

  • The government launches an ideological offensive on healthcare. Abortion, waiting lists, so-called “privatization,” and the breast cancer screening scandal in Andalusia are the topics chosen for confrontation in the healthcare sector. All of this demonstrates the government’s desire to put healthcare at the forefront of political confrontation.
  • The government approves medical cannabis for the treatment of epilepsy and multiple sclerosis. Dispensing will be done by specialist doctors in hospital settings.
  • Madrid will become the first city in the world with four proton therapy teams. La Paz and Fuenlabrada, with public facilities, will follow the private Quirón and CUN. It is difficult to assess this situation. On the one hand, it is supposed to provide opportunities, but on the other, it is difficult to forget the recent report by the Catalan Agency for Healthcare Quality on the lack of value proton therapy provides compared to other therapies. A case worth following.
  • The scandal of the failed breast cancer screenings in Andalusia. Dozens of women in Andalusia are joining forces to take legal action against the failures of breast cancer screenings. The lawyer for Amama, the association that represents women who suffered delays in screening, says they will file individual and collective lawsuits. This scandal erodes Juanma Moreno’s image. A very difficult challenge considering that the regional elections are less than a year and a half away. Until now, the Andalusian regional government’s healthcare policy under the PP has included very negative elements, such as the dismantling of public healthcare companies and the conversion of all their previously employed staff to statutory contracts. On the other hand, the president’s swift reaction and his commitment to transparency are commendable. It must be difficult with a PP without a well-known healthcare policy, which leaves healthcare at the mercy of regional franchises. 
  • Ayuso intensifies the abortion controversy by refusing to comply with the law regarding the list of objectors, citing constitutional rights and international treaties.
  • Civismo Foundation report on the economic impact of absenteeism at work. Every day, 1.5 million Spaniards do not go to work, 1.2 million of whom are on sick leave, with an impact on GDP exceeding 3%.

Companies

  • International
    • AstraZeneca could initiate a stock market exodus from London to New York. Other pharmaceutical companies could continue with their decision to list on Wall Street.
  • National
    • HM Hospitals will open four new centers in Malaga, Barcelona, ​​and Madrid before 2030. According to its president: “Our first priority is to continue investing, whether organically or non-organically, in the regions where we already operate. Having an isolated hospital in Cuenca is not part of our expansion policy; it does not provide us with synergies.” The HM Hospitals growth model is worthy of study in business schools.
    • Myths and realities of drug tariffs in the EU: they are not in force, but could be applied tomorrow. Trump’s back-and-forth with tariffs has created a situation of high uncertainty for the innovative pharmaceutical industry.

Biomedicine

  • The Nobel Prize in Medicine rewards three scientists for research into what prevents the immune system from attacking the body itself: Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi (https://www.ft.com/content/b4428ec4-168e-476f-b6db-0ba20df2bf96)
  • Chinese doctors perform the first pig-to-human liver transplant. They transplanted a section of a genetically modified pig’s liver into a cancer patient, detecting no signs of rejection (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/health/chinese-surgeons-first-pig-human-liver-transplant.html). Access the original article in the Journal of Hepatology: https://www.journal-of-hepatology.eu/article/S0168-8278(25)02497-3/fulltext
  • Early clues to cancer found in blood protein changes. Scientists have found a way to raise an alarm about the risk of certain diseases by monitoring the levels of thousands of blood proteins (https://www.ft.com/content/e3fc8557-de39-4fdd-b195-dad341ab9c07)
  • Financial Times editorial: The transformative potential of AI in healthcare. AI can transform healthcare and patient outcomes: 1. Through earlier disease detection; 2. The technology can analyze X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs, as well as facilitate robotic surgery; and 3. The ability to reduce administrative burden. Accelerating the adoption of AI in healthcare should be a priority for governments worldwide (https://www.ft.com/content/83f18513-137e-4b9c-8c7b-b0b45e0d7e39)
  • Nanoparticle therapy reverses Alzheimer’s disease in mice. An innovative experiment explores the treatment of Alzheimer’s by modulating the blood-brain barrier. This required only three injections of nanoparticles, which acted as bioactive substances, not mere vectors for a therapeutic molecule. These “supramolecular drugs” restored the blood-brain barrier to proper function, resulting in a recovery from the disease’s symptoms in the animals. (https://www.abc.es/salud/enfermedades/terapia-nanoparticulas-revierte-alzheimer-ratones-20251007145204-nt.html)

Global Health

  • The burden of global cancer: progress, projections, and challenges. The study published in The Lancet examines 47 types of cancer in 204 groups of countries and territories. Cancers of the trachea, bronchus, and lung were the leading cause of death, followed by colorectal, stomach, breast, and esophageal cancers (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01570-3/fulltext). Access the original article: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01635-6/abstract
  • The withdrawal of American aid: a new era of HIV in Malawi. The government is trying to recover the diagnostic and treatment efforts that disappeared after the withdrawal of American aid, which is difficult given the situation of public finances (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)02059-8/fulltext)
  • Vaping is triggering a new era of nicotine addiction. The WHO says at least 15 million children globally are addicted to vaping and accuses the tobacco industry of recruiting more customers through these new products. E-cigarettes are creating new nicotine addicts. Studies have suggested that e-cigarettes can damage blood vessels and lung function (https://www.ft.com/content/63d9b683-f825-438e-aa34-f85eca2de4ed)
  • Nearly 55,000 children in Gaza are suffering from malnutrition, including 12,800 in severe condition, due to the blockade of humanitarian aid, according to The Lancet (https://www.elespanol.com/mundo/oriente-proximo/20251009/ninos-padecen-desnutricion-aguda-gaza-due-blocko-ayuda-humanitaria-the-lancet/1003743960773_0.html)

International Health Policy

  • USA
    • Trump announces a price agreement with AstraZeneca. With the agreement, AstraZeneca commits to selling to Medicaid at prices similar to those in Europe. The agreement follows that with Pfizer last week (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/health/trump-drug-prices-astrazeneca.html)
    • The agreement with AstraZeneca is aimed at lowering prices in exchange for a tariff reduction. Trump boasts that the AstraZeneca CEO wouldn’t be there (in the Oval Office) if it weren’t for the potential tariffs (https://www.ft.com/content/bec69a41-7ff5-4071-9afc-7dd89b4ae088)
    • What does Trump’s agreement with Pfizer mean for global drug pricing? So far, Trump has secured price agreements with Pfizer and AstraZeneca and promised investments in the US from Roche, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Lilly. However, there is an important caveat: the reductions will not affect all drugs (https://www.ft.com/content/92f309c8-f4d2-441b-8e48-507f640c6ee4)
    • Pfizer guarantees Trump a $70 billion investment in the coming years “to bring production back home” (https://diariofarma.com/2025/10/01/pfizer-garantiza-a-trump-una-inversion-de-70-000-millones-en-los-proximos-anos-para-devolver-la-produccion-a-casa)
    • Trump pushes pharmaceutical companies to raise drug prices in Europe to lower them in the US (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-10-06/trump-empuja-a-las-farmaceuticas-a-subir-los-precios-de-los-medicamentos-en-europa-para-bajarlos-en-ee-uu.html)
  • United Kingdom
    • The government is prepared to pay more for medicines purchased by the NHS. The government is willing to pay up to 25% more for medicines to curb the flight of companies from the UK (https://www.ft.com/content/dd11cc82-a558-4012-9f33-ea5bf8e250ce)
  • France
    • France among the countries most affected by cancer in the world. According to the study published in The Lancet, France and Monaco are the countries with the highest number of cancers per 100,000 inhabitants. Alcohol, tobacco, and possibly also environmental pollution are at the root of this problem (https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2025/10/10/cancer-pourquoi-la-france-fait-partie-des-pays-les-plus-touches-au-monde_6645641_3244.html)
  • European Union
    • The Trump effect on pharmaceuticals: they will be more expensive and delayed in the EU (https://www.larazon.es/salud/efecto-trump-farmacos-seran-mas-caros-tardios_2025101268e7e2640e3c6c50982dcdaf.html)
    • European strategic autonomy requires funding, as has been done in China and the United States. As was made clear at the BioSpain meeting, if Europe wants to achieve strategic autonomy in medicines, it will have to invest millions, just as the US and China have done (https://diariofarma.com/2025/10/09/la-autonomia-estrategica-europea-requiere-fondos-como-se-ha-hecho-en-china-y-ee-uu)
    • Myths and realities of drug tariffs: they are not in effect, but could be implemented tomorrow. Trump’s back and forth on tariffs has created a situation of high uncertainty for the innovative pharmaceutical industry. (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20251011/mitos-realidades-aranceles-medicamentos-no-vigor-trump-podria-activarlos-manana/1003743963614_0.html)

National Health Policy

  • General Health Policy
    • The government launches an ideological offensive against the PP barons for privatizing healthcare and education. Abortion, waiting lists, so-called “privatization,” and the breast cancer screening scandal in Andalusia are the topics chosen for confrontation in the healthcare sector (https://elpais.com/espana/2025-10-08/el-gobierno-va-a-la-ofensiva-ideologica-contra-el-pp-por-la-privatizacion-de-la-sanidad-y-la-educacion-hay-que-recuperar-el-ascensor-social.html)
  • Central Administration Initiatives
    • The Government approves medical cannabis to treat epilepsy and multiple sclerosis. Dispensing will be done by specialist doctors in hospital settings (https://theobjective.com/sanidad/2025-10-07/gobierno-aprueba-cannabis-medicinal/)
    • The government approves direct aid of 100 euros for children under 16 years of age for glasses and contact lenses. Beneficiaries will be able to access the benefit through participating entities, mainly opticians (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2025/10/07/68e533a5fdddffbb128b4589.html)
    • The Ministry of Health will request information from all autonomous communities about breast screenings (https://www.larazon.es/andalucia/sanidad-pedira-todas-comunidades-informacion-sus-cribados-cancer-mama_2025100768e545ef0e3c6c509826f08b.html)
  • Initiatives from autonomous communities
    • The Madrid healthcare system supports 190,000 irregular immigrants, almost double the number from two years ago. This number of people is equivalent to the population of cities in southwest Madrid such as Leganés or Fuenlabrada (https://www.vozpopuli.com/espana/politica/el-sistema-de-salud-madrileno-soporta-190000-inmigrantes-irregulares-casi-el-doble-que-hace-dos-anos.html)
    • Junts will request that 80% of medical places be reserved for Catalan students. They also want the C1 Catalan certificate to be mandatory for all professionals two years after starting work (https://theobjective.com/espana/cataluna/2025-10-07/junts-80-plazas-medicina-catalanes/)
    • Madrid makes hospitals available to care for Gazan children (https://theobjective.com/sanidad/2025-10-06/madrid-hospitales-disposicion-sanidad-ninos-gazaties/)
    • Navarra and Asturias reduce contracts with the Israeli pharmaceutical company Teva (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/navarra/navarra-revisa-contratos-con-la-empresa-israeli-teva-y-promete-sustituirlos-cuando-haya-alternativa.html)
  • Proton Therapy
    • Madrid will become the first city in the world with four proton therapy units. La Paz and Fuenlabrada, with public facilities, will follow the private Quirón and CUN (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/c-madrid/madrid-se-convertira-en-la-unica-ciudad-del-mundo-con-cuatro-dispositivos-de-protonterapia-2025-10-06-2025-10-06.html)
  • Crisis in Andalusian healthcare due to breast cancer screening
    • Dozens of women in Andalusia are joining forces to bring the breast cancer screening scandal to justice. The lawyer for Amama, the association that represents women who suffered delays in screening, says they will file individual and collective lawsuits (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-10-07/decenas-de-mujeres-se-unen-para-llevar-a-la-justicia-el-escandalo-de-las-mamografias-nadie-las-habia-escuchado.html).
    • The screening scandal erodes Juanma Moreno’s image. A very difficult test considering that the regional elections are less than a year and a half away (https://elpais.com/expres/2025-10-12/el-escandalo-de-los-cribados-de-cancer-pone-a-prueba-la-imagen-de-juanma-moreno.html)
    • Editorial in El País: Resign, but also explain (https://elpais.com/opinion/2025-10-11/dimitir-pero-tambien-explicar.html)
    • Andalusia creates a breast cancer unit in Seville (https://diariofarma.com/2025/10/09/andalucia-crea-una-unidad-de-refuerzo-en-sevilla-para-el-cancer-de-mama-y-aplicara-la-ia-a-los-cribados)
  • Controversy over abortions
    • Ayuso intensifies the abortion controversy, by refusing to comply with the law regarding the list of objectors, invoking constitutional rights and international treaties (https://gacetamedica.com/politica/ayuso-obligara-sanitarios-practicar-aborto/)
  • Palliative care
    • Spain, at the bottom of the list of advanced countries in palliative care, behind Uganda and Thailand. Spain ranks 28th in the analysis of 192 countries. The top spots are occupied by Germany, the Netherlands, Taiwan, Austria, and Norway. The study was prepared by the Atlantes Observatory of the University of Navarra, endorsed by the WHO (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-10-08/espana-esta-a-la-cola-de-los-paises-avanzados-en-cuidados-paliativos-por-detras-de-uganda-o-tailandia.html)
  • Workplace absenteeism
    • Civismo Foundation report on the economic impact of workplace absenteeism. Every day, 1.5 million Spaniards do not go to work, 1.2 million of whom are on sick leave, with an impact on GDP exceeding 3% (https://civismo.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2025.09-CASME-Informe-Absentismo-FCivismo.pdf)
  • Eye health
    • Spain is close to failing in eye health and well-being. The eye condition of Spaniards scores 5.23 out of 10, according to the 5th Eye Health and Well-being Barometer, published by Miranza (https://www.elmundo.es/uestudio/2025/10/08/68e638e921efa0ea6d8b45dc.html).

Companies

  • International
    • AstraZeneca’s hypertension drug is successful in the final phase of the trial. Baxdostrat meets targets for patients with resistant hypertension and could generate sales of US$5,000 per year (https://www.ft.com/content/2bd9690e-8e1a-4c3f-b00f-0aeeccccefcb).
    • AstraZeneca could trigger a stock market exodus from London to New York. Other pharmaceutical companies may also follow their decision to list on Wall Street (https://cincodias.elpais.com/opinion/2025-10-08/astrazeneca-puede-iniciar-un-exodo-bursatil-de-londres-a-nueva-york.html)
    • AstraZeneca signs a $555 million agreement on AI for the identification of immunological targets, with the idea of ​​having an AI partner for drug development (https://www.ft.com/content/c4b5153f-be07-454d-911f-31bb011f09ae)
    • NovoNordisk’s agreement to acquire the American biotech company Akero, specializing in liver diseases, for $5 billion takes it beyond obesity. (https://www.ft.com/content/90c2bcd9-1706-4869-aeff-96c6befd9609)
  • National
    • HM Hospitals will open four new centers in Malaga, Barcelona, ​​and Madrid before 2030. According to its president: “Our first priority is to continue investing, whether organic or non-organic, in the regions where we already operate. Having an isolated hospital in Cuenca is not part of our expansion policy; it doesn’t provide us with synergies.” (https://theobjective.com/economia/2025-10-11/hm-hospitales-cinco-nuevos-centros-malaga-barcelona-madrid/)
    • Pharmaceutical companies express their concern to the government about Trump, whose arrival is disrupting the political landscape in the world of medicines. (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20251005/pone-espada-pared-farmaceuticas-trasladan-gobierno-preocupacion-trump/1003743954294_0.html)
    • Anti-smoking drugs have fallen by double digits in one year in Spanish pharmacies (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud-bienestar/noticias/13578453/10/25/los-farmacos-antitabaco-pierden-fuerza-y-caen-a-doble-digito-en-ingresos.html)

This post is also available in: Spanish