Summary

The week’s most impactful health news stories were:

• Biomedicine: James Watson, co-discoverer of the helical structure of DNA, dies at 97.
• Global Health: Why the Belem COP summit must drive action against climate change.
• International Health Policy: Trump announces an agreement to lower the price of anti-obesity drugs to a maximum of $149 per month.
• National Health Policy: Obesity costs Spain €130 billion per year.
• Business: Ribera remains the final candidate to acquire the Benidorm Clinical Hospital group.

Biomedicine

• James Watson, co-discoverer of the helical structure of DNA, dies at 97. The American biochemist, along with Briton Francis Crick, was responsible for the most important biological discovery of the 20th century. James Watson made contributions to genetics and cancer research throughout his life.
• Radiation may be unnecessary in many breast cancers, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.
• The brain atlas reveals genetic risks for cancer and mental illness.

Global Health

• Why the Belem COP summit must drive action against climate change. Delegates at the Brazil Conference must push for agreements to develop a low-carbon economy. There is no Planet B.
• Abandoning the WHO and defunding USAID. A harsh article against the current US administration published in the American Journal of Medicine.

International Health Policy

• Trump announces an agreement to lower the price of anti-obesity drugs to a maximum of $149 per month. The agreement is with Lilly and Novo Nordisk.
• Healthcare costs in the US are rising rapidly. Costs for those covered through an insurer have increased 8.5% this year, according to PwC. Similar increases affect insurance purchased through Obamacare.
• The Chinese life sciences industry is overtaking the American one. Meanwhile, the US is abandoning its winning formula.
• Vaping has surpassed smoking in the UK for the first time. 5.4 million vapers, compared to 4.9 million smokers.
• The UK must pay more for medicines or companies will leave the country, says the US envoy. The warning comes directly from US Ambassador Warren Stephens.

National Health Policy (Spain)

• Obesity costs Spain €130 billion a year. The analysis quantifies the cost of the 18 diseases linked to obesity.
• The Ministry of Health has given the PP-governed regions one month to submit screening data before taking legal action. However, it is unlikely that things will escalate, as the Ministry has accepted the proposal from the PP councilors to hold a new Interterritorial Council meeting, following their major blunder of refusing to provide information on the screenings, citing certain technicalities. It is great news that the SAS professional unions are not joining the “white tide” protest against President Juanma Moreno.

Companies

• International
  • Pfizer wins the bid against Novo Nordisk for €10 billion for the start-up Metsera.

• National
  • Ribera emerges as the final candidate to acquire the Hospital Clínico Benidorm group. Their offer was selected after a process involving several candidates.
  • Madrid, Málaga, and Barcelona dominate the opening of private hospitals. A dozen new developments are projected by 2028.

Biomedicine

• James Watson, co-discoverer of the helical structure of DNA, dies at 97. The American biochemist, along with Briton Francis Crick, was responsible for the most important biological discovery of the 20th century. James Watson made contributions to genetics and cancer research throughout his life (https://www.ft.com/content/283fc6c1-8de8-422c-9cf6-5b7971f42436)
• mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 may enhance the effects of immunotherapy. Patients who received the vaccine within 100 days of starting cancer immunotherapy benefited from increased survival and slower disease progression (https://www.bmj.com/content/391/bmj.r2245)
• Can dopamine reboot the brain? Dopamine is not just the “pleasure drug,” but has other important functions (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/10/31/can-a-dopamine-detox-reset-your-brain)
• Radiation may be unnecessary in many breast cancers (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/health/breast-cancer-radiation.html) Original article in the New England Journal of Medicine: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2412225
• The brain atlas reveals genetic risks for cancer and mental illness (https://www.ft.com/content/c370aca1-d00f-447a-9679-b4275ba40688) Original article in Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09652-1.epdf?sharing_token=FVButLmtPomHNfvcqd8Ga9RgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0NNU-pgHg4IN6Hg57R5fB1bGzjdB76kH6y7av2_ws2XGhlQiePPnp3O8TWBYtaVY9FvbjTObb0E18bvJU5QxG7ZtWGnGmfEx8iZCGgrwzKJNBqu7kagu6BNPl3bIOR9zymOZYiZrn4fQX7S-
• AI-engineered antibodies promise a major breakthrough in new drug development. A team at the University of Washington is using generative AI to create new cancer antibodies (https://www.ft.com/content/328a3211-6f2f-471e-b7bd-eb3c1a768f1c)
• Taking 5,000 steps a day may help slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (https://www.ft.com/content/91fce803-976a-442d-9798-931a076a94aa). Access the original publication in Nature Medicine: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-025-03955-6
• Small exercise “snacks”: the new recipe against sedentary lifestyles (https://elpais.com/salud-y-bienestar/enformate/2025-11-04/pequenos-snacks-de-ejercicio-la-nueva-receta-contra-el-sedentarismo.html). Access the original article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254625000705
• Hans Clevers: “Organoids predict with 85% accuracy whether a drug is useful against cancer” (https://www.larazon.es/salud/hans-clevers-organoides-predicen-85-acierto-farmaco-util-frente-cancer_20251103690399729de7280e3d374855.html)

Global Health

• Trying to understand the health risks of drone warfare. The use of drones as a weapon of war began under Obama. Russia is said to launch 5,400 drone attacks on Ukraine per month. Although there are no exact figures, it is estimated that drones are responsible for 70% of military casualties (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)02261-5/fulltext)
• Why the Belem COP summit must drive action against climate change. Delegates at the Brazil Conference must push for agreements to develop a low-carbon economy. There is no Planet B (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03567-7)
• Abandoning the WHO and defunding USAID. A scathing article against the current US administration published in the American Journal of Medicine (https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(25)00401-2/fulltext)
• How a warmer world is making pregnancies riskier. Some scientists link global warming to the increasingly frequent adverse events during pregnancy (https://www.ft.com/content/a6a08a27-2d21-4e6b-be9f-1846d2c4ac18)
• Trump as a threat to global health. An important podcast from Le Monde, highly critical of Trump and Kennedy (https://podcasts.lemonde.fr/lheure-du-monde/202511030300-comment-trump-menace-la-sante-mondiale)

International Health Policy

• USA
  • Healthcare costs in the USA are rising rapidly. Costs for those covered through an insurer have increased by 8.5% this year, according to PwC. Similar increases are affecting insurance purchased through Obamacare (https://www.economist.com/united-states/2025/11/06/americas-health-care-costs-are-shooting-up)
  • What Trump’s deal to lower obesity drug prices means for citizens. The agreement varies greatly in price depending on the type of product, dosage, and payment method (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/health/trump-obesity-drug-prices-explainer.html)
  • Trump announces a deal to lower the price of anti-obesity drugs to a maximum of $149 per month. The agreement is with Lilly and Novo Nordisk (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/health/obesity-drug-prices-trump.html)
  • Big Food Companies’ war against Kennedy is heating up, against the proposed labeling system and other regulations (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/health/rfk-big-food-companies-maha.html)

• China
  • The Chinese life sciences industry is overtaking the American one. Meanwhile, the US is abandoning its winning formula (https://www.economist.com/business/2025/11/06/chinas-life-sciences-industry-is-turning-american)
  • China seeks self-sufficiency in science in the next five-year plan. Beijing wants to make progress primarily in semiconductor technologies, AI, and basic research (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03491-w)

• United Kingdom
  • Why management matters in England’s 10-year Health Plan. Top-level managers and medical leadership are key to the plan’s success (https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/long-reads/why-management-matters-nhs-10-year-plan)
  • What the next NHS Workforce Plan must not ignore. As the government prepares a 10-year HR plan, lessons should be learned from the 2023 plan (https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/plan-b-what-the-forthcoming-nhs-workforce-strategy-should-not-ignore)
  • Medical training in the UK needs major changes. Many bottlenecks that benefit no one (https://www.bmj.com/content/391/bmj.r2251)
  • Vaping surpasses smoking in the UK for the first time. 5.4 million vapers, compared to 4.9 million smokers (https://www.ft.com/content/79f45567-aca2-4f08-8ad7-ecadf6194dcb)
  • Reform of the UK welfare system is inevitable. Benefit reform is essential if very significant tax increases are to be avoided (https://www.ft.com/content/0bd791ae-7172-4352-9392-18bf5e65d572)
  • The UK must pay more for medicines or companies will leave the country, says the US envoy. The warning comes directly from US Ambassador Warren Stephens (https://www.ft.com/content/faca5df6-2485-441f-b285-014e2865491b)
  • NHS productivity is worsening, even as hospital efficiency increases. NHS productivity—measured in terms of services delivered per unit of input, such as staff—was 1.5% lower in the three months to June 2025, compared to the previous year (https://www.ft.com/content/c8ce887a-a2a6-4bbb-a820-8c52a627b3e6)

• France
  • Fears of pharmaceutical deserts are growing. In rural areas, the cessation of pharmacy services is increasing. (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2025/11/02/la-crainte-des-deserts-pharmaceutiques-gagne-les-campagnes-il-en-va-de-notre-qualite-de-vie-en-milieu-rural_6651073_3224.html)

National Health Policy

• Central Government Initiatives
  • The Ministry of Health publishes its mega-contract for vaccines: 25 lots for €1.693 billion (https://diariofarma.com/2025/11/03/sanidad-publica-su-macrocontrato-de-vacunas-para-25-lotes-por-1-693-millones-de-euros)

• Regional Government Initiatives
  • The Amancio Ortega Foundation donates €11.24 million to the National Paraplegic Hospital of Toledo (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2025/11/04/6909c36dfc6c836f258b4575.html)
  • Osakidetza opens the door to manufacturing CAR-T cell therapies in its hospitals (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/pais-vasco/osakidetza-abre-la-puerta-a-fabricar-terapias-car-t-en-sus-hospitales-6120)
  • The three Galician universities have reached a preliminary agreement to decentralize Medicine. The agreement is between the rectors of the Universities of Vigo, A Coruña, and Santiago de Compostela (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/galicia/las-tres-universidades-gallegas-preacuerdan-descentralizar-medicina-9165)
  • Catalonia leads the export of doctors to other Spanish provinces. Barcelona, ​​Lleida, and Tarragona are the largest exporters to other regions (https://www.consalud.es/profesionales/medicina/los-medicos-cambian-de-provincia-mucho-mas-que-antes-cataluna-la-gran-exportadora.html)
  • Castilla y León launches its research strategy in advanced therapies (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/castilla-y-leon/arranca-la-estrategia-de-investigacion-e-innovacion-en-terapias-avanzadas-de-castilla-y-leon.html)
  • Andalusia awards Phase I of its CAR-T project to develop cancer therapies. Funded with €4.2 million from European funds (https://diariofarma.com/2025/11/02/andalucia-adjudica-la-fase-i-de-su-proyecto-car-t-para-desarrollar-terapias-contra-el-cancer)
  • Asturias leads Spain in cancer rates and is projected to reach 8,760 cases by 2050 (https://www.elcomercio.es/asturias/asturias-lidera-tasa-cancer-espana-20251105115404-nt.html)

• Waiting lists
  • The surgical waiting list has decreased slightly, reaching 848,340 patients with an average wait time of 118 minutes. (https://www.consalud.es/pacientes/las-listas-de-espera-quirurgicas-en-espana-dejan-848340-pacientes-y-118-dias-de-espera-media.html). Access the original document from the Ministry of Health: https://www.sanidad.gob.es/estadEstudios/estadisticas/inforRecopilaciones/docs/Datos_ccaa_jun2025.pdf

• Report on Obesity in Spain
  • Obesity costs Spain 130 billion euros per year. The analysis quantifies the cost of the 18 diseases related to obesity (https://elglobalfarma.com/industria/obesidad-cuesta-espana-130-000-millones-ano-carga-economica-oculta/). Access the report “Social Value of the Disease”: https://assets.ctfassets.net/fqfkufria9xc/7gzvV9NTHpcIw4TblybEAa/d1af71fa9f168c14d5fb311b4fd40ae1/Valor_Social_de_la_Obesidad.pdf

• The controversy surrounding breast cancer screening in Andalusia and the plans of the new Andalusian Minister of Health
  • The Ministry of Health gives the PP-governed regions one month to submit screening data before taking legal action (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-11-04/sanidad-requiere-oficialmente-a-las-comunidades-del-pp-que-le-remitan-los-datos-sobre-los-cribados-antes-de-ir-a-los-tribunales.html)
  • The Ministry of Health yields to the request of the PP councilors and convenes an extraordinary Interterritorial Council meeting on November 12 (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/sanidad-cede-peticion-consejeros-pp-convoca-interterritorial-extraordinario-dia-12.html)
  • The professional unions of the Andalusian Health Service (SATSE and CSIF) turn their backs on the White Tide movement and withdraw from their demonstration against Juanma Moreno (https://www.abc.es/espana/andalucia/sindicatos-profesionales-sas-dan-espalda-mareas-blancas-20251106163104-nts.html)

Companies

• International
  • Obesity drugs boost Lilly’s profits (https://www.ft.com/content/32f0dae4-fc82-47df-9170-530562c341a7)
  • Pfizer wins €10 billion bid against Novo Nordisk for start-up Metsera (https://www.ft.com/content/d9f58a26-5395-4acb-8dfc-d55cb53f946e)
  • AI-powered Apple Watch reveals heart damage. Researchers say this early screening to detect structural disease on a large scale (https://www.ft.com/content/4766c95e-9a87-4ec8-9f18-1f54df0ba713)

• National News
  • Semi-public pharmaceutical company Terafront Farmatech will launch its strategic plan before 2026. The company was founded in 2024 (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20251104/farmaceutica-semipublica-terafront-farmatech-lanzara-plan-estrategico/1003743996712_0.html)
  • Echevarne launches a bid for Aspy from Atrys to create a leader in occupational risks (https://www.elconfidencial.com/empresas/2025-11-03/echevarne-lanza-una-oferta-por-aspy-a-atrys-para-crear-el-lider-en-riesgos-laborales_4240173/)
  • Ribera remains the final candidate to purchase the Hospital Clínico Benidorm group. Its offer was chosen after a selection process involving several candidates (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud-bienestar/noticias/13631611/11/25/ribera-salud-se-queda-como-candidato-final-para-la-compra-del-grupo-hospital-clinica-benidorm.html)
  • Madrid, Málaga, and Barcelona dominate the openings of private hospitals. A dozen new hospital developments are projected by 2028 (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud-bienestar/noticias/13628637/11/25/madrid-malaga-y-barcelona-copan-las-aperturas-de-hospitales-privados.html)
  • Analysts back Grifols: Santander and CaixaBank believe it’s worth nearly twice as much (https://cincodias.elpais.com/companias/2025-11-07/los-analistas-respaldan-a-grifols-santander-y-caixabank-creen-que-vale-cerca-del-doble.html)

This post is also available in: Spanish