7 days in healthcare (April 6th-12th, 2026)

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Summary

The week’s most impactful health news stories were:

  • Biomedicine: Sir Demis Hassabis, head of Google DeepMind and winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, wants to automate drug design.
  • Global Health: US-Israeli attacks on Iran have damaged schools and hospitals.
  • International Health Policy: Europe approves only 39% of innovative drugs compared to 85% in the United States.
  • National Health Policy: The Strike Committee rejects the POP as a mediator in the conflict.
  • Business: Pharmaceutical companies are accelerating their efforts in the “obesity market.”

Biomedicine

  • Sir Demis Hassabis, head of Google DeepMind and winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, wants to automate drug design, using AI, to treat all diseases.
  • A cancer treatment that does more than scientists thought. CAR-T therapy, originally developed for cancer, is now applicable to autoimmune diseases.

Global Health

  • How the US-Israeli attacks on Iran have damaged schools and hospitals. The Iranian Red Cross said on April 2 that at least 763 schools and 316 healthcare facilities have been damaged or completely destroyed by the war.
  • Health, the most powerful reason to act against climate change. The scientific evidence is unequivocal. The burning of fossil fuels is responsible for millions of deaths each year, both from the climate risks it exacerbates and from the even more immediate cardiovascular diseases, respiratory illnesses, and cancers associated with the air pollution it generates.

International Health Policy

  • Europe approves only 39% of innovative medicines compared to 85% in the United States, according to a report by the consultancy CRA, commissioned by EFÑPIA (the European pharmaceutical industry association).
  • It is estimated that Long COVID will cost OECD economies $135 billion a year. The reasons are lower productivity, sick leave, and job abandonment.
  • OECD healthcare systems face the challenge of an aging population: spending will increase by 2.8% of GDP by 2050. For the healthcare sector, this has a direct consequence: the need for much better integration of healthcare and coordination with social services.

National Health Policy (Spain)

  • The Strike Committee rejects the Public Health Policy (POP) as a mediator in the conflict, considering that it defends partisan positions and that a mediator should be required to be neutral.
  • Sick leave in Spain reached another record high in 2025 with no solutions in sight. Social Security is seeking an agreement to address the problem with unions and employers, who disagree on the causes of the increase in temporary disability.

Companies

  • International
    • Pharmaceutical companies are accelerating their efforts in the “obesity market.” Novo Nordisk will offer discounts of up to 50% on Wegovy and Ozempic to expand its customer base in the USA. The pharmaceutical company is betting on accessibility to conquer an underserved mass market
  • National News
    • Quirón’s parent company, Fresenius, plans to open new hospitals and expand its centers in Spain during 2026. They anticipate an increase in demand for healthcare services.
    • The “5-star” hospital with which María Cordón wants to change the patient experience. The fully private hospital will operate using reimbursement cards. Located in Pozuelo, it represents an investment of around 100 million euros.

Biomedicine

  • The future of pre-conception health. The current view not only affects women’s health, but also that of the couple from a health and nutrition perspective before conception (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00707-5/fulltext)
  • Sir Demis Hassabis, head of Google DeepMind and winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, wants to automate drug design, using AI, to treat all diseases (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2026/04/09/sir-demis-hassabis-wants-to-automate-drug-design)
  • Mammography should include AI assistance, allowing it to go beyond the capabilities of radiologists. (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00659-8/fulltext)
  • How psychedelics affect the brain. Analysis of hundreds of images shows that psychedelics direct activity in various parts of the brain (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/health/psychedelic-medicine-brain.html)
  • A cancer treatment that does more than scientists thought. CAR-T therapy, originally developed for cancer, is now applicable to autoimmune diseases (https://www.theatlantic.com/science/2026/04/car-t-cell-therapy-autoimmune-disease/686742/)
  • Three new therapies that regenerate joints open the door to new hope for osteoarthritis. These therapies aim to regenerate cartilage (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260408/nuevas-terapias-regeneran-articulaciones-abren-puerta-nueva-esperanza-artrosis/1003744198105_0.html)
  • Why drugs like Ozempic don’t work the same for everyone: age, sex, and genes all play a role. A study identifies genetic variants related to appetite that affect weight loss and the side effects of medications (https://elpais.com/salud-y-bienestar/2026-04-08/por-que-los-farmacos-como-ozempic-no-funcionan-igual-para-todos-influye-la-edad-el-sexo-y-tambien-los-genes.html)
  • Cancer therapy that has achieved remission in three autoimmune diseases (https://www.elconfidencial.com/salud/2026-04-09/terapia-cancer-remision-enfermedades-autoinmunes_4335234/). Access the original document: https://www.cell.com/med/fulltext/S2666-6340(26)00078-4
  • The largest study on the liver warns of the silent damage caused by poor diet and alcohol. One in 60 adults suffers unknowingly from hepatic fibrosis, a condition in which the organ becomes rigid, affecting its function and potentially progressing to cirrhosis and cancer (https://elpais.com/salud-y-bienestar/2026-04-06/el-mayor-estudio-sobre-el-higado-alerta-de-los-estragos-silenciosos-que-de-la-mala-dieta-y-el-alcohol-nunca-me-habia-dolido-nada.html)
  • A “smart eye” that self-medicates and keeps glaucoma at bay has been created. The Terasaki Institute in Los Angeles has been presenting science-fiction contact lenses for years. This time, it’s a polymer device that measures eye pressure and autonomously releases medication to reduce it (https://www.abc.es/salud/ojo-inteligente-medica-mantiene-glaucoma-raya-20260408200247-nt.html)
  • New opportunity for Parkinson’s: deep brain stimulation with 4 electrodes, instead of the traditional two (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/neurocirugia/nueva-oportunidad-parkinson-estimulacion-cerebral-profunda-4-electrodos-vez-2-tradicionales.html)

Global Health

  • Bangladesh launches an emergency vaccination program against the malignant measles epidemic. The death rate is the highest it has been in the last two decades (https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2026/04/05/le-bangladesh-lance-un-programme-de-vaccination-d-urgence-contre-une-epidemie-de-rougeole-meurtriere_6676907_3210.html)
  • How US-Israeli attacks on Iran have damaged schools and hospitals. The Iranian Red Cross said on April 2 that at least 763 schools and 316 healthcare facilities have been damaged or completely destroyed by the war (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/04/09/world/middleeast/us-israel-strikes-iran-structures-damage.html)
  • Health, the most powerful reason to act against climate change. The scientific evidence is unequivocal. The burning of fossil fuels is responsible for millions of deaths each year, both because of the climate risks it exacerbates, and because of the even more immediate cardiovascular diseases, respiratory illnesses and cancers associated with the air pollution it generates (https://elpais.com/opinion/2026-04-10/la-salud-la-razon-mas-poderosa-para-actuar-contra-el-cambio-climatico.html)

International Health Policy

  • USA
    • Trump’s new science advisors include 12 tech executives and one academic. The composition reflects a focus on technology and industry (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00977-z)
  • UK
    • Why the UK can’t pass an assisted dying bill. The bill, passed by the Commons, has been rejected in the House of Lords (https://www.economist.com/britain/2026/04/09/why-cant-britain-pass-an-assisted-dying-bill)
  • Brazil
    • There is little chance of abortion being legalized in Brazil. Other large Latin American countries have legalized or decriminalized this practice (https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2026/04/09/there-is-little-prospect-of-legalising-abortion-in-brazil)
  • Europe
    • Europe only approves 39% of innovative medicines compared to 85% in the United States (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260411/europa-solo-da-luz-verde-medicamentos-innovadores-frente-unidos/1003744201991_0.html) Original report by the consultancy CRA, commissioned by EFPIA (https://www.efpia.eu/media/5mvbnamw/assessing-europe-s-competitiveness-as-a-location-for-the-life-sciences-industry.pdf)
  • OECD
    • Long Covid is estimated to cost OECD economies $135 billion annually. The reasons include reduced productivity, sick leave, and job losses (https://www.ft.com/content/de4463af-093e-43e2-a928-c41429bccde8?syn-25a6b1a6=1). Access the original document: https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2026/03/addressing-the-costs-and-care-for-long-covid_e203e3d0/87a0c171-en.pdf
    • OECD health systems facing the challenge of aging: spending will increase by 2.8% of GDP in 2050. For the health sector, this has a direct consequence: the need to much better integrate healthcare and coordinate with social services (https://www.consalud.es/pacientes/los-sistemas-sanitarios-de-la-ocde-ante-el-reto-del-envejecimiento-el-gasto-aumentara-un-28-del-pib-en-2050.html) Access the original document: https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2026/04/future-long-term-care-expenditure-trajectories-across-oecd-countries_00aa6c05/800aba3e-en.pdf

National Health Policy

  • Central Administration
    • The government is processing the abortion reform as a matter of urgency. The Socialists want the debate in Congress to take place on Thursday, April 30, coinciding with the poster campaign in Andalusia, which will be held that same evening (https://www.elespanol.com/espana/politica/20260410/gobierno-tramita-reforma-aborto-caracter-urgente-debate-coincida-campana-andaluza/1003744200546_0.html)
    • INGESA is preparing framework agreements to purchase healthcare technology. The agreement for the acquisition of computed tomography equipment is now ready, and the agreement for magnetic resonance imaging will soon be finalized (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260406/ingesa-prepara-acuerdos-marco-comprar-tecnologia-sanitaria-precio-anecdotico/1003744189717_0.html)
    • The reform of the Law on the Regulation of Healthcare Professions: a new problem for healthcare? The problem in this case arises from the professional classification of doctors and nurses (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/reforma-ley-ordenacion-profesiones-sanitarias-nuevo-problema-sanidad.html)
    • Double reform of the healthcare portfolio in the National Health System: nutrition and the catalog of orthotics and prosthetics. Introduces clinical malnutrition and updates products due to funding issues (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/ministerio-sanidad/doble-reforma-de-cartera-en-el-sns-nutricion-y-catalogo-de-ortoprotesis-4234)
  • Regional Administrations
    • The Ayuso government delays approval of the new euthanasia manual from the Ministry of Health, which aims to expedite urgent cases (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2026-04-09/ayuso-retrasa-la-aprobacion-del-nuevo-manual-de-eutanasia-de-sanidad-que-busca-agilizar-los-casos-urgentes.html)
    • Córdoba adds its 405 pharmacies to the list for colon cancer prevention and detection. The province’s pharmacy network will distribute informational materials to reach patients between 50 and 69 years old (https://diariofarma.com/2026/04/09/cordoba-suma-a-sus-405-farmacias-en-la-prevencion-y-deteccion-del-cancer-de-colon)
  • Framework Statute
    • The Strike Committee rejects the Public Health Program (POP) as a mediator in the conflict, considering that it defends partisan positions and that a mediator should be required to be neutral (https://www.consalud.es/profesionales/comite-de-huelga-rechaza-la-decision-unilateral-del-ministerio-de-llevar-a-la-pop-a-la-reunion-de-este-miercoles.html)
  • Sick Leave
    • Sick leave in Spain reached another record high in 2025 with no solutions in sight. Social Security is seeking an agreement to address the problem with unions and employers, who disagree on the causes of the increase in temporary disability (https://elpais.com/economia/2026-04-06/las-bajas-laborales-en-espana-marcaron-en-2025-otro-record-sin-soluciones-a-la-vista.html)

Companies

  • International
    • Lilly climbs into the industry’s “top 3” for its anti-obesity treatments (https://www.expansion.com/empresas/industria/2026/04/06/69d2b729e5fdea2a578b458e.html)
    • Pharmaceutical companies are accelerating in the “obesity market.” Novo Nordisk will apply discounts of up to 50% on Wegovy and Ozempic to expand its customer base in the USA. The pharmaceutical company is betting on accessibility to conquer an underserved mass market (https://www.expansion.com/economia/financial-times/2026/04/11/69da1009e5fdea0c568b45ab.html)
  • National News
    • Quirón’s parent company, Fresenius, plans to open new hospitals and expand its centers in Spain during 2026. They anticipate an increase in demand for healthcare services (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260408/matriz-quiron-fresenius-planea-abrir-nuevos-hospitales-ampliar-centros-espana/1003744197967_0.html)
    • The “5-star” hospital with which María Cordón wants to change the patient experience. The fully private hospital will operate using reimbursement cards. Located in Pozuelo, it represents an investment of around 100 million euros (https://www.elconfidencial.com/salud/2026-04-09/nuevo-hospital-memorial-publio-cordon-cbtrrptj_4334318/)
    • CRB Health Tech, the venture capital firm focused on healthcare innovation (https://www.expansion.com/mercados/fondos/2026/04/09/69d75b97e5fdea336d8b4575.html)

This post is also available in: Spanish