7 days in healthcare (April 20th-26th, 2026)

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Summary

The week’s most impactful health news stories were:

  • Biomedicine: A new gene therapy allows deaf children with a rare disease to hear.
  • Global Health: Transforming the WHO: incremental reform is no longer enough.
  • International Health Policy: The British Parliament will ban the sale of tobacco to those born since 2009.
  • National Health Policy: The OECD warns the government of the sharp increase in sick leave in Spain and identifies management problems.
  • Business: 7 of the 10 fastest-growing companies in the USA are in the healthcare sector.

Biomedicine

  • A new gene therapy allows deaf children with a rare disease to hear. The treatment was approved by the FDA last Thursday.
  • Two drugs offer hope for the treatment of aggressive pancreatic cancer. In two separate clinical trials, two drugs show efficacy in one of the grimt diagnoses in oncology.

Global Health

  • Transforming the WHO: incremental reform is no longer enough. The WHO, created in 1948, has grown extraordinarily. Between 2017 and 2024 alone, its staff increased by 70%. Despite numerous calls for reform over the past 30 years, changes have always been incremental and insufficient. The Lancet article proposes two fundamental reforms: reducing the number of programs to only those that are truly essential and changing the governance structure.
  • Malaria vaccines should be bringing the number of cases down, but it is rising. There is little to celebrate on World Malaria Day (April 25). The number of malaria cases, which stood at 238 million in 2018, has risen to 282 million in 2024, the last year with valid figures.
  • Richard Horton’s comment in The Lancet: President Trump, it is not too late. The author, a former editor of The Lancet, cites the findings of Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) regarding the mortality and disease crises being experienced by many nations that were formerly beneficiaries of USAID, a program dismantled by Trump.

International Health Policy

  • The British Parliament will ban the sale of tobacco to anyone born since 2009. Both houses of the British Parliament have agreed on the final version of the bill that will prohibit sales and aims to create “the first tobacco-free generation.”
  • Home hospitalization is transforming healthcare in the USA. A Medicare regulation allows for reimbursement of home hospitalization as a substitute for traditional hospitalization.
  • Trump is giving a push to psychedelic drugs. However, the way he is doing so is entirely unorthodox: an email responding to an influencer promising FDA approval, followed by an executive order.
  • The OECD warns that colon cancer is skyrocketing among young people, and only 48% of the population participates in screening. This organization proposes five priority strategies to improve the prognosis of the disease.

National Health Policy (Spain)

  • The OECD alerts the government to the sharp increase in sick leave in Spain and identifies management problems. The organization ranks Spain as the third country with the highest level of worker absences among OECD countries, with an average of 4.9 weeks per year.
  • The doctors’ strike committee is maintaining its work stoppages due to the lack of “useful proposals” from the healthcare system. The five unions leading the protests state that, without “real progress,” the strike, scheduled for April 27-30, will not be called off.
  • Spain is experiencing the largest increase in sudden death in Europe. A European study warns of an upward trend in this type of death over the last decade.
  • Medical societies are calling on Spain to follow the UK’s lead and ban tobacco sales to those born after 2009.
  • The IDIS Foundation is calling for the integration of private healthcare as a strategic partner to reduce waiting lists. The private sector is offering its more than 400 hospitals and surgical capacity as a strategic ally to alleviate the strain on the National Health System.

Companies

  • International
    • The Financial Times publishes a list of the fastest-growing companies in the United States; of the top 10, 7 are in the healthcare sector.
  • National
    • La Caixa completes a €100 million investment in the CaixaResearch Institute. The banking foundation has inaugurated Spain’s first biomedical research center specializing in immunology.

Biomedicine

  • Two drugs offer hope for treating aggressive pancreatic cancer. In two separate clinical trials, two drugs showed efficacy in one of the grimest diagnoses in oncology (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/21/business/pancreas-cancer-experimental-drugs.html)
  • A new gene therapy allows deaf children with a rare disease to hear. The treatment was approved by the FDA last Thursday (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/23/science/deaf-gene-therapy.html)
  • A cellular map reveals how Down syndrome alters prenatal brain development. In this syndrome, the brain begins to develop differently in the early stages of pregnancy. This is revealed in new research published in Science, which has created a detailed cellular map of how trisomy alters human brain development before birth (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2026/04/23/69e9e15421efa0746f8b4576.html)
  • The number of drugs in research worldwide falls for the first time in almost 30 years. The number of drugs in research and development worldwide has fallen for the first time in almost 30 years, according to the latest annual report from the consulting firm Citeline (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260424/numero-medicamentos-investigacion-mundo-cae-primera-vez-anos/1003744217708_0.html)

Global Health

  • Malaria vaccines should be causing it to fall, but it’s rising. There is little to celebrate on World Malaria Day (April 25). The number of malaria cases, which stood at 238 million in 2018, has risen to 282 million in 2024, the latest year with valid figures (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01253-w)
  • Transforming the WHO: Incremental reform is no longer enough. The WHO, established in 1948, has grown extraordinarily. Between 2017 and 2024 alone, its staff increased by 70%. Despite numerous calls for reform over the past 30 years, changes have consistently been incremental and insufficient. The Lancet article proposes two fundamental reforms: reducing the number of programs to only those that are truly essential and changing governance (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00609-4/fulltext)
  • Nestlé’s sponsorship of the United Nations is considered an outrage. Hundreds of experts are calling for an end to Nestlé’s sponsorship of the United Nations University (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00797-X/fulltext)
  • Richard Horton’s comment in The Lancet: President Trump, it’s not too late. The author, a former editor of The Lancet, cites the findings of Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) regarding the mortality and disease crises being experienced by many nations that were formerly beneficiaries of USAID, a program dismantled by Trump (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00790-7/fulltext).
  • Kenya: The court refuses to recognize abortion as a fundamental right. Doctors and patients are threatened if they perform or undergo a voluntary termination of pregnancy (https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2026/04/24/kenya-la-justice-refuse-de-reconnaitre-l-avortement-comme-droit-fondamental_6683129_3212.html)

International Health Policy

  • USA
    • The CDC is on the brink. 80% of senior positions are vacant (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00799-3/fulltext)
    • Home hospitalization is transforming healthcare delivery in the USA. A Medicare regulation allows payment for home hospitalization as a substitute for traditional hospitalization (https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2026.4791)
    • Trump is giving a push to psychedelic drugs. However, the way he’s doing it is completely unorthodox: an email responding to an influencer promising FDA approval, followed by an executive order (https://www.economist.com/business/2026/04/23/donald-trump-is-giving-psychedelic-medicines-a-welcome-boost)
    • In the US, the birth rate is in sharp decline. It has fallen from 2.12 children per woman in 2007 to 1.62 in 2025. All projections indicate that the birth rate will continue to fall (https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(25)00744-2/fulltext)
    • Youth suicides are declining after the implementation of a national hotline. Youth suicides fell more in states that implemented the 988 hotline, according to results published in JAMA (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/22/science/988-youth-suicides-decline.html). Access the original article: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2848066?guestAccessKey=e44e29be-7891-45b3-a22d-128a80e60dad&utm_source=for_the_media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_content=tfl&utm_term=042226
    • Trump moves in favor of medical marijuana, reducing federal regulation of the drug (https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/23/trump-moves-to-reschedule-marijuana-00888729)
    • The FDA launches Rapid: the express access model that unifies regulation and funding of devices. The new program will allow medical devices with “Breakthrough” designation to obtain Medicare coverage in just two months (https://diariofarma.com/2026/04/23/borrador-automati)
  • China
    • The medical data of 500,000 Britons is for sale on a Chinese website. It was at an Alibaba branch; the data came from the UK Biobank, and the ad was quickly removed (https://www.ft.com/content/2022ff7b-ec38-4a03-90a3-d80a33133118?syn-25a6b1a6=1)
  • United Kingdom
    • The British Parliament will ban the sale of tobacco to those born since 2009. Both houses of the British Parliament have agreed on the final version of the law that will prohibit sales and aims to make possible “the first tobacco-free generation” (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2026/04/21/69e7b494fc6c8337228b45cc.html)
    • The bill on assisted dying in England and Wales fails in Parliament, due to opposition from the House of Lords (https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2026/04/24/au-royaume-uni-le-projet-de-loi-sur-l-aide-a-mourir-en-angleterre-et-au-pays-de-galles-echoue-au-parlement_6683097_3210.html)
  • Australia
    • Modeling the effects of taxes and subsidies on food. Fiscal policies can reduce the burden of diet-related diseases (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(26)00043-5/fulltext?dgcid=tlcom_carousel1_globalhealth_red_lanpub)
  • Hungary
    • The new government wants to revitalize healthcare. The Tisza Party promises to increase investment, strengthen public health, and address staff dissatisfaction (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00795-6/fulltext)
  • OECD
    • The OECD warns that colon cancer is skyrocketing among young people, and only 48% of the population participates in screening. This organization proposes five priority strategies to improve the prognosis of the disease (https://www.consalud.es/pacientes/la-ocde-alerta-el-cancer-de-colon-se-dispara-entre-los-jovenes-y-solo-el-48-de-la-poblacion-participa-en-el-cribado.html)

National Health Policy

  • Central Administration
    • The Ministry of Health is finalizing the Health Technology Assessment decree and states that it is “almost ready.” Javier Padilla says there are modifications still being discussed with other ministries (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260421/sanidad-ultima-decreto-evaluacion-tecnologias-sanitarias-afirma-punto-salir-horno/1003744214683_0.html)
    • The Ministry of Health is raising the age for colon cancer screening to 74 and expanding the heel prick test to include 21 other conditions. The Official State Gazette (BOE) published this Monday the new ministerial order that incorporates nine additional diseases into the newborn screening program, known as the “heel prick test,” bringing the total to 21 detectable pathologies (https://www.abc.es/salud/enfermedades/sanidad-eleva-anos-cribado-cancer-colon-amplia-20260421163444-nt.html).
    • The Ministry of Health concludes that there is no scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of homeopathy in any pathology. A report from the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products warns of the risk of replacing medical treatments with proven efficacy with homeopathic alternatives (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2026/04/21/69e7652cfdddffc6178b457e.html)
  • Regional governments
    • Asturian hospitals unify their laboratories into a network. This will facilitate the performance of analyses and the consultation of results from any center (https://www.lne.es/cangas-del-narcea/2026/04/23/hospitales-asturianos-unifican-laboratorios-red-129455585.html)
    • Castilla-La Mancha reinstates the healthcare professional career path established by the People’s Party (PP) 14 years ago. Unions and the regional government signed an agreement this Monday to reactivate the economic incentive in the only autonomous community that had not yet implemented it (https://elpais.com/espana/2026-04-20/castilla-la-mancha-recupera-la-carrera-profesional-sanitaria-congelada-por-el-pp-hace-14-anos.html)
    • Proton therapy advances against cancer: Galicia leads its rollout in up to seven communities (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/avanza-la-llegada-de-protonterapia-publica-frente-al-cancer-galicia-encabeza-su-despliegue-en-hasta-siete-ccaa.html)
  • Framework Statute
    • The strike committee maintains the work stoppages due to the lack of “useful proposals” from the healthcare sector. The five unions leading the protests affirm that, without “real progress,” the strike, scheduled for April 27-30, will not be called off (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2026/04/22/69e85c1cfdddff3a5a8b459d.html).
  • Sudden Death in Spain
    • Spain is experiencing the largest increase in sudden death in Europe. A European study warns of an upward trend in this type of death over the last decade (https://elpais.com/salud-y-bienestar/2026-04-24/espana-experimenta-el-mayor-aumento-de-muerte-subita-de-europa.html). Access the original document published in Lancet Regional Health: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanepe/article/PIIS2666-7762(26)00067-0/fulltext
    • Cardiologists call for more defibrillators to curb the rise in sudden cardiac death in Spain. The largest increase in deaths from this cause across Europe between 2010 and 2020 occurred in Spain, with an average annual increase of 3.3%, according to a recent study (https://www.abc.es/salud/enfermedades/cardiologos-piden-desfibriladores-frenar-incremento-muerte-subita-20260424004422-nt.html)
  • Impact of the British law banning tobacco for those born from 2009 onwards
    • Medical societies are calling on Spain to follow the UK’s lead and prohibit tobacco purchases for those born from 2009 onwards. (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2026-04-22/sociedades-medicas-piden-que-espana-imite-al-reino-unido-y-prohiba-comprar-tabaco-a-los-nacidos-a-partir-de-2009.html)
    • The Ministry acknowledges that Spain is not yet ready to prohibit the sale of tobacco to an entire generation. The Ministry of Health views the measure favorably but believes it is too soon to implement it in the country. British regulations are less restrictive regarding vapes and electronic cigarettes (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2026/04/22/69e8d23ee9cf4ae3318b4575.html)
  • Sick leave
    • The OECD warns the government of the sharp increase in sick leave in Spain and identifies management problems. The organization ranks Spain as the third country with the highest level of worker absences in the OECD, with an average of 4.9 weeks per year (https://www.expansion.com/economia/2026/04/22/69e8f3bce5fdeacf798b4578.html)
    • The Government will send a new proposal to social partners to improve sick leave (https://www.consalud.es/politica/el-gobierno-remitira-a-los-agentes-sociales-una-nueva-propuesta-para-mejorar-las-bajas-medicas.html)

Companies

  • International
    • UnitedHealth reports flat profits in the first quarter (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/21/business/united-health-group-earnings.html)
    • Financial Times publishes list of the fastest-growing companies in the United States; of the top 10, 7 are healthcare companies (https://www.ft.com/content/3d3b5406-b7e6-4ef0-8b50-cf02904589cb?syn-25a6b1a6=1)
    • Moderna receives European approval for its mRNA vaccine that combines flu and COVID-19 in adults. The European Commission grants marketing authorization to mCOMBRIAX, the world’s first combined mRNA vaccine against influenza and COVID-19. The drug is indicated for active immunization in adults aged 50 and over (https://diariofarma.com/2026/04/22/moderna-logra-el-aval-europeo-para-su-vacuna-de-arnm-que-combina-gripe-y-covid-en-adultos)
    • Asia as the emerging epicenter of global pharmaceutical investment. Innovation, demographics, and regulatory reforms are driving a new strategic cycle for multinationals and local markets (https://www.consalud.es/salud35/analisis/asia-como-epicentro-emergente-de-la-inversion-farmaceutica-global.html)
    • Bayer expects to soon settle the glyphosate lawsuits with legal settlements of around €24 billion (https://elpais.com/economia/2026-04-24/bayer-espera-cerrar-pronto-las-demandas-por-el-glifosato-con-un-desembolso-legal-que-ronda-los-24000-millones.html)
  • National News
    • PharmaMar obtains authorizations in Australia and Singapore for lung cancer treatment (https://cincodias.elpais.com/companias/2026-04-20/pharmamar-obtiene-autorizaciones-en-australia-y-singapur-para-el-tratamiento-del-cancer-de-pulmon.html)
    • La Caixa completes a €100 million investment in the CaixaResearch Institute. The banking foundation has inaugurated Spain’s first biomedical research center specializing in immunology (https://www.expansion.com/catalunya/2026/04/24/69eb46f9e5fdea8c7a8b4589.html)
    • Quirón publishes its results in the NEJM Healthcare, comparing them with other hospitals in Madrid. The study compares 16 medium-sized hospitals in the Community of Madrid: 13 from the Madrid Health Service (SERMAS) and 3 from Quirón operating under a concession agreement. The results are very favorable for Quirón hospitals (https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:EU:b79ac08e-d23c-44e4-acd4-3411b45555a2)
    • Vithas buys the Blue Healthcare clinic and expands its network in the center of Madrid. The center is expected to begin operating under the Vithas brand between April and May (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260420/vithas-compra-clinica-blue-healthcare-amplia-red-centro-madrid/1003744211053_0.html)
    • Quirón wants the outgoing company of its new Madrid laboratory to lay off the staff in order to rehire them without seniority. Days before the handover, the healthcare giant clashes with Ribera Salud, which opposes paying millions in severance packages to the 249 workers (https://elpais.com/espana/madrid/2026-04-25/quiron-quiere-que-la-empresa-saliente-de-su-nuevo-laboratorio-madrileno-despida-a-la-plantilla-para-recontratarlos-sin-antiguedad.html)

This post is also available in: Spanish