Summary

The most impactful health news of the week included:

• Biomedicine: For the first time, experts from Columbia University (USA) have edited the genes of a human embryo.
• Global Health: Hypertension control: the success story of South Korea.
• International Health Policy: Rubio suggests the USA’s return to the global vaccination program, disagreeing with Kennedy.
• National Health Policy: The Government approves the Framework Statute, and medical unions respond with a new strike call.
• Business: Grifols will invest €160 million in its new plasma plant to strengthen the European supply.

Biomedicine

• For the first time, experts from Columbia University (USA) have edited the genes of a human embryo. This new embryo editing technique has always concerned bioethics experts. It has always been controversial; on the one hand, it can be used to prevent certain diseases, but on the other, to select desired traits.
• Pancreatic cancer: the effectiveness of an innovative treatment presented in Chicago. A new molecule, daraxonrasib, doubles survival rates for metastatic pancreatic cancer.
• Tumor “surnames” reveal the key to treatment in precision oncology. The American Society of Oncology congress demonstrates the power of molecular alterations in each tumor to guide the therapeutic approach and predict prognosis.

Global Health

• Hypertension control: the South Korean success story. Globally, 1.7 billion people live with hypertension, with all its known cardiovascular complications. But preventing hypertension is inexpensive. South Korea has been very successful in combining preventive measures with healthcare. The main preventive measure was reducing salt intake.
• Article in Science: Ultra-processed foods and obesity: interpreting the evidence. A summary of five randomized trials published in the USA, UK, Denmark, and Japan demonstrates with evidence the negative health effects of these types of foods.
• The response to Ebola: a test. According to The Lancet, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness is working on three vaccine candidates.

International Health Policy

• Rubio suggests the return of the US to the global vaccination program, disagreeing with Kennedy. He intends to restore relations with Gavi, an international vaccine alliance, to which Kennedy had withdrawn funding a year ago. The damage the Trump Administration inflicted on global health by dismantling USAID.
• Cuba, without medicines and in a critical situation.
• Towards an institutional commitment to healthcare in Chile: the Minister of Health convenes all former Ministers of Health from the democratic era, including Bachelet.

National Health Policy (Spain)

• The Government approves the Framework Statute, and medical unions respond with a new strike call. Furthermore, doctors will hold a national rally on the first day of the strikes, which will extend from June 15 to 19.
• The Ministry of Health and scientific societies redesign the MIR (Medical Residency) training map with new specialties.
• Emergency care, waiting lists, and 48-hour primary care appointments: the healthcare measures included in the PP-Vox pact to form a government in Castile and León. The agreement document includes 17 healthcare commitments, among them a medical helicopter per province, a new Oncology Strategy, and the implementation of the Law on Healthcare Positions in Hard-to-Fill Areas.
• In May, 101 heat-related deaths occurred in Spain, a record high since records began. The Ministry of Health’s high-temperature prevention plan estimates that the threshold at which mortality spikes has increased by half a degree.

Companies

• International
  • Pfizer will pay more than $10 billion to develop 12 oncology projects with the Chinese company Innovent.

• National
  • Grifols will invest €160 million in its new plasma plant to strengthen the European supply.

Biomedicine

• For the first time, experts at Columbia University (USA) have edited the genes of a human embryo. This new embryo editing technique has always concerned bioethicists. It has always been controversial; on the one hand, it can be used to prevent certain diseases, but on the other, to select desired traits (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/04/science/embryos-gene-editing-crispr.html)
• Pancreatic cancer: the effectiveness of an innovative treatment presented in Chicago. A new molecule, daraxonrasib, doubles survival rates for metastatic pancreatic cancer (https://www.lemonde.fr/sciences/article/2026/05/31/cancers-du-pancreas-l-efficacite-d-un-traitement-innovant-presente-a-chicago-alors-qu-un-programme-de-prevention-se-deploie-en-france_6695584_1650684.html)
• Tumor “surnames” reveal the key to treatment in precision oncology. The American Cancer Society congress demonstrates the power of molecular alterations in each tumor to guide treatment and predict prognosis (https://elpais.com/salud-y-bienestar/2026-06-03/los-apellidos-del-tumor-revelan-la-clave-del-tratamiento-en-la-oncologia-de-precision.html)
• A blood test can detect early symptoms ten years before Alzheimer’s disease develops. The presence of certain markers significantly increases the risk of memory and cognitive decline in middle-aged individuals, according to a study. The field is moving towards a near future with widespread screenings (https://elpais.com/ciencia/2026-05-29/un-analisis-de-sangre-alerta-de-los-primeros-sintomas-diez-anos-antes-de-desembocar-en-alzheimer.html)

Global Health

• Article in Science: Ultra-processed foods and obesity: interpreting the evidence. A summary of five randomized trials published in the USA, UK, Denmark, and Japan demonstrates with evidence the negative health effects of these types of foods (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aef3495)
• Article in the NEJM: Wars and hunger. Evidence that malnutrition killed more children in Gaza than the war itself. Hunger as a “weapon of war,” despite the fact that starvation as a method of warfare is prohibited by the Geneva Convention (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2602465)
• Health and humanitarianism in Gaza. Testimony of a Dutch doctor who was a WHO representative for five years in the occupied Palestinian territories (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)01139-6/fulltext)
• The population in India will soon be falling, and probably very rapidly. India’s population was 360 million in 1950. It is now 1.45 billion, one-sixth of humanity. But the low birth rate will cause it to fall dramatically in the coming years (https://www.economist.com/briefing/2026/06/04/indias-population-will-soon-be-falling-probably-quite-fast)
• Controlling hypertension: the South Korean success story. Globally, 1.7 billion people live with hypertension, with all its known cardiovascular complications. But preventing hypertension is inexpensive. South Korea was very successful in combining preventive measures with healthcare. The main preventive measure was reducing salt intake (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)01140-2/fulltext)
• The Ebola response: a test. According to The Lancet, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness is working on three vaccine candidates (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)01100-1/fulltext)
• Ebola is spreading to new areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the outbreak is expanding (https://www.ft.com/content/ed4818b4-2fdc-4750-af80-1a0f52f67462?syn-25a6b1a6=1)
• A $518 million plan to combat the Ebola epidemic from June to November has been announced by the WHO and the Africa Health Agency (https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2026/06/05/ebola-l-oms-et-l-agence-de-sante-africaine-annoncent-un-plan-de-518-millions-de-dollars-pour-lutter-contre-l-epidemie-de-juin-a-novembre_6697997_3212.html)

International Health Policy

• USA
  • Rubio suggests the US return to the global vaccination program, disagreeing with Kennedy. He intends to restore relations with Gavi, an international vaccine alliance, to which Kennedy had withdrawn funding a year ago (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/02/us/politics/rubio-kennedy-vaccines-gavi.html)
  • In September, almost a third of Americans will live in states with legal aid in dying (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/30/well/medical-aid-in-dying.html)
  • How to stop Ebola at the World Cup? The Democratic Republic of Congo’s team, battling an Ebola epidemic, will participate in the championship (https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/06/world-cup-ebola-hantavirus-cdc-diseases-00952609)
  • According to the NYT, RFK, Jr., the Secretary of Health, seems to be ignoring all the problems in his department, except for vaccines and food, the only issues he seems to be focusing on (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/07/us/politics/ebola-vaccines-kennedy-health-department.html)

• United Kingdom
  • Cancer services left fragile after the pandemic. An international agency calls for more funding for these types of services in the UK (https://www.ft.com/content/60927948-eb62-4415-bc33-5ba3cef6e3d7?syn-25a6b1a6=1)

• Cuba
  • Cuba, without medicines (https://elpais.com/podcasts/hoy-en-el-pais/2026-06-01/cuba-sin-medicinas-evitamos-enfermar-seria-otra-complicacion.html)
  • This is war medicine (https://www.eldiario.es/internacional/medicina-guerra-hospitales-colegios-cubanos-golpeados-bloqueo-trump_1_13279623.html)

• Chile
  • Towards an institutional commitment in healthcare, the Minister of Health summons all former Ministers of Health from the democratic era, including Bachelet (https://elpais.com/chile/2026-06-04/de-la-foto-institucional-al-compromiso-de-estado-en-salud-publica.html)

• European Union
  • Beyond regulation: why Europe must lead in governance and AI capabilities in healthcare (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanepe/article/PIIS2666-7762(26)00113-4/fulltext)
  • The European Parliament demands the hiring of one million professionals in response to the EU’s staffing crisis and the estimated healthcare worker shortage by 2030 (https://diariofarma.com/2026/06/03/la-eurocamara-exige-incorporar-un-millon-de-profesionales-ante-la-crisis-de-personal-en-la-ue)
  • Drug shortages are becoming entrenched in Europe. The PGEU’s 2025 Drug Shortage Report warns that shortages are increasingly affecting critical therapies and how the pressure is falling directly on community pharmacies (https://elglobalfarma.com/farmacia/escasez-de-medicamentos-se-enquista-en-europa-el-70-de-los-paises-esta-en-niveles-inaceptablemente-altos/)

National Health Policy

• Central Administration
  • Health and scientific societies redesign the MIR (Medical Residency) training map with new specialties (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260602/sanidad-sociedades-cientificas-redisenan-mapa-formacion-mir-nuevas-especialidades/1003744268541_0.html)
  • The government finalizes a €368 million plan for energy-efficient renovations of hospitals and schools (https://elpais.com/economia/2026-06-04/el-gobierno-ultima-un-plan-de-400-millones-para-rehabilitacion-energetica-de-hospitales-y-colegios.html)
  • The government approves the draft Framework Statute regulating the working conditions of nearly one million healthcare workers (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2026-06-02/el-gobierno-aprueba-el-anteproyecto-del-estatuto-marco-que-regula-las-condiciones-de-casi-un-millon-de-sanitarios.html)
  • Industry resolves the Profarma plan, with 43 beneficiary companies. According to the resolution of the 2025 call for proposals, nine companies have been rated as “Excellent”, ten as “Very Good”, twelve as “Good”, and another twelve as “Acceptable” (https://elglobalfarma.com/politica/industria-resolucion-plan-profarma-43-companias-beneficiarias-clasificacion/)

• Regional administrations
  • Emergency services, waiting lists, and 48-hour primary care: the healthcare measures of the PP-Vox pact to form a government in Castile and León. The agreement document includes 17 healthcare commitments, among them a medical helicopter per province, a new Oncology Strategy, and the development of the Law on Hard-to-Fill Healthcare Positions (https://gacetamedica.com/politica/medidas-sanitarias-pacto-pp-vox-gobierno-castilla-leon/)
  • Galician doctors refuse to accept an incentive for reducing employee sick leave, fearing it will generate distrust among patients (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260601/medicos-rechazan-cobrar-incentivo-reducir-bajas-trabajadores-provocara-desconfianza/1003744265527_0.html)
  • The Balearic Islands give the green light to the new Faculty of Medical Sciences at UMAC (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/baleares/el-baleares-da-luz-verde-a-la-facultad-de-ciencias-medicas-de-la-umac-8487)

• Medical conflict over the Statute
  • The Government gives the green light to the Framework Statute and medical unions respond with a new strike call. Furthermore, doctors will hold a national rally on the first day of strikes that will run from June 15 to 19 (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260602/gobierno-da-luz-verde-estatuto-marco-medicos-responden-nueva-convocatoria-huelga-junio/1003744270075_0.html)
  • Labor unions are also raising their voices against the draft Framework Statute (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/sindicatos-clase-tambien-levantan-voz-anteproyecto-estatuto-marco.html)
  • Satse also rejects the changes introduced in the Framework Statute (https://www.diariomedico.com/enfermeria/profesion/satse-rechaza-cambios-incluidos-estatuto-marco.html)

• Immigrants and Healthcare Use
  • According to the Ministry of Health, immigrants are healthier and use healthcare less than those born in Spain. The report ‘Health Status and Use of the Healthcare System by the Migrant Population in Spain’ shows less use of primary care and less pharmaceutical spending, but more visits to the Emergency Department (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/migrantes-mas-sanos-consumidores-sns-nacidos-espana.html). Access to the original document: https://www.lamoncloa.gob.es/serviciosdeprensa/notasprensa/sanidad14/Documents/2026/010626-informe-sistema-sanitario-migrantes.pdf

• Document from the Spanish Medical Association on AI
  • First AI Best Practices Manual published by the OMC, a document with which the organization aims to assume a strategic leadership role in one of the most decisive transformation processes in contemporary medicine (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/medicina/manual-de-buenas-practicas-para-inteligencia-artificial-en-medicina-6390). Access to the original document: https://www.cgcom.es/publicaciones/manual_OMC_buenas_practicas_IA

• Heat-related deaths
  • In May, 101 heat-related deaths occurred in Spain, a record high since records began. The Ministry of Health’s high-temperature prevention plan estimates that the threshold at which mortality spikes has increased by half a degree (https://elpais.com/clima-y-medio-ambiente/2026-06-03/mayo-fue-el-mes-con-mas-muertes-por-calor-desde-que-hay-registros.html)

• Medicines Act
  • These are the new features of the revised Medicines Act submitted to the Council of State (https://elglobalfarma.com/politica/nueva-version-ley-medicamentos-remitida-consejo-estado/)

Companies

• International
  • Pfizer will pay more than $10 billion to develop 12 oncology projects with the Chinese company Innovent (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/empresas/pfizer-pagara-mas-10000-millones-dolares-desarrollar-12-proyectos-oncologicos-china-innovent.html)

• National
  • Grifols, Almirall, Hipra, Insud, Rovi, PharmaMar, Bayer, GSK, and Lilly lead the latest Profarma call for proposals (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260602/grifols-almirall-hipra-insud-rovi-pharmamar-bayer-gsk-lilly-lideran-ultima-convocatoria-profarma/1003744270829_0.html)
  • Ferrer sells its Consumer Health division, including Gelocatil, to self-care giant Cooper (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260601/ferrer-vende-area-consumer-health-incluido-gelocatil-gigante-autocuidado-cooper/1003744268124_0.html)
  • Grifols will invest €160 million in its new plasma plant to strengthen European supply (https://diariofarma.com/2026/06/03/grifols-invertira-160-millones-en-su-nueva-planta-de-plasma-para-reforzar-el-suministro-europeo)

This post is also available in: Spanish