…, 7 days in healthcare (August 17th-23rd, 2026)

/in /by

 

Summary

News of the week:

  • Medical milestone: Moderna and Merck’s mRNA vaccine against melanoma appears to be the prelude to the introduction of mRNA technology in cancer vaccines.

The most impactful health news of the week included:

  • Biomedicine: Deaths from GLP-1. Are obesity drugs linked to hundreds of deaths?
  • Global health: US policies are making the resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases inevitable.
  • International health policy: Obamacare, increasingly fragile, is causing the percentage of the population covered in the US to decrease.
  • National health policy: Catastrophic intervention by the Minister of Health in Ceuta, linking the problems of the invasion of that city to “xenophobia”.
  • Companies: The race to renew portfolios is driving biopharmaceutical acquisitions in 2026.

Biomedicine

  • Medical milestone: Moderna and Merck’s mRNA vaccine against melanoma. Pharmaceutical companies Moderna and MSD (Merck in the US and Canada) saw their stock prices soar on Wednesday after announcing the success of a Phase III trial of their experimental personalized melanoma vaccine. While the results are not yet supported by a scientific publication with data on increased survival or relapse rates, it is perceived as an unprecedented medical breakthrough. The trial involved 1,137 patients.
  • Deaths from GLP-1. Are obesity drugs linked to hundreds of deaths? Stories linking the use of these drugs to hundreds of deaths and adverse effects have appeared in the British press in recent weeks.
  • Liquid biopsy in saliva could advance the diagnosis of colon and stomach cancers. Research suggests that analyzing the oral microbiome using a simple mouthwash could help detect gastric and colorectal cancer.

Global Health

  • US policies are making the resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases inevitable. The Administration’s skepticism toward vaccines is causing a loss of faith in them among the population.
  • The world is suffering from a shortage of healthcare workers: 34.4 million are needed. Between 1990 and 2023, the number of healthcare workers nearly tripled, reaching 122.1 million. Even so, there are still not enough healthcare workers for even moderate universal coverage.

International Health Policy

  • Obamacare is increasingly fragile. The USA is the only developed country without universal coverage. Obamacare tried to address this through subsidies for enrolling in Medicaid. But the Trump Administration’s withdrawal of these subsidies is causing the percentage of the population covered to decline.
  • Assisted dying has been officially authorized in France, following the enactment of the law by Macron. The text was published on Wednesday, August 19, in the Official Gazette.
  • Big Pharma warns Germany about its attempts to lower drug prices, saying it risks weakening one of the major centers of innovation, to the benefit of the US and China.
  • The health crisis is worsening in Cuba. Severe shortages of energy and medical supplies have plunged the healthcare system into chaos.

National Health Policy (Spain)

  • Mónica García leaves a trail of indignation in Ceuta by attributing the health crisis following the invasion to “xenophobia.” García criticized the lack of “speed” in providing spaces for migrants as they were during the previous migration crisis of 2021. Mónica García’s entire intervention in the serious crisis in Ceuta is a complete absurdity. It seems difficult to move from the sectarian slogans of the White Tide movement to state policy.
  • Moncloa underestimates the importance of healthcare in its new funding model tailored to Catalonia. Health and Education account for more than 76% of regional spending, but represent only 58.5% of the budget formula designed by the Treasury.
  • More than one million new users on the IDIS Foundation’s electronic health record platform. miHC, the interoperability platform developed by the IDIS Foundation, has reached a new milestone in active users. The system has surpassed one million new users (1,031,337) and three million accesses (3,062,861).

Companies

  • International
    • The race to renew portfolios is driving biopharmaceutical acquisitions in 2026. In the first quarter of the year alone, the value of announced deals in this sector exceeded $65 billion, almost double that of the same period in 2025, thanks to the signing of 16 acquisitions valued at over $1 billion, the fastest pace recorded in recent years.
    • Nestlé is considering developing weight-loss products. The company believes new opportunities are emerging for it through products designed to reduce the risks of rapid weight loss.
  • National News
    • Private hospital revenue in Spain exceeded €14.6 billion in 2025, a 5.3% increase, according to DBK.
    • Quirónsalud grew by 4% in the first half of the year, reaching €2.839 billion.

Biomedicine

  • Medical milestone: Moderna and Merck’s mRNA vaccine against melanoma. Pharmaceutical companies Moderna and MSD (Merck in the USA and Canada) saw their shares soar on Wednesday after announcing the success of a Phase III trial of their experimental personalized melanoma vaccine. While the results are not yet supported by a scientific publication with data on increased survival or recurrence rates, it is perceived as an unprecedented medical breakthrough. The trial involved 1,137 patients (https://www.expansion.com/directivos/estilo-vida/salud/2026/08/20/6a8691dce5fdea45358b4595.html)
  • There won’t be one vaccine against cancer, but rather a different one for each patient and tumor. According to experts, a universal vaccine like the one for COVID-19 is impossible, and in fact, this type of treatment is “like giving a different COVID-19 vaccine to each person.” (https://elpais.com/ciencia/2026-08-23/no-habra-una-vacuna-contra-el-cancer-sino-una-distinta-para-cada-paciente-y-tumor.html)
  • Deaths from GLP-1. Are obesity medications linked to hundreds of deaths? Stories linking the use of these drugs to hundreds of deaths and adverse effects have appeared in the British press in recent weeks (https://www.bmj.com/content/394/bmj-2026-100557)
  • A revolutionary stem cell therapy must be operated responsibly to achieve its potential. Although totipotent stem cells were discovered 20 years ago, their therapeutic potential is only now being realized (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-02524-2)
  • Liquid biopsy in saliva could advance the diagnosis of colon and stomach cancers. Research suggests that analyzing the oral microbiome with a simple mouthwash could help detect gastric and colorectal cancer (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/aparato-digestivo/biopsia-liquida-saliva-podria-adelantar-diagnostico-canceres-colon-estomago.html)

Global Health

  • US policies are making the resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases inevitable. The Administration’s vaccine skepticism is eroding public faith in vaccines (https://www.bmj.com/content/394/bmj-2026-100562)
  • The Lancet editorial: Attacks on the LGBTQ+ community are a threat to everyone. In many parts of the world, LGBTQ+ identities are criminalized (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)01704-6/fulltext)
  • Ebola in the DRC: The epidemic is progressing exponentially and has already reached 2,500 deaths, according to the UN (https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2026/08/21/ebola-en-rdc-l-epidemie-progresse-de-facon-exponentielle-et-depasse-2-500-morts-alerte-l-onu_6752079_3212.html)
  • The DRC will receive 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine to contain the Ebola outbreak. The response to Ebola is weakening due to a lack of resources and public distrust (https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/congo-set-receive-70000-ervebo-vaccines-contain-ebola-outbreak-who-says-2026-08-20/)
  • The WHO says the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo could be under control within three months. Despite this assertion, the data only worsens (https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/who-says-congo-ebola-outbreak-can-still-be-brought-under-control-within-three-2026-08-18/)
  • Myanmar faces a cholera epidemic, exacerbated by the underlying problem of insufficient childhood vaccination coverage (https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2026/08/21/la-birmanie-enregistre-une-epidemie-de-cholera-sur-fond-de-baisse-de-la-couverture-vaccinale-des-enfants_6752263_3244.html)
  • Attacks on health facilities in conflict zones will reach more than four per day by 2026, according to the WHO (https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/attacks-healthcare-conflict-zones-averaging-more-than-four-day-2026-world-health-2026-08-14/)
  • The world is suffering from a shortage of healthcare workers: 34.4 million are needed. Between 1990 and 2023, the number of healthcare workers nearly tripled, reaching 122.1 million. Even so, there are still not enough healthcare workers for moderate universal coverage (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260819/mundo-sufre-escasez-sanitarios-faltan-millones-pesar-haberse-triplicado-numero-anos/1003744356621_0.html). Access the original article in The Lancet Public Health: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(26)00145-3/fulltext

International Health Policy

  • USA
    • Obamacare, increasingly fragile. The USA is the only developed country without universal coverage. Obamacare tried to address this through subsidies for Medicaid enrollment. But the Trump Administration’s withdrawal of aid is causing the percentage of the population covered to decrease (https://www.economist.com/united-states/2026/08/16/obamacare-is-becoming-even-more-frail)
    • Cyclosporiasis in the US reaches 15,716 cases, according to the CDC (https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/cyclosporiasis-cases-us-climb-15716-cdc-says-2026-08-18/)
    • Alfalfa outbreaks linked to illness in 15 states, according to the FDA, due to a mixture of Salmonella and E. coli (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/21/us/alfalfa-sprouts-recall-salmonella-ecoli.html)
    • Trump offered states lower Medicaid prices for weight-loss drugs. The majority rejected the agreement, saying it was beyond the reach of state budgets (https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/22/states-reject-trump-medicaid-weight-loss-drug-price-deal-01045776)
    • The American right reconciles with “psychedelic drugs.” From public enemy to national medical hope. The Republican Party abandons the stigma of the ‘hippie’ counterculture and promotes research into these substances as a strategic public health treatment (https://www.vozpopuli.com/internacional/la-derecha-en-eeuu-se-reconcilia-con-las-drogas-psicodelicas-de-enemigo-publico-a-esperanza-medica-nacional.html)
  • China
    • A Chinese website is selling information on 500,000 volunteers from a UK database. The medical data—genetic, physiological, and health-related—of half a million volunteers collected by the UK was put up for sale for several hours before being taken down by a Chinese website associated with the e-commerce giant Alibaba (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2026-04-23/una-pagina-web-china-pone-a-la-venta-informacion-medica-de-500000-voluntarios-de-una-base-de-datos-del-reino-unido.html)
  • France
    • Assisted dying, officially authorized after Macron enacted the law. The text was published on Wednesday, August 19, in the Official Gazette (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2026/08/19/l-aide-a-mourir-officiellement-autorisee-en-france-apres-la-promulgation-de-la-loi-par-emmanuel-macron_6749291_3224.html)
    • Infant mortality: the debate focuses on the organization of maternity wards, while the determining factors are elsewhere. The greatest risk is extremely premature infants (https://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2026/08/17/mortalite-infantile-le-debat-se-concentre-sur-l-organisation-des-maternites-alors-que-les-determinants-sont-ailleurs_6747973_3232.html)
  • Germany
    • Germany becomes the leading European cannabis market. Critics call for stricter laws two years after the drug was partially liberalized (https://www.ft.com/content/6541cb37-1bc7-4f52-a8ef-f503d13be4ce)
    • Big Pharma warns Germany about its attempts to lower drug prices, saying it risks weakening one of the biggest centers of innovation, to the benefit of the US and China (https://www.ft.com/content/8891d59f-f4e0-4f81-bfae-b686cd1c4d98?syn-25a6b1a6=1)
  • Egypt
    • Obstetric violence in Egypt. Cases are multiplying in that country (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)01705-8/fulltext)
  • Cuba
    • The health crisis is worsening. Severe shortages of energy and medical supplies have plunged the healthcare system into chaos (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)01706-X/fulltext)

National health policy

  • Central Administration
    • Moncloa underestimates the weight of healthcare in its new financing model tailored to Catalonia. Health and Education concentrate more than 76% of regional spending, but they barely weigh 58.5% in the formula designed by the Treasury (https://www.eldebate.com/economia/20260819/moncloa-subestima-peso-sanidad-nuevo-modelo-finacion-medida-cataluna_450392.html)
    • The Government reduces the weight of health and education in the new regional financing, despite the fact that they represent 76% of spending. Fedea demands that the transfer of VAT to the territories be limited and denounces the inclusion of mechanisms that especially favor Catalonia (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/economia/macroeconomia/20260818/gobierno-rebaja-peso-sanidad-educacion-nueva-finacion-autonomica-pese-suponen-gasto/1003744355064_0.html)
    • Fedea questions the “more than debatable” logic of the regional financing plan that the government will approve in September (https://www.eleconomista.es/economia/noticias/14008396/08/26/fedea-questiona-la-logica-mas-que-discutible-del-plan-de-finacion-autonomica-que-el-gobierno-aprobara-en-septiembre.html)
  • Autonomous administrations
    • Aragon accredits 21 nurses for medication indication (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/20260817/aragon-acredita-enfermeras-para-indicacion-de-medicamentos/349209_0.html)
    • An appeal conditions the start of construction of the new Tolosa hospital. The regional government maintains that the Basque infrastructure works will begin “during 2028” (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/euskadi/20260817/un-recurso-condition-el-comienzo-de-la-construccion-del-nuevo-hospital-tolosa/349249_0.html)
    • The map of waiting lists in Catalonia: the delay in seeing the specialist increases. The average waiting time for a first visit goes from 93 days to almost 120 from 2023, with a special deterioration in the Vallès hospitals (https://elpais.com/espana/catalunya/2026-08-17/el-mapa-de-las-listas-de-espera-en-cataluna-la-demora-para-ver-al-especialista-aumenta-casi-un-mes-en-tres-anos.html)
  • The Ceuta conflict
    • Mónica García leaves a trail of indignation in Ceuta, for attributing the health alarm after the invasion to “xenophobia”. García has criticized the fact that spaces for migrants are not made available with the “agility” with which they were given in the previous migration crisis of 2021. (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260817/monica-garcia-deja-estela-indignacion-ceuta-atribuir-xenophobia-alarma-sanitaria-invasion/1003744354685_0.html)
    • Enrique Roviralta, president of the Ceuta College of Physicians: “There is a real risk of an epidemic, this is a ticking bomb” (https://www.abc.es/sociedad/enrique-roviralta-presidente-medicos-ceuta-riesgo-real-20260816014727-nt.html)
    • The Ministry, failing to comply with its own strategy, goes to the communities to vaccinate immigrants in Ceuta. This is because the Ministry does not have its own reserve of doses, although it should do so, according to the “Vaccination strategy for migrants and refugees arriving irregularly to Spain.” (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260823/monica-garcia-carece-reserva-vacunas-inmigrantes-irregulares-incumple-propria-estrategia-apela-ccaa/1003744360273_0.html)
    • Mónica García calls Feijóo’s request to confine migrants due to the health risk “unjustified.” Health authorities in the region warn of the spread of different infectious diseases, such as gastroenteritis, scabies, impetigo and tuberculosis (https://www.elconfidencial.com/salud/2026-08-23/enfermedades-ceuta-emergencia-sanitaria-feijoo-confinamiento_4410043/)
    • The government admits 2,500 irregular immigrant minors in Ceuta, double what it admitted two weeks ago. The Government delegate spoke of only 500 minors a week after the start of the migratory wave (https://www.vozpopuli.com/espana/el-gobierno-admite-ya-mas-de-2500-menores-inmigrantes-irregulares-en-ceuta-el-doble-de-lo-que-jado-hace-dos-semanas.html)
  • Health technology in Spain
    • One third of hospital equipment is obsolete. There is a lack of fixed plans in the renewal of health technology in Spain. “This generates extra costs and impacts the patient,” the doctors denounce (https://www.elmundo.es/salud/2026/08/20/6a8181e5e4d4d8d97b8b4586.html)
  • Silicosis on the rise in Spain
    • Cases of silicosis are growing and Labor multiplies fines for companies by five. The infractions sanctioned by the Labor Inspection, to which EL PAÍS has had access through Transparency, skyrocket while the reports of occupational diseases due to exposure to crystalline silica grow. (https://elpais.com/economia/2026-08-23/la-silicosis-renace-en-espana-con-25-millones-de-euros-en-multas-a-empresas- desde-2019-me-falta-el-aire.html)
  • IDIS
    • More than one million registrations on the IDIS Foundation’s medical history platform. miHC, the interoperability platform promoted by the IDIS Foundation, reaches a new milestone in active users. The system exceeds one million registrations (1,031,337) and three million accesses (3,062,861)(https://diariofarma.com/2026/08/21/la-historia-clinica-compartida-de-la-fundacion-idis-mihc-supera-el-millon-de-altas)

Companies

  • International
    • Nestlé is considering developing products to lose weight. The company believes that new opportunities are being created for it, through products aimed at reducing the risks of rapid weight loss (https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/nestle-looks-develop-new-products-serve-users-weight-loss-drugs-2026-08-17/)
    • Big Pharma in search of weight loss drugs without side effects (https://www.ft.com/content/ba401de2-f60d-49fc-a862-aa491ee0dfad?syn-25a6b1a6=1)
    • An advance in the mRNA vaccine for melanoma boosts Moderna by nearly 200% in the stock market (https://www.elconfidencial.com/empresas/2026-08-19/avance-vacuna-melanoma-moderna-bolsa_4408442/)
    • The race to renew portfolios triggers biopharmaceutical acquisitions in 2026. In the first quarter of the year alone, the value of transactions announced in this sector exceeded $65 billion, almost double that of the same period in 2025, thanks to the signing of 16 acquisitions exceeding $1 billion, the highest rate recorded in recent years, according to the report “Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences: US Deals 2026 Midyear Outlook”, by PwC. (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/empresas/carrera-renovar-carteras-dispara-adquisiciones-biofarmaceuticas-2026.html)
    • Astra Zeneca suspends a clinical trial of a drug against lung cancer (https://cincodias.elpais.com/companias/2026-08-17/astrazeneca-suspende-un-ensayo-clinico-de-un-medicamento-contra-el-cancer-de-pulmon.html)

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