Summary

The week’s most impactful health news stories were:

• Biomedicine: There are increasing cases of early-onset type 2 diabetes, before the age of 40.
• Global Health: Childhood vaccinations are stagnating in twenty wealthy countries, and serious diseases are resurfacing.
• International Health Policy: RFK Jr.’s approach to vaccines harms science, Americans, and the international community, especially developing countries. A real public danger.
• National Health Policy: The Basque Health Pact achieves a high level of consensus. Is this submission of measures to a vote by various groups a great skill on the part of the government or a dereliction of responsibility?
• Business: Trump’s plans on medicines risk increasing prices in Europe.

Biomedicine

• The Lancet Editorial: Early-onset type 2 diabetes. Although this type of diabetes was considered typical of people over 40, more and more cases of early onset are occurring before that age.
• Scientists have identified a marker that allows them to predict which patients will not respond to chemotherapy. This could help avoid ineffective treatments, especially in patients with ovarian, breast, prostate, and sarcoma tumors.

Global Health

• Childhood vaccination is stagnating in twenty wealthy countries, and serious diseases are resurfacing. A study published in The Lancet warns that global vaccination coverage has stalled or is even worsening. Developing areas are bearing the brunt, but the trend is also seen in the West.

International Health Policy

• The Economist Editorial: RFK’s approach to vaccines harms Americans. RFK is a vaccine skeptic. The dismissal of prestigious scientists from the vaccine committee, the reduction of funding for developing new vaccines, the elimination of international aid for vaccines, and the continuous negative messages about vaccines are turning it into a public danger for the US and the world.
• Europe is moving toward healthcare autonomy, with the famous essential medicines law.

National Health Policy (Spain)

• The Ministry of Health announces the creation of a law on patient organizations to “guarantee their independence.” A law on these organizations is announced with the idea of ​​guaranteeing their independence. Although patient associations are very pleased with this measure, we will see if it truly guarantees independence or, as this government does in other areas (Bank of Spain, INE, TVE, numerous companies, etc.), the initiative masks a desire for control.
• The minister commits to studying the introduction of co-official languages ​​in the MIR exam, at the request of the PNV (Nationalist Party) and Junts (Junts). The representative of young doctors of the OMC (Spanish Association of Medical Doctors) says that the MIR has other reform priorities. It doesn’t seem, in fact, that simple pressure from pro-independence parties could lead to an unplanned reform of the MIR system.
• The Basque Health Pact has reached a “high level of consensus” with the role of the private sector among the points to be negotiated. Apparently, 22 of its 24 strategic lines have been agreed upon. A surprising model for a government to make healthcare decisions, submitting measures to votes by very diverse groups. The British government, with its ten-year NHS plan, despite having greatly opened up participation, even with a special website, hasn’t thought to put the measures to a vote.
• Cancers remain the leading cause of death in Spain, which recorded a decrease in suicides in 2024.
• Not only is there a shortage of nurses, they are also poorly distributed. The nurse ratio is 6.36, compared to the EU average of 9.19. There is a high level of emigration to other countries, which complicates everything. Although the problem is real, this must be qualified by the category of “nursing assistants,” which does not exist in other countries.
• Operating rooms and beds are closed due to a lack of professionals, creating a serious healthcare problem in the summer. Is it a lack of professionals or poor distribution of vacation time due to union criteria? A recent study by Professor Beatriz Gonzalez’s group shows that if work was done in July-August and December like the rest of the months, there would be no waiting list problems.

Companies

• International
  • Trump’s plans regarding medicines risk increasing prices in Europe. Trump’s efforts to reduce prices in the US will possibly lead to higher prices in Europe.
  • Large pharmaceutical companies face losses of $300 billion due to patent expirations. This is the cumulative amount for the next five years, according to Evaluate forecasts.

• National
  • The Ribera Healthcare Group continues its expansion in Europe and agrees to acquire the Polish company Multi Med

Biomedicine

• Scientists have identified a marker that allows them to predict which patients will not respond to chemotherapy. This could help avoid ineffective treatments, especially in patients with ovarian, breast, prostate, and sarcoma tumors (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2025/06/23/685919b121efa0ed788b459f.html). Access the original article in Nature Genetics: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-025-02233-y/metrics
• The benefits of the Alzheimer’s drug are too small to justify the cost, according to NICE (https://www.bmj.com/content/389/bmj.r1270)
• Do longevity drugs work? Certain drugs have an experimental effect similar to that of prolonged fasting (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/06/20/do-longevity-drugs-work)
• The Lancet Editorial: Early onset of type 2 diabetes. Although this type of diabetes was considered typical of people over 40, there are increasing numbers of early-onset cases before that age (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01295-4/fulltext?rss=yes)
• Vaccines offer dual protection against dementia, according to a study from the University of Oxford (https://www.ft.com/content/4843b63d-d777-40e4-a9df-427b8c16d57b)
• Gene editing helps correct harmful mutations in human mitochondrial DNA. The new tool known as a base editor edits mitochondrial DNA and represents a significant boost to rare genetic diseases (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2025/06/24/685ab199fc6c8300048b4587.html
• A coronary “Google Maps” to guide complex heart surgeries allows for more precise guidance on these complex diseases (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2025/06/23/68583a5cfdddff6f878b459b.html

Global Health

• The need to end nuclear weapons. In May 2025, the WHO voted to reestablish the mandate for this organization to reconsider the relationship between the health consequences of nuclear weapons and war. (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)00987-0/fulltext)
• Childhood vaccination is stagnating in around twenty wealthy countries, and serious diseases are resurfacing. A study published in The Lancet warns that global vaccination coverage has stalled or is even worsening. Developing areas are bearing the brunt, but the trend is also evident in the West (https://elpais.com/salud-y-bienestar/2025-06-25/la-vacunacion-infantil-se-estanca-en-una-veintena-de-paises-ricos-y-resurgen-graves-enfermedades.html). Access the original article in The Lancet: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01037-2/fulltext

International Health Policy

• USA
  • Article in Nature: How to make America healthy, what needs to be fixed. The United States has a life expectancy below most developed countries, despite spending the most on healthcare. Chronic diseases are part of the problem, but so are gun violence, drug overdoses, and car accidents (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01969-1)
  • Editorial in The Economist: RFK’s approach to vaccines hurts Americans. RFK is a vaccine skeptic. The dismissal of prestigious scientists from the vaccine committee, the reduction of funding for developing new vaccines, the elimination of international vaccine aid, and the continued negative messaging about vaccines are turning him into a public danger to the US and the world (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2025/06/25/rfks-loopy-approach-to-vaccines-endangers-americans)
  • Kennedy withdraws aid to the international vaccine agency Gavi, which he accuses of ignoring science, cutting more than $1 billion in aid from the Biden administration (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/25/health/kennedy-vaccines-gavi.html)

• United Kingdom
  • 5 tests on the 10-year plan for the NHS: 1. Does it drive change with priorities and resources? 2. Are people at the center of the design? 3. What is prioritized and what isn’t? 4. Is it truly a long-term plan? 5. Does it inspire confidence? (https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/blogs/tests-nhs-10-year-health-plan)
  • Call to clean up toxic air as GP visits for asthma rise by 45% (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jun/29/england-air-pollution-gp-visits-for-asthma-attacks-rise-45-per-cent)
  • Wes Streeting announces investigation into failings in NHS maternity services (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jun/23/wes-streeting-announces-investigation-into-nhs-maternity-services)
  • Private healthcare is “essential,” says a third of the working population (https://www.ft.com/content/d607bd2b-5367-422b-b768-41f1f987ce0f)

• France
  • Medical deserts: The government defines 151 red zones for the “mandatory solidarity” mission of doctors (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2025/06/27/deserts-medicaux-le-gouvernement-definit-151-zones-rouges-pour-la-mission-de-solidarite-obligatoire-des-medecins_6616081_3224.html)

• European Union
  • Europe moves toward healthcare autonomy, with the famous essential medicines law (https://www.consalud.es/politica/europa-avanza-hacia-la-autonomia-sanitaria-con-la-ambiciosa-ley-de-medicamentos-esenciales.html)
  • Brussels outlines the new life sciences strategy and reactivates the Biotechnology Law (https://diariofarma.com/2025/06/26/bruselas-perfila-la-nueva-estrategia-de-ciencias-de-la-vida-y-reactiva-la-ley-de-biotecnologia)

National Health Policy

• Central Administration Initiatives
  • The Ministry of Health announces the creation of a law on patient organizations to “guarantee their independence.” A law on these organizations is announced with the idea of ​​guaranteeing their independence (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20250624/sanidad-anuncia-creacion-ley-organizaciones-pacientes-garantizar-independencia/1003743818491_0.html)
  • The Advanced Therapies Plan will be introduced interterritorially next week (https://www.consalud.es/politica/ministerio-sanidad/el-nuevo-plan-de-terapias-avanzadas-al-interterritorial-de-la-proximas-semana.html)
  • In the Congressional Health Committee, the minister pledges to study the introduction of co-official languages ​​in the MIR exam, at the request of the PNV (Basque Nationalist Party) and Junts (Junts). The OMC’s young doctors’ representative says the MIR has other reform priorities (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/domingo-sanchez-mir-hay-prioridades-introducir-lenguas-cooficiales-examen.html)

• Autonomous community initiatives
  • Green light for the new Asturian healthcare map (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/asturias/luz-verde-al-nuevo-mapa-de-la-sanidad-asturiana-salimos-ganando-todos–2758)
  • The Basque Health Pact reaches a “high level of consensus” with the role of the private sector among the points to be negotiated. 22 of its 24 strategic lines appear to have been agreed upon (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/pais-vasco/la-colaboracion-publico-privada-tensa-la-ultima-reunion-del-pacto-vasco-de-salud.html)
  • Castilla y León presents its Community Health Strategy to improve population well-being (https://comunicacion.jcyl.es/web/jcyl/Comunicacion/es/Plantilla100Detalle/1284663638052/_/1285531881767/Comunicacion)
  • La Rioja activates an innovative plan to boost clinical research in Primary Care (https://actualidad.larioja.org/noticia?n=not-la-rioja-activa-un-plan-innovador-para-potenciar-la-investigacion-clinica-en-atencion-primaria
  • Mazón announces the creation of an advanced healthcare campus in Paterna (https://www.europapress.es/comunitat-valenciana/noticia-mazon-anuncia-construccion-campus-sanitario-avanzado-paterna-dara-servicio-40000-personas-20250627132050.html#google_vignette)
  • López Miras announces the first oncology plan in the region of Murcia (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/murcia/lopez-miras-saca-pecho-por-la-sanidad-murciana-y-anuncia-el-primer-plan-oncologico-de-la-region.html)

• Causes of mortality in Spain
  • Tumors are They remain the leading cause of death in Spain, which recorded a decrease in suicides in 2024 (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-06-23/los-tumores-se-mantienen-como-la-primera-causa-de-muerte-en-espana-que-registro-en-2024-un-descenso-de-suicidios.html). Access the INE press release: https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/pEDCM2024.htm#:~:text=En%20el%20año%202024%20se,4%20por%20cada%20100.000%20mujeres.

• ALS
  • Every day, 3 new cases of ALS are diagnosed in Spain, and 3 deaths occur. (https://www.sen.es/saladeprensa/pdf/Link479.pdf)

• Nursing Shortage
  • Not only is there a shortage of nurses, they are also poorly distributed. The nurse ratio is 6.36, compared to the EU average of 9.19. There is a high level of emigration to other countries (https://www.diariomedico.com/enfermeria/profesion/faltan-enfermeras-tambien-estan-mal-repartidas.html). Access the original document from the General Nursing Council: https://acenetworksalud-my.sharepoint.com/personal/prensa_consejogeneralenfermeria_org/_layouts/15/onedrive.aspx?ga=1&id=%2Fpersonal%2Fprensa%5Fconsejogeneralenfermeria%5Forg%2FDocuments%2F25%2D06%2D26InformeRatios%2FEstudio%20Ratios%202024%2Epdf&parent=%2Fpersonal%2Fprensa%5Fconsejogeneralenfermeria%5Forg%2FDocuments%2F25%2D06%2D26InformeRatios

• The problem of Spanish healthcare in the summer
  • Operating rooms and beds are closed due to a lack of professionals (https://www.eldebate.com/sociedad/20250629/grave-problema-sanidad-espanola-cierran-quirofanos-camas-falta-profesionales-verano_307751.html)

Companies

• International
  • Trump’s drug plans risk raising prices in Europe. Trump’s efforts to reduce prices in the US will possibly lead to higher prices in Europe (https://www.ft.com/content/366dde70-782b-4afd-9248-93e0a765cfa2)
  • NovoNordisk fights for maximum potential for the obesity drug CagriSema (https://www.ft.com/content/d7a6feab-575c-41ad-8314-3fbaf02f1f57)
  • Big Pharma faces losses $300 billion from patent expirations. This is the cumulative amount for the next five years, according to Evaluate forecasts (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20250625/grandes-farmaceuticas-enfrentan-perdidas-millones-dolares-caducidad-patentes/1003743818441_0.html)
  • Novo Nordisk overtakes Lilly and will lead the obesity drug market (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud-bienestar/noticias/13427983/06/25/novo-nordisk-se-impone-a-lilly-y-liderara-el-mercado-de-farmacos-contra-la-obesidad.html)

• National
  • Ribera Health Group continues its expansion in Europe and agrees to acquire the Polish company Multi Med (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20250619/grupo-sanitario-ribera-continua-expansion-europa-acuerda-compra-polaca-multi-med/1003743810896_0.html)
  • Faes Farma seeks to accelerate its growth by acquiring companies that will contribute €170 million in sales by 2030 (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20250626/faes-farma-busca-acelerar-crecimiento-compra-companias-aporten-millones-ventas/1003743820226_0.html#:~:text=La%20española%20Faes%20Farma%20quiere,Ebitda%2C%20hasta%20los%20240%20millones.)
  • Stada will sell nine more drugs in Spain this year and is planning new purchases (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud-bienestar/noticias/13438032/06/25/stada-vendera-nueve-farmacos-mas-en-espana-este-ano-y-planea-nuevas-compras.html)

 

Summary

The most impactful health news of the week were:

• Biomedicine: Mary-Claire King, discoverer of the breast cancer gene, Princess of Asturias Award for Science.
• Global Health: Dementia is deadly. The UN should take this issue more seriously.
• International Health Policy: A research crisis in the US would have consequences for all of humanity.
• National Health Policy: Doctors respond with a massive strike against the Framework Statute.
• Business: Pharmaceutical companies make their move in the face of the end of patents, $25 billion in deals in a single month.

Biomedicine

• Mary-Claire King, born in Chicago 79 years ago, discoverer of the breast cancer gene, Princess of Asturias Award for Science. King’s discovery was fundamental to developing current methods of cancer surveillance, diagnosis, and treatment based on each patient’s genetics. King was also key to identifying the “stolen children” during the Argentine dictatorship. • Routine screening for fetal abnormalities can improve maternal health. Using genetic sequencing and machine learning, prenatal testing can be used to identify hidden cancers and complications such as pre-eclampsia and pre-term births.

Global Health

• Nature article: Dementia is deadly. The UN should take this issue more seriously. 65% of professionals believe dementia is a result of aging and not a disease in itself.

International Health Policy

• A research crisis in the US with consequences for all of humanity. An inevitable economic, technological, and intellectual collapse will occur if American research institutions stop receiving funding.
• Nature analysis: Who is on RFK Jr.’s new vaccine panel and what can we expect? Several members of the new committee are skeptical of vaccines and belong to militant groups. Many consider it a disaster for public health.
• The French government unveils a mental health plan. Faced with a shortage of professionals and increasing needs, the government promises a reform of psychiatry.

National Health Policy (Spain)

• The maximum period for the AEMPS (Spanish Agency for Public Health) to authorize the sale of a drug in Spain will be 210 days, starting in November. This is part of the effort to improve accessibility to new medications.
• The Ministry of Health gives the green light to the specialties of Medical Genetics and Laboratory Genetics.
• Public/private cooperation undermines the Basque Health Pact dialogue.
• Doctors respond with a massive strike against the Framework Statute. The Ministry, with its erratic policies and lack of a comprehensive reform plan, has made a serious mistake in attempting to reform the Framework Statute, for several reasons: 1. The political conditions are not in place to address such a complex issue; 2. The mistake was made of negotiating only with unions, when many of the professional issues in the Statute required another dialogue; 3. The approach is sectarian and ideological (as in the issue of compatibility between public and private practice); 4. The opportunity to negotiate a “flexibility” of the Statute (making it compatible with other forms of employment relationships, not just civil service-statutory ones) is not being taken advantage of; and 5. Some statements by the minister herself have been particularly unfortunate (“of the six unions, only one is against it,” the doctors’ union), minimizing the role of doctors and assuming that a serious disagreement with them could be compensated for with agreements with other professional groups. In short, an acute problem has been created, where there was a certain stabilized chronic malaise, which required a different approach.

Companies

• International
  • Pharmaceutical companies make their moves in response to the end of patents, €25 billion in agreements in a single month.

• National
  • FAES Farma buys the Italian company SIFI for €270 million, the largest acquisition in its history.

Biomedicine

• Mary-Claire King, born in Chicago 79 years ago, discoverer of the breast cancer gene, Princess of Asturias Award for Science. King’s discovery was fundamental to developing current methods of cancer surveillance, diagnosis, and treatment based on each patient’s genetics. King was also key to identifying the “stolen children” during the Argentine dictatorship (https://elpais.com/ciencia/2025-06-12/mary-claire-king-premio-princesa-de-asturias-de-ciencia-por-sus-hallazgos-en-genetica-del-cancer.html)
• Routine screening for fetal abnormalities can improve maternal health. Using genetic sequencing and machine learning, prenatal tests can be used to identify hidden cancers and complications such as pre-eclampsia and pre-term births (https://wwwe.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/06/11/a-routine-test-for-fetal-abnormalities-could-improve-a-mothers-health)
• Weight-loss drugs can make oral contraception less effective (https://www.bmj.com/content/389/bmj.r1169)
• Scientists are calling for a halt to research on mirror microbes that could threaten life on Earth. Scientists have launched an international campaign to prevent the creation of synthetic bacteria, which could be life-threatening (https://www.ft.com/content/3f948a86-90df-426d-a602-9421ee2e43a6)
• Stroke, dementia, and depression are more common in people with short telomeres. However, the good news is that this risk is not seen in people who lead healthy lives (https://www.abc.es/salud/enfermedades/ictus-demencia-depresion-comunes-personas-telomeros-cortos-20250611141928-nt.html)
• A study discovers a key factor in aggressive ovarian cancer (https://www.abc.es/salud/enfermedades/estudio-define-factor-clave-cancer-ovario-agresivo-20250609142828-nt.html)

Global Health

• Nature article: Dementia is fatal. The UN should take this issue more seriously. 65% of professionals believe dementia is a result of aging and not a disease in itself (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01768-8)
• Measles outbreak in Afghanistan. More than 57,000 cases have been reported, and 368 children have died (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01243-7/fulltext)
• Sierra Leone struggles as MPOX surges in Africa. Since the beginning of 2024, more than 37,000 cases and 125 deaths have been confirmed (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01242-5/fulltext?rss=yes)

International Health Policy

• USA
  • Science article: A research crisis in the US with consequences for all of humanity. An inevitable economic, technological, and intellectual collapse will occur if American research institutions stop receiving funding (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adz6477)
  • Nature analysis: Who is on RFK Jr.’s new vaccine panel and what can we expect? Several members of the new committee are vaccine skeptics and belong to such militant groups. Many consider it a public health disaster (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01852-z)
  • The FDA says using AI in approving new drugs will radically improve efficiency (https://www.anytimes.com/2025/06/10/health/fda-drug-approvals-artificial-intelligence.html)

• United Kingdom
  • Patients with blood cancer in the UK are the first to be offered the “Trojan horse” drug, which can halt the progression of multiple myeloma. The guide was published last Friday by NICE (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jun/13/blood-cancer-patients-england-first-in-world-offered-belantamab-mafodotin-drug)

• France
  • The government unveils a plan for mental health. Faced with a lack of professionals and increasing needs, the government promises a reform of psychiatry (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2025/06/12/le-gouvernement-devoile-un-plan-pour-la-sante-mentale_6612485_3224.html)
  • Health authorities launch a major study to assess the impact of numerous pollutants (https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2025/06/10/les-autorites-sanitaires-lancent-une-grande-etude-sur-la-sante-des-francais-qui-va-permettre-de-mesurer-l-impact-de-nombreux-polluants_6612084_3244.html)

• European Union
  • The EMA is moving toward a common model for clinical trials. This is reflected in its 2024 report (https://www.consalud.es/industria/el-impulso-de-la-ema-en-la-revolucion-de-los-ensayos-clinicos-ano-clave-para-la-seguridad-y-la-transparencia.html). Access the 2024 EMA report: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/2024-annual-report-published

National health policy

• Central government initiatives
  • The maximum period for the AEMPS to authorize the sale of a medicine in Spain will be 210 days, starting in November. This is part of the effort to improve accessibility to new medications (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20250614/plazo-maximo-aemps-autorice-venta-medicamento-espana-dias-partir-noviembre/1003743804181_0.html)
  • The Ministry of Health gives the green light to the specialties of Medical Genetics and Laboratory Genetics. In the case of Medical Genetics, access will be restricted to physicians; for Laboratory Genetics, in addition to physicians, Pharmacy, Biology, Chemistry, and Veterinary Medicine (https://www.sanidad.gob.es/gabinete/notasPrensa.do?id=6697)
  • The Public Health Agency seems closer (https://www.consalud.es/politica/la-agencia-de-salud-publica-parece-mas-cerca-although-desde-el-gobierno-no-se-fian.html)

• Initiatives from the Autonomous Communities
  • Liquidity problems force the Murcian Health Service to prioritize which providers it pays. The regional government must comply with the central government’s underfunding, which it estimates at 1.6 billion annually (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/murcia-problemas-liquidez-obligan-sms-priorizar-proveedores-paga.html)
  • Public/private cooperation undermines the Basque Health Pact dialogue. A goal has been set not to exceed the current 6% (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/pais-vasco/la-cooperacion-publico-privada-dinamita-el-dialogo-del-pacto-vasco-de-salud-6197)
  • Asturias expands neonatal screening to include ten more metabolic diseases (https://actualidad.asturias.es/-/salud-amplía-el-cribado-neonatal-mediante-la-prueba-de-talón-incorpora-diez-enfermedades-metabólicas-más-y-podrá-detectar-hasta-28-1?redirect=%2F)

• Framework Statute
  • Doctors respond with massive follow-up in the strike against the Framework Statute. They complain that the new Framework Statute fails to address the specific nature of the medical profession, maintains job insecurity, does not guarantee work-life balance or the right to digital disconnection, and leaves unresolved essential issues such as dual work and the counting of on-call hours toward retirement. (https://www.consalud.es/profesionales/los-medicos-espanoles-responden-al-llamamiento-contra-el-estatuto-marco-asi-esta-siendo-el-seguimiento-de-la-huelga.html)

• Ombudsman’s Report
  • Four hospitals flagged by the Ombudsman for delays (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/son-hospitales-senalados-memoria-defensor-pueblo-demoras-quirurgica-diagnosticas.html). Access the full report: https://www.defensordelpueblo.es/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Defensor-del-Pueblo_Informe-anual-2024.pd

Companies

• International
  • AstraZeneca signs a $5.2 billion agreement to develop drugs for chronic diseases with a Chinese biotech company (https://www.ft.com/content/fd23a402-5be9-447c-b511-8179a41f280d)
  • Thermo Fisher intends to sell part of its diagnostics business for $4 billion (https://www.ft.com/content/378ab1a3-9b4b-4fb4-ac1a-e10a9cb40c15)
  • A British medical robotics company (CMR Surgical) aims to reach $5.2 billion. $4 billion in sales (https://www.ft.com/content/565fc57f-9061-46ae-af8e-7ffca5012896)
  • Pharmaceutical companies make their moves in the face of the end of patents, $25 billion in agreements in a single month (https://theobjective.com/economia/2025-06-11/farmas-fin-patentes-acuerdos/)
  • NovoNordisk obtains EMA authorization for the use of its obesity therapies in children (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20250609/novo-nordisk-consigue-autorizacion-ema-uso-terapias-obesidad-ninos/1003743792203_0.html)

• National
  • The Galician group Gaias Salud Gaias Salud is strengthening its expansion strategy and acquiring assets in Madrid. Gaias Salud was founded in 2000 and now has seven clinics in Galicia and one in Madrid, all under the name Clínicas Gaias. It also has businesses in the diagnostics, insurance (Gerosalud), and occupational risk areas (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20250609/grupo-gallego-gaias-salud-refuerza-ejecutar-expansion-planea-adquirir-nuevos-activos-madrid/1003743796827_0.html)
  • Sanitas increases its investment in the Vadebebas hospital to 80 million euros, 30 million more than initially planned (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20250609/sanitas-eleva-inversion-hospital-valdebebas-millones-euros/1003743796169_0.html)
  • FAES Farma acquires the Italian company SIFI for 270 million euros. largest acquisition in its history (https://cincodias.elpais.com/companias/2025-06-10/faea-farma-compra-la-italiana-sifi-por-270-millones-la-mayor-adquisicion-de-su-historia.html)

 

Summary

The most impactful health news of the week were:

• Biomedicine: Race to discover new life-saving drugs through the sequencing of new genomes.
• Global health: The US and Argentina agree to work on creating a replacement for the WHO.
• International health policy: Editorial in The Economist: How Labour should save the NHS.
• National health policy: The Spanish Global Health Strategy 2025-2030 is presented.
• Business: The US government cancels a $600 million contract with Moderna to develop a vaccine against avian flu.

Biomedicine

• Race to discover new life-saving drugs through the sequencing of new genomes, as it is estimated that the discovery of DNA in the 1970s does not explain the sequence of 99.9% of living beings on Earth. It is believed that the discovery of these keys will allow the identification of new drugs.
• Prediction and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. With all the advances in the science of aging and AI, we will be able to determine who is at high risk of developing Alzheimer’s, years before any cognitive symptoms appear.

Global Health

• The US and Argentina agree to work on creating a replacement for the WHO. Kennedy agrees with Milei to create a new organization and compete in medicines with China and India.
• ​​The danger of the WHO becoming China’s playground. The key is to ensure that the WHO does not become China’s playground to promote its interests rather than the interests of global health.

International Health Policy

• The Economist editorial: How Labour should save the NHS. Labour has two major incentives to improve the NHS. The first is political, as its voters value the NHS above all else. The second is practical: if things don’t improve, they will get worse. A 10-year plan is being developed to achieve this goal, which will be published in June. Of the three goals set: from hospitals to community, from illness to health, from analog to digital, The Economist editorial believes above all in digitalization as a potential for transformation.
• Trump’s “big and beautiful” tax law will leave millions of Latino children without care. Minors who are US citizens and have an undocumented parent will lose healthcare and food assistance.
• Tobacco sales have fallen 11.5% in 2024 in France, reaching a historically low level.
• An “obesity plan” for France is planned soon. The government is working on a plan that takes into account all approaches to this problem: education, healthcare, sports, and medicine.

National Health Policy (Spain)

• The Spanish Global Health Strategy 2025-2030 is presented, which emphasizes emergency prevention and management.
• Spain is accelerating its funding of drugs for rare diseases, with 14 so far this year, more than double the amount achieved in 2024.
• The AEMPS (Spanish Agency for Medical Research) increased the number of approved drugs by 30% in 2024, reaching 1,253 new drugs.
• The “white tides” (kind of health workers association) have been revitalized, as evidenced in the report on Andalusian healthcare (the unions and the Andalusian white tide coordinator) and the demonstration in Madrid.
• The measures in the new draft Statute are deeply disappointing among medical unions. Exclusive dedication is maintained for heads of Service and Section.

Companies

• International
  • The US government cancels a $600 million contract with Moderna to develop an avian flu vaccine. Robert Kennedy has repeatedly questioned the safety of the mRNA technology used by Moderna. No comments.
  • Why NovoNordisk has gone from heaven to hell in just one year. It has gone from skyrocketing on the stock market and being worth as much as Denmark’s GDP to plummeting share prices and the dismissal of its CEO, a visionary in anti-obesity drugs who has failed to manage success and diversify.

• National
  • The owner of Quirónsalud (Fresenius) plans to expand private healthcare in Spain and launch a round of acquisitions.

Biomedicine

• The race to discover new life-saving medicines by sequencing new genomes is on, as it is estimated that the discovery of DNA in the 1970s does not explain the sequence of 99.9% of living beings on Earth. It is believed that the discovery of these keys will allow the identification of new medicines (https://www.ft.com/content/9765ab86-0156-4901-b6ec-fbee465ab819)
• Can personalized CRISPR therapies transform the treatment of genetic diseases? (https://www.bmj.com/content/389/bmj.r1028)
• Prediction and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. With all the advances in the science of aging and AI, we will be able to determine who is at risk of developing Alzheimer’s years before any cognitive symptoms appear (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ady3217)
• Working with robots often leads to mental strain. Some studies show that working with robots leads to better physical health, but worse mental health (https://www.ft.com/content/528e3c25-22c7-4c83-b80a-dd07dae92c5d)
• The most deadly bacteria in history has reduced its virulence so it can continue killing millions of people. The evolution of a bubonic plague gene means the disease persists to this day (https://elpais.com/salud-y-bienestar/2025-05-29/la-bacteria-mas-asesina-de-la-historia-redujo-su-virulencia-para-poder-seguir-matando-a-millones-de-personas.html)

Global Health

• The US and Argentina agree to work on creating a replacement for the WHO. Kennedy agrees with Milei to create a new organization and compete in medicines with China and India (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2025/05/30/683992c0e4d4d8772a8b4590.html)
• The danger of the WHO becoming China’s playground. The key is that the WHO does not become China’s playground for promoting its interests rather than those of global health (https://gacetamedica.com/politica/oms-china-presupuesto-agencia-sanitaria/)

International Health Policy

• USA
  • Drug-related mortality in the US falls for the first time in five years, a sign that the country is moving away from the major problems of fentanyl (https://www.bmj.com/content/389/bmj.r1014)
  • Robots are performing some of the work in US hospitals. Although robots had long been used in surgery, the trend now is to perform other tasks, replacing staff, which is in short supply (https://www.ft.com/content/aabb7d4b-1e2d-47b9-97f4-c3fc96448aa7)
  • Robert Kennedy is in a battle with the big food companies. Under the slogan “sugar is poison,” Kennedy is against ultra-processed foods and the large industries that promote them (https://www.ft.com/content/7520dfbf-49b2-4d9b-8247-a0b80c5f1314)
  •  US does not recommend COVID vaccine boosters for children and pregnant women (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/27/health/covid-vaccines-children-pregnant-women-rfk-jr.html)
  • An editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine: Primary Care: From a Common Good to a Market Product. More than 30% of Americans lack access to formal primary care. Primary care physicians are older than specialists; less than a third of those who complete residency want to go into primary care. Furthermore, a private market for primary care is emerging as a “commodity.” Traditional Primary Care needs to be strengthened (https://www.nejm.org/doi/abs/10.1056/NEJMp2501717)
  • Trump’s “big and beautiful” tax law will leave millions of Latino children without care. Minors who are US citizens and have an undocumented parent will lose healthcare and food assistance (https://elpais.com/us/migracion/2025-05-28/la-gran-y-hermosa-ley-fiscal-de-trump-dejara-sin-atencion-medica-a-millones-de-ninos-latinos.html)
  • The CDC contradicts Kennedy and says children should receive COVID vaccine boosters (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/health/cdc-covid-vaccines-children-pregnant-women.html)
  • The Trump Administration ends a critical program to develop an HIV vaccine (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/health/trump-hiv-cuts.html)

• United Kingdom and the National Health Service
  • The Economist editorial: How Labour should save the NHS. Labour has two major incentives to improve the NHS. The first is political, as its voters value the NHS above all else. The second is practical: if things don’t improve, they will get worse. To this end, a 10-year plan is being developed, which will be published in June. Of the three goals set: from hospitals to community, from disease to health, from analog to digital, The Economist editorial believes above all in digitalization as a transformative potential (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2025/05/29/how-labour-should-save-the-nhs)
  • The Economist article: what’s next for the fractured NHS. The NHS is broken and needs “fixing.” This is what the 10-year plan aims to do, the success of which will not be the announcements of measures, but their actual implementation. One of the challenges is that money is being spent where it shouldn’t be (hospital spending has risen sharply in recent years) and, above all, the major challenge of implementing reform without much more money (https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/05/29/where-next-for-britains-broken-national-health-service)
  • Drug-related mortality in the UK is higher than in other developed countries, according to a report by the Health Foundation. Jennifer Dixon, director of this Foundation, said that the UK is becoming the sick man of the developed world (https://www.bmj.com/content/389/bmj.r1046). Access the Health Foundation article: https://www.health.org.uk/press-office/press-releases/dramatic-rise-in-drug-related-deaths-fuels-worsening-uk-health-compared-to-other-nations

• France
  • Tobacco sales have fallen by 11.5% in 2024 in France, reaching an all-time low (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2025/05/30/les-ventes-de-tabac-ont-chute-de-11.5-en-2024-en-france-ou-le-tabagisme-s-etablit-a-un-niveau-historiquement-bas_6609320_3224.html)
  • An “obesity plan” for France is planned soon. The government is working on a plan that takes into account all approaches to this problem: education, health, sports, and medicine (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2025/05/26/un-plan-obesite-pour-la-france-prevu-par-le-gouvernement-a-la-rentree_6608636_3224.html)

• Brazil
  • Public aid prevented more than 700,000 deaths and 8.2 million hospitalizations among the poorest in Brazil (https://elpais.com/planeta-futuro/2025-05-30/las-ayudas-publicas-evitaron-mas-de-700000-muertes-y-82-millones-de-hospitalizaciones-entre-los-mas-pobres-en-brasil.html)

• Israel
  • Israel worsens the dismantling of the Healthcare in Gaza by forcing the closure of the last hospital in the North (https://elpais.com/internacional/2025-05-31/israel-agrava-el-desmantelamiento-de-la-sanidad-de-gaza-al-forzar-el-cierre-del-ultimo-hospital-del-norte.html)

• Europe
  • Article in Nature: Europe can capture the brain drain from the US if it acts quickly. European countries must work together to become a global destination for scientific talent (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01567-1)

• WHO
  • The WHO takes a key step to ensure that skin diseases cease to be an “aesthetic” problem and become a “global priority” (https://elpais.com/planeta-futuro/2025-05-31/la-oms-da-un-paso-clave-para-que-las-enfermedades-de-la-piel-dejan-de-ser-un-problema-estetico-y-se-convierten-en-una-prioridad-mundial.html)

National Health Policy

• Central Government Initiatives
  • The Global Health Strategy 2025-2030 is presented, which emphasizes emergency prevention and management (https://www.consalud.es/politica/objetivos-clave-de-la-estrategia-de-salud-global-2025-2030-prevencion-fortalecimiento-y-gestion-de-emergencias.html). Access the document Spanish Global Health Strategy: 2025-2030: https://www.sanidad.gob.es/areas/calidadAsistencial/estrategias/saludMental/docs/Estrategia_de_Salud_Global_2025-2030.pdf
  • Spain is accelerating its funding of drugs for rare diseases, with 14 so far this year, more than double the amount achieved in 2024 (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20250528/espana-acelera-financiacion-medicamentos-enfermedades-raras-va-ano/1003743776202_0.html)
  • Family medicine positions in the MIR (Mediterranean Residents’ Internship) are filled for the first time in four years (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-05-28/las-plazas-de-medicina-de-familia-se-agotan-en-el-mir-por-primera-vez-en-cuatro-anos.html)
  • The government aims to modify the reference price system upon approval of the Public Health Agency Law. The idea is to exempt medications with a “strategic advantage” from the reference pricing system (https://www.consalud.es/politica/gobierno-modificar-sistema-precios-referencia-medicamentos-tramitacion-agencia-salud-publica.html)
  • The AEMPS (Spanish Agency for Public Health) increased the number of medications authorized in 2024 by 30%, reaching 1,253 new drugs (https://diariofarma.com/2025/05/26/la-ameps-incremento-en-un-30-el-numero-de-medicamentos-autorizados-en-2024)
  • Sánchez announces aid of up to 100 euros for children under 16 years of age to purchase glasses and contact lenses (https://diariofarma.com/2025/05/26/sanchez-anuncia-una-ayuda-de-100-euros-a-menores-de-16-anos-para-la-compra-de-gafas-o-lentillas
  • The Ministry intends to introduce smoke-free spaces/terraces, educational centers, or nightclubs into the new Anti-Tobacco Law. The law still has to pass the Council of Ministers and Parliament (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-05-29/sanidad-quiere-prohibir-fumar-en-terrazas-vehiculos-comerciales-campus-universitarios-y-discotecas-al-aire-libre.html)
  • The Ministry intends to include plain packaging in the reform of the Anti-Tobacco Law and is turning a deaf ear to the tobacco companies. This is a measure repeatedly requested by SEPAR (Spanish Society of Pathology). Respiratory) and FENAER (Spanish Federation of Allergy Patients and Respiratory Diseases) (https://www.consalud.es/politica/sanidad-incluira-el-empaquetado-generico-en-la-reforma-de-la-ley-antitabaco-y-hace-oidos-sordos-a-las-tabacaleras.html)

• Initiatives by autonomous communities
  • The unions (CCOO, UGT, CSIF, SATSE) together with the Andalusian Coordinator of White Tides warn of the critical state of the Andalusian healthcare system (https://elpais.com/espana/andalucia/2025-05-26/los-sindicatos-advierten-en-un-informe-del-estado-critico-del-sistema-sanitario-andaluz.html). Access the report: https://sanidad.ccoo.es/3488d2522950fc27de7fc9b0edacb8b2000057.pdf
  • The defense of public healthcare once again fills the streets of Madrid (https://elpais.com/espana/madrid/2025-05-25/la-defensa-de-la-sanidad-publica-vuelve-a-llenar-las-calles-de-madrid-veo-cada-vez-mas-deterioro-y-mas-seguros-privados.html)
  • Evaluation of public healthcare spending in Murcia, carried out by AIREF. This organization sees opportunities for improvement in three areas: pharmaceutical spending, investments, and personnel (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/murcia/la-airef-ve-margenes-de-ganancia-de-eficiencia-en-la-sanidad-murciana-7975). To access the report, AIREF: https://www.airef.es/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Murcia/Plan_Accion_Region_Murcia_2025.pdf
  • Catalan pharmacies advocate for the Pharmaceutical Law to integrate the sector into the system (https://diariofarma.com/2025/05/29/la-farmacia-catalana-defiende-que-la-ley-farmaceutica-integre-al-sector-en-el-sistema)
  • Vigo joins A Coruña and demands its own Faculty of Medicine (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/galicia/vigo-se-suma-a-a-coruna-y-reclama-su-propia-facultad-de-medicina-9277)
  • This is the precision medicine plan that places Castilla y León at the forefront of Europe (https://gacetamedica.com/profesion/asi-es-plan-medicina-precision-coloca-castilla-y-leon-vanguardia-europa/)

• Framework Statute
  • The measures in the new draft Statute are deeply disappointing among medical unions. Exclusive dedication is maintained for heads of departments and sections (https://gacetamedica.com/profesion/estatuto-marco-medidas-nuevo-borrador-estatuto-marco-depecion-sinidcatos-medicos/)

• Sick Leave
  • The cost of sick leave has skyrocketed by almost 80% and is approaching 20 billion euros (https://www.larazon.es/economia/coste-bajas-laborales-dispara-casi-80-acerca-20000-millones-anuales_202505266833bcc33407f96812ae2b71.html)

• Private healthcare spending
  • Families spend 50% more on healthcare than they did two decades ago. Inequality in access to certain services not funded by the public sector is denounced (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-05-28/las-familias-gastan-un-50-mas-en-sanidad-que-hace-dos-decadas.html)

• Clinical practice guidelines
  • The IDIS publishes a report denouncing the failure to update clinical practice guidelines. Access the report: https://www.fundacionidis.com/informes/otros-informes/el-camino-a-la-innovacion-tecnologica-cartera-de-servicios-y-guias-de-practica-clinica

Companies

• International
  • Lilly crowned as the pharmaceutical company with the highest revenue in the first quarter of 2025 (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20250528/lilly-corona-farmaceutica-mayores-ingresos-primer-trimestre/1003743778081_0.html)
  • Roche extended a promising trial of an antibiotic effective against resistant bacteria (https://www.ft.com/content/1f9476b7-2f63-4169-a7eb-de2ad12c0bef)
  • The US government cancels a contract with Moderna $600 million to develop a bird flu vaccine. Robert Kennedy has repeatedly questioned the safety of the mRNA technology used by Moderna (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/29/health/moderna-trump-bird-flu-vaccine-contract.html)
  • Why NovoNordisk has gone from heaven to hell in just one year. It has gone from skyrocketing on the stock market and being worth as much as Denmark’s GDP to plummeting share price and the dismissal of its CEO, a visionary in anti-obesity drugs who has failed to manage success and diversify (https://www.expansion.com/empresas/2025/05/28/68372bad468aeb851d8b4575.html)

• National
  • AMA’s gross profit grows 42.9% in 2024 (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/empresas/beneficio-bruto-ama-crece-492-2024.html)
  • The owner of Quirónsalud (Fresenius) foresees an expansion of private healthcare in Spain and a round of acquisitions (https://cincodias.elpais.com/companias/2025-05-29/el-dueno-de-quironsalud-preve-una-expansion-de-la-sanidad-privada-en-espana-y-una-ronda-de-compras.html)

 

Summary

The most impactful health news of the week were:

• Biomedicine: For the first time, a CRIPS treatment is capable of treating a single mutation.
• Global health: The need to accelerate vaccine development in Africa.
• International health policy: The medical profession cannot remain silent in the US in the face of the government’s abuses in the healthcare world.
• National health policy: The People’s Party (PP) urges the government to halt the processing of the Framework Statute.
• Companies: Big Pharma’s profits are threatened in the US.

Biomedicine

• For the first time, a CRIPS treatment is capable of treating a single mutation. Genome sequencing showed that a child had a rare genetic disease called carbamoyl phosphate synthetase deficiency, which produces high levels of ammonia. A specific gene-editing system was designed for him. This was done in record time, as there was no time available, as the child would have died. He is now ready to be discharged. The technique was base editing using CRISPR.
• “Reverse vaccines,” the promise for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. These diseases are caused by a harmful reaction of the immune system. The goal is to slow it down, unlike vaccines. The issue is broader, as these types of diseases affect 800 million people worldwide, from multiple sclerosis to lupus, type 1 diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Global Health

• Accelerating vaccine development in Africa. This continent suffers a significant burden of infectious diseases, including HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, and others. HIV research in Africa has strengthened its clinical trial capacity, laboratory network, and regulation, serving as an example for other vaccine initiatives.
• Real solutions for non-communicable diseases. Despite their high prevalence and impact on mortality, this is an area where progress is very slow. The cause is political; compared to infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases rarely generate urgency. These types of diseases are the cause of 85% of deaths among those aged 30-70 in the WHO European Region. This organization has just published a document proposing 25 measures for which there is evidence of their effectiveness.

International Health Policy

• Article from the New England Journal of Medicine: The Power of Doctors in Dangerous Times. Faced with attacks on science, cuts that threaten the health of the poorest Americans, and the collapse of American aid to provide solutions to global health, what doctors as a profession cannot do is remain silent. The history of the profession shows that defending the weakest has produced significant improvements in people’s lives. Doctors were very active in the passage of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, among other initiatives.
• Trump signs an executive order asking pharmaceutical companies to lower drug prices, but without a genuine policy on the issue. This idea of ​​”asking” pharmaceutical companies to lower prices, under threat of hellfire, is truly curious and contrasts with the well-designed, gradual policy of the Biden era. On the same day the news was released, pharmaceutical companies rose on the stock market.
• Ministers are trying to improve the draft 10-year plan for the NHS, amid comments that, as currently worded, it lacks anything likely to generate interest among the British public. The lead drafter, Tom Kibasi, has been replaced. One of the main proposals is the development of an NHS app.
• The European Health Data Space came into force on March 26, 2025. Despite its fine words, there are doubts that the current level of data harmonization will allow progress. This would not be the first time in the European Union (medical device regulation, in vitro diagnostic technology regulation) that implementation problems render interesting initiatives meaningless.

National Health Policy (Spain)

• Controversial launch of the new Drug Law, with nearly 400 objections and a highly questionable pricing system.
• The Ministry of Health wants to create the position of health administrator in all autonomous communities. The term itself is misleading and limiting. In Catalonia, they use the more appropriate term “clinical assistant.” It is essential to clearly define the functions of this personnel, which is absolutely necessary.
• The PP demands that the Government halt the processing of the Framework Statute, given professional rejection and the “lack of dialogue” with the autonomous communities.

Companies

• International
  • Big Pharma’s profits are under threat in the US. According to Gallup, only a fifth of Americans have a positive opinion of these companies, as the impression has been created of a greedy sector. The executive order signed by Trump on May 12 and the threat of tariffs are major concerns for this sector.

• National
  • Vitaldent is considering an international expansion and aims for a valuation of $1 billion. Advent, the parent fund, is considering divesting from the company.

Biomedicine

• For the first time, a CRIPS treatment is capable of treating a single mutation. Genome sequencing showed that a child had a rare genetic disease called carbamoylphosphate synthetase deficiency, which produces high levels of ammonia. A specific gene-editing system was designed for him. This was done in record time, as there was no time available, as the child would have died. He is now ready to be discharged. The technique was base editing using CRISPR. (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/05/15/for-the-first-time-a-crispr-drug-treats-a-child’s-unique-mutation)
• Curb your enthusiasm: what evidence does the evidence tell us about using AI in radiology (https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/curb-your-enthusiasm-what-does-the-evidence-tell-us-about-using-ai-in-radiology-diagnostics)
• Can AI teach medicine? AI can greatly contribute to medical education. AI can outperform humans in pattern recognition and data processing, but it lacks the intuition and empathy that an experienced educator brings (https://www.bmj.com/content/389/bmj.r822/rr)
• “Reverse vaccines,” the promise for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. These diseases are caused by a harmful reaction of the immune system. The goal is to slow it down, unlike vaccines. The issue is broader, as these types of diseases affect 800 million people worldwide, from multiple sclerosis to lupus, type 1 diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis. (https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2025/may/12/autoimmune-disease-inverse-vaccines)
• A substance discovered that reverses age-related brain deterioration (https://www.elconfidencial.com/tecnologia/novaceno/2025-05-17/ciencia-investigacion-molecula-revertir-demencia-cerebro_4130574/). Access the original article: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acel.14493
• Brazil’s complete genome reveals millions of unknown genetic variants (https://www.abc.es/salud/enfermedades/genoma-completo-brasil-desvela-millones-variantes-geneticas-20250515191554-nt.html
• The pill against high blood pressure in adults also helps children with butterfly skin (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-05-12/la-pastilla-contra-la-hipertension-en-adultos-tambien-ayuda-a-los-ninos-con-piel-de-mariposa.html)

Global Health

• Accelerating vaccine development in Africa. This continent suffers a great deal from infectious diseases, including HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, and others. HIV research In Africa, it has strengthened its clinical trial capacity, laboratory network, and regulation, serving as an example for other vaccine initiatives (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)00564-1/fulltext)
• Real solutions for non-communicable diseases. Despite their high frequency and impact on mortality, this is an area where progress is very slow. The cause is political: compared to infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases rarely require urgent action. These types of diseases cause 85% of deaths among those aged 30-70 in the WHO European Region. This organization has just published a document proposing 25 measures for which there is evidence of their effectiveness. (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanepe/article/PIIS2666-7762(25)00107-3/fulltext). Access the original document, published in The Lancet: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanepe/article/PIIS2666-7762(25)00073-0/fulltext

International Health Policy

• USA
  • Article from the New England Journal of Medicine: The Power of Physicians in Dangerous Times. Faced with attacks on science, cuts that threaten the health of the poorest Americans, and the collapse of American aid to provide solutions to global health, what physicians as a profession cannot do is remain silent. The history of the profession shows that defending the weakest has produced significant improvements in people’s lives. Physicians were very active in the passage of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, among other initiatives (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2502493)
  • As Congress debates cuts to Medicaid, a relevant study highlights how it saves lives (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/16/health/medicaid-cuts-congress.html). Access the study demonstrating the lives saved by Medicaid: https://www.nber.org/papers/w33719
  • Trump signs an executive order asking pharmaceutical companies to lower drug prices, but without a real policy on the issue. This idea of ​​”asking” pharmaceutical companies to lower prices, under threat of hellfire, is truly curious and contrasts with the well-designed, gradual policy of the Biden era. The same day the news was released, pharmaceutical companies rose on the stock market (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/health/trump-drug-prices.html
  • mp’s plan is to equalize drug prices in the US with those of other developed countries. Pharmaceutical companies oppose any form of government-mandated drug pricing. The truth is that the price of brand-name drugs in the US (not generics, which account for 91% of prescriptions) is more expensive in the US than in other developed countries, and this has always been an obsession of Trump’s, even during his first term (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/11/health/drug-prices-executive-order.html)
  • Article in Science: Trump’s Fear Factor: Scientists Remain Silent, While Cuts Continue (https://www.lifescience.net/entries/768994/trumps-fear-factor-scientists-go-silent-as-funding/)
  • California Governor Gavin Newsom, a prominent member of the Democratic Party, proposes limiting universal access to health care for undocumented immigrants. The idea is for the Medi-Cal program to stop accepting undocumented citizens as of January 1, 2026. Current enrollees will pay a monthly fee of $100 to continue coverage. Emergency medical care and pregnancy care are guaranteed in all cases. The goal is to save Medi-Cal approximately $5.4 billion annually (https://elpais.com/us/2025-05-14/el-gobernador-de-california-propone-limitar-el-acceso-universal-a-los-servicios-de-salud-a-los-indocumentados.html)

• China
  • China suspends the import of Chickens from Brazil, due to the detection of avian flu (https://www.ft.com/content/0f88b3f0-4348-4370-abfb-1934050ca733)

• United Kingdom and the National Health Service
  • Ministers are trying to improve the draft 10-year plan for the NHS, amid comments that, as currently worded, it lacks any appeal to the British public. Lead editor Tom Kibasi has been replaced. One of the main proposals is the development of an NHS app (https://www.ft.com/content/2d8c41bd-0c1c-4de0-8721-c2f507aafeba)
  • NHS waiting lists rise for the first time in seven months, calling into question one of Labour’s key promises (https://www.ft.com/content/2d8c41bd-0c1c-4de0-8721-c2f507aafeba)

• France
  • Macron raises the possibility of an end-of-life referendum, which is questioned by many constitutionalists (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2025/05/14/macron-evoque-la-possibilite-d-un-referendum-sur-la-fin-de-vie_6606038_3224.html)

• Brazil
  • Brazil’s complete genome reveals millions of unknown genetic variants. This is a milestone for personalized medicine in Latin America (https://www.abc.es/salud/enfermedades/genoma-completo-brasil-desvela-millones-variantes-geneticas-20250515191554-nt.html)

• European Union
  • The Lancet Report: The European Health Data Space, which came into force on March 26 of this year, 2025. Despite its fine words, there are doubts that the current level of data harmonization will allow progress. This wouldn’t be the first time in the European Union (medical device regulation, in vitro diagnostic technology regulation) that implementation issues render interesting initiatives worthless (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01029-3/fulltext?rss=yes)
  • Europe opens the consultation period with the sector for the future Biotechnology Law (https://diariofarma.com/2025/05/15/europa-abre-el-periodo-de-consultas-para-la-ley-de-biotecnologia)
  • EFPIA reveals the secrets of the different speeds of access to innovative drugs in different countries (https://www.consalud.es/industria/la-efpia-expone-las-barreras-que-dificultan-la-disponibilidad-uniforme-de-medicamentos-innovadores-en-la-ue.html)

National Health Policy

• Central Government Initiatives
  • A Royal Decree on Consumer Affairs is announced to ensure healthy nutrition in hospitals and nursing homes (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-05-15/consumo-regulara-las-comidas-de-hospitales-y-residencias-de-mayores-como-hizo-con-los-comedores-escolares.html)
  • Controversial launch of the new Medicines Law, nearly 400 objections, and a highly questionable pricing system (https://www.consalud.es/industria/industria-y-profesionales-presentan-cerca-de-400-alegaciones-a-la-nueva-ley-del-medicamento-que-marcan-el-debate-sobre-su-futuro.html)
  • The Public Health Agency returns to Congress with the same text rejected in March (https://diariofarma.com/2025/05/10/la-agencia-de-salud-publica-vuelta-al-congreso-con-el-mismo-texto-rechazado-en-marzo)
  • The Ministry of Health will take the Health Care Framework to the Interterritorial Meeting on May 21 (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/c-madrid/sanidad-llevara-el-marco-de-cuidados-en-salud-al-interterritorial-del-proximo-21-de-mayo.html)
  • The Ministry of Health wants to create the position of the Administrative staff in all autonomous communities. The term itself is misleading and limiting. In Catalonia, they use the most appropriate term “clinical assistant.” It is essential to clearly define the functions of this staff, which is absolutely necessary (https://www.consalud.es/profesionales/otros-profesionales/sanidad-quiere-crear-la-figura-del-administrativo-en-salud-en-todas-las-comunidades-autonomas-tambien-somos-profesion-sanitaria.html)

• Autonomous community initiatives
  • The Draft Digital Health Law of Cantabria, open for public hearing (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/cantabria/cantabria-saca-a-audiencia-publica-su-anteproyecto-de-ley-de-salud-digital-6918)
  • The figures for the future Trueta Hospital, with an investment of 700 million euros and launch in 2031 (https://elpais.com/espana/catalunya/2025-05-14/las-cifras-del-futuro-hospital-trueta-inversion-de-700-millones-y-puesta-en-marcha-en-2031.html)
  • Madrid begins construction on the City of Health with the Proton Therapy Unit (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/c-madrid/madrid-arranca-las-primeras-obras-de-la-ciudad-de-la-salud-con-la-unidad-de-protonterapia-y-el-edificio-industrial.html)

• Hospital-acquired infections
  • More than 7,000 people die each year from hospital-acquired infections (https://www.elespanol.com/ciencia/salud/20250515/personas-mueren-ano-infecciones-adquiridas-hospitales-no-respuestaclara/1003743757464_0.html). Access the latest EPINE study: https://epine.es/api/documento-publico/2024%20EPINE%20Informe%20España.pdf/reports-esp

• Framework Statute
  • The PP demands that the Government halt the processing of the Framework Statute due to professional rejection and the “lack of dialogue” with the autonomous communities (https://www.consalud.es/politica/el-pp-exige-al-gobierno-que-paralice-la-tramitacion-del-estatuto-marco-ante-el-rechazo-profesional-y-la-falta-de-dialogo-con-las-ccaa.html)

• Oral Health
  • The IDIS Foundation’s oral health report has been published (https://www.fundacionidis.com/informes/otros-informes/observatorio-de-salud-bucodental)

Companies

• International News
  • Big Pharma’s profits are under threat in the US. According to Gallup, only a fifth of Americans have a positive opinion of these companies, as this has created the impression of a greedy sector. The executive order signed by Trump on May 12 and the threat of tariffs are major concerns for this sector (https://www.economist.com/business/2025/05/13/big-pharmas-jumbo-profits-are-under-threat-in-america)
  • NovoNordisk reaches agreements with American biotech companies to boost its pipeline of new obesity drugs (https://www.ft.com/content/ee6cff85-24bf-42fd-a58a-9f484cc3a713)
  • NovoNordisk CEO dismissed due to the company’s poor performance on the stock market (https://www.diariomedico.com/farmacia/empresas/ceo-novo-nordisk-destitute.html)

• National
  • Vitaldent considers going international and aims for a valuation of 1 billion. Advent, the parent fund, is considering divesting from the company (https://www.elconfidencial.com/empresas/2025-05-14/donte-group-vitaldent-salto-bolsa-advent-venta_4128203/)
  • Almirall almost triples its profits in the first quarter (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud-bienestar/noticias/13358691/05/25/almirall-casi-triplica-sus-ganancias-en-el-primer-trimestre-hasta-los-216-millones.html)
  • Grifols triples its profits and increases its turnover by 7.4% (https://www.expansion.com/catalunya/2025/05/12/68221454468aeb3d0d8b459b.html)
  • Spanish pharmaceutical companies are awarded subsidies from the Health Department grants €127 million for its R&D plans (https://cincodias.elpais.com/companias/2025-05-12/las-farmas-espanolas-se-adjudican-subvenciones-del-perte-de-salud-por-127-millones-para-sus-planes-de-id.html)

 

 

Summary

The week’s most impactful health news stories were:

• Biomedicine: Individual well-being indicators identified.
• Global health: 25 million deaths could be expected if the US cuts off funding for global health.
• International health policy: France considers regulations for mandatory medical placement in medical deserts.
• National health policy: Doctors will have a specific chapter in the Framework Statute.
• Business: An article in The Lancet attacks corporate corruption in healthcare.

Biomedicine

• Individual well-being advocates identified. An international project describes the keys to a full life based on more than 40 indicators. The study analyzed more than 200,000 people worldwide: close friends, life balance, being married, and participating in communities and religious services were among the most beneficial factors. Statistics on employment, life expectancy, or GDP are considered to capture key aspects of the well-being of nations, but they are poor predictors of the well-being of individuals.
• The Ozempic universe, apart from treating diabetes and obesity, also serves to treat advanced stages of fatty liver disease. Semaglutide, Ozempic, and Wegovy could reverse common liver disease.

Global Health

• 25 million deaths could occur if the US halts global health funding. Article in Nature: 25 million deaths could occur if the United States halts global health funding. The US, the world’s largest donor to health initiatives in poor countries, spent approximately $12 billion on global health in 2024. Without this annual spending, around 25 million people could die in the next 15 years.
• Editorial in The Lancet: The global pandemic treaty is a milestone, but concerns remain. After more than three years of intense negotiations, a Pandemic Treaty was approved, praised by the WHO Director-General as a success of multilateralism. The Treaty codifies key approaches to prevention, preparedness, and response, including One Health. However, the agreement has some limitations: the 20% limit on vaccine sharing from previous drafts remains in place; there is no funding to advance the initiative; and the issue of liability is worrisome, since, if a pandemic is declared, the Conference of the Parties could only make non-binding recommendations.
• Editorial in Nature: The end of AIDS is in sight, let’s not abandon PEPFAR now. Among Trump’s first initiatives was to disband USAID, which was ultimately responsible for PEPFAR (the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), which is in jeopardy. Thanks to this plan, the world would see 90% fewer AIDS deaths in 2030 than in 2010.

International Health Policy

• Trump cuts the CDC’s prevention-focused budget, as part of a 50% budget cut and the layoff of 2,400 employees. The largest reduction is in prevention.
• Calls are being made in France to regulate the deployment of doctors in medical deserts. The text provides, under certain circumstances, that certain doctors must be required to deploy in these medical deserts. Several thousand people have marched in France against the text.
• Representatives approve in France a bill in committee on “the end of life,” which provides that every terminally ill patient may have this right and request “aid in dying” (euthanasia or assisted suicide).

National Health Policy (Spain)

• The Ministry of Health publishes the funding criteria for 18 new medications, which had been approved since October 2024.
• The Ministry intends to approve a care model at the next Interterritorial Council. It aims to be a reference model for the development of care professions and is organized into five strategic lines.
• The massive power outage is straining the Spanish healthcare system, with saturated emergency rooms and canceled surgeries. Scheduled surgeries are delayed; primary care clinics are closed; ambulance services are affected; and home patients are waiting for electrical devices, experiencing problems.
• The Strike Committee successfully persuades the Ministry to accept a specific chapter for doctors in the Framework Statute. Although the strike is scheduled for May 23, the Committee has achieved this from the Ministry, which they consider a success.

Companies

• International
  • An article in The Lancet denounces the corruption of certain healthcare corporations. Some corporate activities, such as spreading misleading narratives or lobbying to delay legislation, may be legal but ethically questionable. It is not always easy to prove the harm caused by these actions. However, there are clearly harmful corporations, such as the tobacco and ultra-processed food industries.

• National
  • The pharmaceutical sector is racing against time to prepare its objections to the drug law. There will be unanimous rejection of the “selected” pricing system.

Biomedicine

• Histosonics (a developer supported by J&J) is developing a “sonic beam” to attack tumors. The developer of noninvasive ultrasound therapy is supported by J&J, Medtronic, and GE HealthCare. The therapy uses sonic beams to destroy tumor tissue (https://www.ft.com/content/cb1c5bf1-ddf8-4c8b-b62d-99c081bce8c6)
• Immunotherapy allows cancer patients to avoid surgery and aggressive therapies. For a limited group of solid tumors of the stomach, rectum, esophagus, and other organs, trials of immunosuppressants offer surprising results (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/27/health/cancer-immunotherapy-solid-tumors.html)
• An international project describes the keys to a full life across more than 40 indicators. The study analyzed more than 200,000 people worldwide: close friends, life balance, being married, and participating in communities and religious services were among the most beneficial factors. Statistics on employment, life expectancy, or GDP are considered to capture key aspects of the well-being of nations, but they are poor predictors of the well-being of individuals (https://elpais.com/salud-y-bienestar/2025-04-30/que-significa-vivir-bien-un-proyecto-internacional-describe-las-claves-de-la-vida-plena-en-mas-de-40-indicadores.html). Access the original article in Nature Mental Health: https://www.nature.com/articles/s44220-025-00423-5
• A universal antidote to poisons has been achieved by a man who was bitten hundreds of times by poisonous snakes. One person, Tim Friede, allowed himself to be bitten by 16 species of poisonous snakes. After this, according to Cell, antibodies capable of neutralizing the venom of multiple snake species were identified (a kind of universal antivenom). More than 600 species of venomous snakes bite at least 2.7 million people each year, killing an estimated 120,000 and injuring 400,000 (https://elpais.com/salud-y-bienestar/2025-05-03/el-hombre-que-se-dejo-morder-cientos-de-veces-por-serpientes-venenosas-abre-el-camino-hacia-un-antidoto-universal.html). Access the original article in Cell: https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(25)00402-7
• Semaglutide, ozempic, and wegovy could reverse common liver disease. The Ozempic universe, in addition to treating diabetes and obesity, is also used to treat advanced stages of fatty liver (https://www.abc.es/salud/enfermedades/ozempic-mejora-enfermedad-hepatica-pacientes-20250430123631-nt.html). Access the original article in the New England Journal of Medicine: https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2413258
• Using brain-dead people for medical experiments: The new debate on the frontiers of bioethics. This approach is proposed by four renowned scientists (https://elpais.com/salud-y-bienestar/2025-05-01/utilizar-personas-en-muerte-cerebral-para-hacer-experimentos-medicos-el-nuevo-debate-en-la-frontera-de-la-bioetica.html)

Global Health

• Article in Nature: 25 million deaths could be reached if the United States halts global health funding. The United States, the world’s largest donor of health initiatives in poor countries, spent approximately $12 billion on global health in 2024. Without this annual spending, around 25 million people could die in the next 15 years. (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01191-z)
• Editorial in The Lancet: The global pandemic treaty is a milestone, but concerns remain. After more than three years of intense negotiations, a Pandemic Treaty was approved, praised by the WHO Director-General as a success of multilateralism. The Treaty codifies key approaches to prevention, preparedness, and response, including One Health. However, the agreement has some limitations: the 20% limit on vaccine sharing from previous drafts remains in place; There is no funding to promote the initiative; and the issue of accountability is worrying, since, if a pandemic is declared, the Conference of the Parties could only make non-binding recommendations (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)00868-2/fulltext)
• Editorial in Nature: The end of AIDS is in sight, let’s not abandon PEPFAR now. Among Trump’s first initiatives was to dissolve USAID, which was ultimately responsible for PEPFAR (the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), which is in danger. Thanks to this plan, the world would experience 90% fewer AIDS deaths by 2030 than in 2010 (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01308-4)
• A killer fungus is spreading as the climate warms. High temperatures are increasing the prevalence of deadly fungal infections, especially of the Aspergillus species (https://www.ft.com/content/506f5a03-8520-40e1-aee3-a6e6427f68c0
• Household plastics caused more than 356,000 cardiac deaths in 2018. Exposure to phthalates, which are used to produce plastic products used in the home, triggers an immune response in the heart arteries, which is associated with an increased risk of heart attack or stroke, according to Lancet eBiomedicine (https://www.abc.es/salud/enfermedades/plasticos-domesticos-causaron-356000-muertes-cardiacas-2018-20250429141741-nt.html)
• Strokes are now the leading cause of heart attack and stroke. death in seven African countries, although the disease is underdiagnosed on the continent (https://elpais.com/planeta-futuro/2025-04-28/los-infartos-cerebrales-son-ya-la-primera-causa-de-muerte-en-siete-paises-de-africa.html)

International Health Policy

• USA
  • Trump cuts the CDC’s prevention-focused budget, as part of a 50% budget cut and the layoff of 2,400 employees. The largest reduction is in prevention (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/02/health/trump-budget-cdc-chronic-conditions.html)
  • Kennedy warns new parents to do “their own research” on vaccines. Kennedy made these two statements on a televised program: that parents should do their own research before vaccinating their children and that the measles vaccine is not safe (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/29/us/politics/kennedy-vaccines-research.html)
  • Scientists urge the Trump Administration to combat the threat of the avian flu pandemic. The US should make a greater effort to fight the H5N1 pandemic, warns an international group of virologists (https://www.ft.com/content/6152e13c-bec7-4719-8a10-91f5f49fbdb6)
  • Measles: The urgency of global immunization. Since 2005, measles has increased in the US, with 607 infections across multiple states. Ninety-seven percent of these cases are in unvaccinated people. Measles had been declared extinct in the USA in 2000. Therefore, increasing immunization is critical (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)00675-0/abstract)

• United Kingdom and the National Health Service
  • The British Treasury says there will be no more money for healthcare professionals and educators (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/apr/28/no-extra-money-for-pay-rises-for-nhs-staff-and-teachers-in-england-ministers-told)

• France
  • They call for regulation of the establishment of doctors in medical deserts. The text provides, under certain circumstances, that certain doctors must be required to establish themselves in these medical deserts. Several thousand people marched in France against the text (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2025/05/04/deserts-medicaux-plus-de-1-500-elus-locaux-appellent-les-deputes-a-voter-pour-la-regulation-de-l-installation-des-medecins_6602709_3224.html)
  • Members of Parliament approved a bill on “the end of life” in committee, which provides that all terminally ill patients may have this right and request “help in dying” (euthanasia or assisted suicide). (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2025/05/03/fin-de-vie-les-deputes-adoptent-en-commission-une-proposition-de-loi-creant-un-droit-a-l-aide-a-mourir_6602567_3224.html)

• Australia
  • Primary Care, a central issue in the Australian elections. The campaign has been characterized by the promise to increase funding for health insurance, Medicare, as well as improvements in Primary Care (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)00865-7/abstract)

• European Union
  • The EU warns countries of the risk of measles and polio due to low vaccination coverage (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-04-30/la-ue-alerta-a-los-paises-del-riesgo-del-sarampion-y-la-polio-por-las-bajas-coberturas-vacunales.html)
  • The European Union offers 27 million flu vaccines in the event of a possible pandemic (https://gacetamedica.com/politica/union-europea-vacunas-gripe-pandemia/)
  • Experts criticize the EU’s approval of the The Alzheimer’s drug Lecanemab (Eisai). Experts and patient representatives have criticized this decision, which was rejected in July 2024 (https://www.bmj.com/content/389/bmj.r796).

National Health Policy

• Central Government Initiatives
  • The Ministry of Health publishes the funding criteria for 18 new drugs, which had been approved since October 2024 (https://www.sanidad.gob.es/gabinete/notasPrensa.do?id=6660)
  • Brussels postpones Mónica García’s “decree” against tobacco for another three months. Six countries (Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, and Sweden) issued a reasoned opinion against the TRIS procedure. This suspension delays the controversial regulation that sought to restrict the presence of flavors in e-cigarettes and aims to limit the concentration of nicotine in nicotine pouches, among other aspects (https://theobjective.com/economia/2025-05-04/bruselas-frena-decretazo-monica-garcia-tabaco-tres-meses/)
  • The selection process for MIR (Resident Residents’ Internship) positions begins (https://www.elconfidencial.com/bienestar/2025-05-04/que-dias-se-eligen-plaza-mir-2025-y-donde_4118913/)
  • The Ministry intends to approve a healthcare model at the next Interterritorial Council. It aims to be a reference model for the development of care professions and is organized into five strategic lines (https://www.consalud.es/politica/este-es-marco-estrategico-cuidados-en-salud-sanidad-espera-aprobar-en-proximo-cisns_157570_102.html)

• Initiatives by autonomous communities
  • Catalonia launches four health centers with a new model (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/cataluna/cataluna-ultima-la-puesta-en-marcha-de-nuevos-modelos-de-atencion-primaria-8907)
  • 22% of family doctors in Catalonia do not have an approved specialty (https://theobjective.com/sanidad/2025-04-29/medicos-familia-cataluna-especialidad-homologada/)

• Impact of the “blackout” in Healthcare
  • Spanish hospitals maintain basic services thanks to generators (https://elpais.com/economia/2025-04-28/los-hospitales-espanoles-mantienen-su-actividad-con-mas-o-menos-normalidad-gracias-a-los-equipos-electrogenos.html)
  • Blackout: What are the damages and who can claim them from? In theory, claims could be made for a significant deterioration in health due to delays in care and loss of earnings (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/apagon-son-danos-sanidad-quien-reclamarlos.html)
  • The massive blackout is straining the Spanish healthcare system/overcrowded emergency rooms and canceled surgeries. Scheduled surgeries are delayed; primary care clinics are closed; ambulance services are affected; and home patients waiting for electrical devices, with problems (https://www.consalud.es/pacientes/gran-apagon-sanidad-sistema-sanitario-espanol_157499_102.html)

• Framework Statute
  • The Strike Committee successfully persuades the Ministry to accept a specific chapter for doctors in the Framework Statute. Although the strike is scheduled for May 23, the Committee has achieved this from the Ministry, which they consider a success (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/profesion/comite-huelga-logra-sanidad-admita-capitulo-especifico-medicos-estatuto-marco.html)

• MUFACE agreement signed
  • The Government signs the new MUFACE agreement with Adeslas and Asisa for 2025-2028. The total contract amount is €4.808 billion. Entities must submit to MUFACE a detailed, externally audited report on the effective annual cost of the service derived from the agreement (https://elpais.com/economia/2025-04-30/el-gobierno-firma-el-nuevo-convenio-de-muface-con-adeslas-y-asisa-y-pone-fin-al-culebron.html)

• Bone marrow transplants
  • Bone marrow transplants reach historic highs. 748 from unrelated donors. A 42% increase since 2012 (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2025/05/01/68124e22e9cf4a1b468b45a7.html)

Companies

• International News
  • The Lancet article: Corporate Corruption in Healthcare. Some corporate activities, such as spreading misleading narratives or lobbying to delay legislation, may be legal but ethically questionable. It’s not always easy to prove the harm caused by such actions. However, there are clearly harmful corporations, such as the tobacco and ultra-processed food industries (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)00520-3/abstract)
  • AstraZeneca committed to US manufacturing as profits rise (https://www.ft.com/content/b29430f1-3ad1-477f-946d-73f9168fa67c)
  • Germany’s Merck willing to buy biotech company SpringWorks for $3.9 billion (https://www.ft.com/content/940a9556-4875-40cb-ab19-26069b6afd8e)
  • GSK turning to AI to offset the impact of tariffs (https://www.ft.com/content/d8958a0f-0016-47ab-9282-fed70432b398)
  • Tirzepatide now accounts for 50% of Lilly’s revenue (https://diariomedico.com/farmacia/industria/tirzepatida-acapara-50-facturacion-lilly.html)
  • NovoNordisk seeks to revive its stock market dream with new alliances (https://cincodias.elpais.com/companias/2025-05-02/novo-nordisk-el-dueno-de-ozempic-quiere-revivir-su-sueno-en-bolsa-con-nuevas-alianzas.html)
  • Sanofi closes the sale of half of Opella to the CD&R fund for 10 billion (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud-bienestar/noticias/13343457/05/25/sanofi-cierra-la-venta-de-la-mitad-de-opella-con-el-fondo-cdr-por-10000-millones.html)

• National
  • The pharmaceutical sector is racing to prepare its objections to the drug law. There will be a unanimous rejection of the “selected” pricing system (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud-bienestar/noticias/13342067/04/25/el-sector-prepara-a-contrarreloj-sus-alegaciones-a-la-ley-del-medicamento.html)