Summary

The week’s most impactful health news stories were:

• Biomedicine: Mental health research is too invisible; it’s time to change that.
• Global Health: The Lancet editorial: the need to change the humanitarian system.
• International Health Policy: Donald Trump tries to reshape foreign aid with a transactional pay-for-data system.
• National Health Policy: Strong statement from the Spanish Medical Association with harsh criticism of the Ministry regarding the medical conflict.
• Business: Generic drug manufacturer Sandoz warns the EU about Chinese dumping.

Biomedicine

• Mental health research is too invisible; it’s time to change that. More than 1 billion people (one in seven worldwide) live with a mental illness, according to the WHO. One might think that a problem of this scale would deserve an immediate response, but this is lacking.
• Experimental drug produces significant weight loss. Retatrutide is Lilly’s new drug that leads to a 28% weight loss after 80 weeks.

Global Health

• The Lancet editorial: Transforming the humanitarian system.  2022 was the most conflict-ridden year in 20 years, with more than 123 million people forcibly displaced by the conflicts in Sudan, Gaza, and Ukraine. This year, 239 million will need humanitarian assistance, which the current system cannot meet. A fundamental shift in the aid system, largely rooted in colonialism, is proposed.
• The world faces its greatest risk of pandemic damage, following six health alerts and the COVID-19 pandemic in 11 years. New report from the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB), an initiative supported by the WHO and the World Bank.
• The health crisis in a Cuba in the dark: surviving without operating rooms, chemotherapy, or incubators.

International Health Policy

• Donald Trump seeks to overhaul foreign aid with a pay-for-data system. After dismantling USAID, it is trying to impose a pay-for-data system, which some label as neocolonial.
• NHS Online: What we know and don’t know about this new NHS modernization initiative.
• Sexually transmitted infections reach record levels across Europe. The EU’s public health agency urges countries to reverse the upward trend in cases, which has been relentless for a decade.
• Europe unlocks the agreement with the USA on the 15% tariff cap for medicines. The European Parliament and the Council reach a provisional agreement to implement tariff commitments with the United States.

National Health Policy (Spain)

• Strong statement from the Spanish Medical Association with harsh criticism of the Ministry regarding the medical conflict. The document begins: “The Spanish medical profession is experiencing one of the periods of greatest institutional, professional, and healthcare decline in recent decades. The escalating tension surrounding the reform of the Framework Statute, the absence of a genuine regulatory framework that recognizes the unique nature of medical practice, and the progressive breakdown of dialogue between the Ministry of Health and the legitimate representatives of the profession have led to a conflict that demands responsibility, a real willingness to reach an agreement, and a course correction from the Government.”
• The Galician Health Service (Sergas) will incentivize family doctors who sign sick leave certificates that do not exceed the “standard duration.” The new Galician Management Agreements include, for the first time, the period of temporary incapacity as a factor in calculating the productivity bonus for physicians.
• Catalonia: Health will receive a 21.3% budget increase this year, following the agreement reached between Health Minister Illa and the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), with the support of the Sánchez government.

Companies

• International
  • Generic drug manufacturer Sandoz warns the EU about Chinese dumping. China’s overcapacity threatens Europe.

• National
  • The new Ascires Valencia hospital promotes a high-precision healthcare model. The center integrates Europe’s first advanced precision hybrid operating room and is committed to minimally invasive medicine, AI, and patient-centered care.

Biomedicine

• Mental health research is too invisible; it’s time to change that. More than 1 billion people (one in seven worldwide) live with a mental illness, according to the WHO. You would think that a problem of this scale would deserve an immediate response, but it’s lacking (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01550-4).
• Prostate cancer screening can save lives, but the absolute benefit is small. Although blood tests can save the lives of 2 out of every 1,000 patients screened, many could undergo unnecessary treatment (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/15/prostate-cancer-screening-save-lives-benefit-small-study). Access the original Cochrane study (https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD004720.pub4/full/es)
• Experimental drug produces significant weight loss. Retatrutide is Lilly’s new drug that leads to a 28% weight loss after 80 weeks (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/21/science/retatrutide-weight-loss-drug.html)
• Juan Carlos Ispizúa presents clues about how to reverse aging. “Aging,” he says, “is a loss of identity at the cellular level”; and it is possible to recover it with experimental treatments. This means that aging can be reversed and many of the diseases associated with it can be stopped. I co-found Altos Labs, dedicated to the study of aging (https://elpais.com/ciencia/2026-05-24/juan-carlos-izpisua-presenta-indicios-de-como-revertir-el-envejecimiento-es-una-perdida-de-identidad-a-nivel-celular.html)

Global Health

• The Lancet Editorial: Transforming the humanitarian system. 2022 was the most conflict-ridden year in 20 years, with more than 123 million forcibly displaced people due to the conflicts in Sudan, Gaza, and Ukraine. This year, 239 million will need humanitarian assistance, which the current system cannot provide. A proposal is made to change the foundations of the aid system, largely rooted in colonialism (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)01017-2/fulltext)
• The world is at the greatest risk of pandemic damage, following six health alerts and the COVID-19 pandemic in 11 years. A new report from the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB), an initiative supported by the WHO and the World Bank (https://gpmb.org/news/news/item/18-05-2026-the-world-is-on-the-edge-of-even-greater-pandemic-damage)
• 200 million people live with mental health disorders. Teenagers between 15 and 19 years old and women of all ages are the worst affected, especially by anxiety and depression (https://elpais.com/salud-y-bienestar/2026-05-22/radiografia-de-la-salud-mental-en-el-mundo-1200-millones-de-personas-viven-con-trastornos-psiquiatricos.html)
• Why the Brazilian government is obsessed with vaccines. Brazil is making a huge investment in industrial biomedical development, trying to regain “medical sovereignty” (https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2026/05/21/why-brazils-government-is-obsessed-with-vaccines)
• The hantavirus outbreak is a tragedy—and a valuable source of information, even though the global risk remains low (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2026/05/20/the-hantavirus-outbreak-is-a-tragedy-and-a-valuable-data-source)
• How to stop the Ebola outbreak. The problem is that there is still no vaccine for the virus in the latest outbreak. That’s why it’s important to incentivize research to quickly develop a vaccine (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2026/05/21/how-to-stop-the-ebola-outbreak)
• A new Ebola outbreak could be the worst in a decade. Aid cuts, war, and the lack of a vaccine are complicating the fight (https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2026/05/19/a-new-ebola-outbreak-could-be-the-worst-in-a-decade)
• Deadly measles outbreak with thousands sick in Bangladesh. The outbreak, with 8,000 confirmed cases and over 60,000 suspected cases, has triggered emergency vaccination (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/22/world/asia/bangladesh-measles-outbreak-vaccines.html)
• The largest diphtheria outbreak in decades in Queensland, Australia (https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/may/19/diphtheria-outbreak-australia-spread-vaccine-northern-territory)
• The WHO raises the risk level in the Democratic Republic of Congo to “very high” due to the Ebola outbreak. To date, there are 750 suspected cases and 177 deaths under investigation, in addition to 82 confirmed cases and 7 deaths (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2026/05/22/6a10615221efa0bc708b4575.html)
• The health crisis in a Cuba in the dark: surviving without operating rooms, chemotherapy, or incubators (https://www.vozpopuli.com/internacional/el-drama-sanitario-de-una-cuba-a-oscuras-sobrevivir-sin-quirofanos-quimioterapia-o-incubadoras.html)

International Health Policy

• USA
  • Are Trump’s drug pricing policies saving anyone money? Experts doubt the effectiveness of Trump’s policies in lowering drug costs in the USA (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)01021-4/fulltext)
  • Donald Trump tries to overhaul foreign aid with a pay-for-data system. After dismantling USAID, it is trying to impose a pay-for-data system, which some label as neocolonial (https://www.ft.com/content/f5e1335c-40d1-4bb4-bf8d-d017a95e3b7e?syn-25a6b1a6=1)
  • The CDC says green card holders who have been in countries with Ebola cannot return to the US (https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/22/cdc-ebola-green-card-congo-sudan-uganda-00934869)
  • What the hantavirus and Ebola outbreak is revealing about the American public health system. Although neither hantavirus nor Ebola currently poses a threat to the US, public health policies can weaken the capacity to respond to another threat (https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/21/ebola-hantavirus-maga-public-health-00930368)
  • What’s behind Trump’s new child savings account system? It’s a savings account opened for all newborns. There are doubts about its effectiveness (https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/2026/05/trump-child-savings-accounts/687261/)
  • Hospitals identified as responsible for the large increase in healthcare spending. Everyone points to hospitals as largely responsible for the increase in healthcare spending (https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/17/hospitals-affordability-drugs-insurers-health-care-00924303)

• United Kingdom
  • NHS Online: What we know and don’t know about this new NHS modernization initiative (https://www.bmj.com/content/393/bmj.s856)
  • What the disappearance of NHS England has meant (https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/blogs/five-tests-for-the-nhs-modernisation-bill)

• France
  • Lung cancer screening, a pilot program in five regions. 20,000 smokers and ex-smokers can benefit from the initiative (https://www.lemonde.fr/sante/article/2026/05/18/depistage-du-cancer-du-poumon-un-programme-pilote-gratuit-lance-dans-cinq-regions_6691031_1651302.html)
  • Report on measles cases in France in 2025 (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2026/05/18/les-cas-de-rougeole-plus-nombreux-en-france-en-2025-rapporte-sante-publique-france_6691080_3224.html)

• European Union
  • Sexually transmitted infections reach record levels across Europe. The EU’s public health agency is urging countries to reverse the upward trend in cases, which has been relentless for a decade (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2026-05-21/las-infecciones-de-transmision-sexual-alcanzan-niveles-record-en-toda-europa.html)
  • Europe unblocks the agreement with the USA with the 15% tariff cap on medicines. The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union reach a provisional agreement to implement tariff commitments with the United States (https://diariofarma.com/2026/05/20/europa-desbloquea-el-acuerdo-con-ee-uu-con-el-tope-arancelario-del-15-para-farmacos)
  • Europe moves towards its goal of adding 500 multinational clinical trials before 2030 (https://elglobalfarma.com/industria/europa-meta-sumar-500-ensayos-clinicos-multinacionales-2030/)

National Health Policy

• Central Administration
  • The Ministry of Health is expanding breast cancer screenings to women aged 45 to 74. The autonomous communities have three years to implement the measure, which will cost €534 million. Experts support the expansion, although they admit there is no solid evidence (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2026-05-20/sanidad-amplia-los-cribados-de-cancer-de-mama-a-mujeres-de-entre-45-y-74-anos.html)
  • Government, industry, and healthcare professionals launch a platform to expedite patient access to clinical trials (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260520/gobierno-industria-sanitarios-lanzan-plataforma-agilizar-acceso-pacientes-ensayos-clinicos/1003744251332_0.html)

• Regional governments
  • Osakidetza finalizes the creation of an Advisory Council for Health Transformation. The body will be chaired by the Deputy Minister of Health and Digital Transformation, Gontzal Tamayo (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/pais-vasco/osakidetza-ultima-la-creacion-del-consejo-asesor-de-transformacion-en-salud-4523)
  • Sergas will incentivize family doctors who sign sick leave certificates that do not exceed the “standard duration”. The new Galician Management Agreements include, for the first time, the period of temporary incapacity as a factor in calculating the productivity bonus for physicians (https://medicinaresponsable.com/actualidad-sanitaria/sergas-incentivar-medicos-familia-firmen-bajas-excedan-duracion-estandar)
  • Catalonia: Health will have a budget increase of 21.3% this year, following Illa’s agreement with ERC, with the support of the Sánchez government (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/cataluna/illa-tendra-su-primer-presupuesto-sanitario-con-el-apoyo-de-erc-y-comuns-9781)
  • Cantabria formalizes its adherence to the centralized drug purchasing system (https://diariofarma.com/2026/05/19/cantabria-formaliza-su-adhesion-al-sistema-de-compra-centralizada-estatal-de-farmacos)

• Framework Statute and Medical Strike
  • Doctors will intensify the strike and mobilizations starting in October if the health ministry doesn’t take action (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260523/medicos-intensificaran-huelgas-movilizaciones-partir-octubre-sanidad-no-mueve-ficha/1003744255891_0.html)
  • Strong statement from the General Medical Council with strong criticism of the Ministry regarding the medical conflict. Opening of the document: “The Spanish medical profession is experiencing one of the periods of greatest institutional, professional, and healthcare decline in recent decades. The escalating tension surrounding the reform of the Framework Statute, the absence of a genuine regulatory framework that recognizes the unique nature of medical practice, and the progressive breakdown of dialogue between the Ministry of Health and the legitimate representatives of the profession have led to a conflict that demands responsibility, a real willingness to reach an agreement, and a course correction from the Government” (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/duro-comunicado-omc-ministerio-defensa-dignidad-etica-profesion.html)

• WAIT Report
  • Spain continues down the path of reducing waiting periods, but maintains restrictions. The average implementation time after EMA approval is 537 days in 2024, compared to 616 days in 2023 (https://diariofarma.com/2026/05/19/wait-espana-continua-la-senda-de-bajada-de-plazos-pero-mantiene-las-restricciones)

• Diariofarma’s 2026 Annual Report on Pharmaceutical Policy
  • Diariofarma publishes the eleventh edition of its annual report on pharmaceutical policy, with contributions from more than 50 experts (https://diariofarma.com/2026/05/21/df-publica-la-politica-farmaceutica-en-2026-con-aportaciones-de-mas-de-50-expertos)

Companies

International

• Health Affairs Study: Venture Capital Acquisitions in Primary Care in the USA: Changes in Utilization, Spending, and Staffing. Preliminary results show increased productivity, more activity, and a larger number of physicians (https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2025.01703)
• Generic drug manufacturer Sandoz alerts the EU about Chinese dumping. China’s overcapacity threatens Europe (https://www.ft.com/content/9c830f87-01aa-4315-8920-78c517c2bf6a?syn-25a6b1a6=1)
• CVC makes a €10.9 billion bid for Italian pharmaceutical company Ricorditi (https://www.ft.com/content/b16a0afe-d017-465e-94a3-c20e449d82b1?syn-25a6b1a6=1)
• Brookfield among private equity firms vying for fertility company Gulf (https://www.ft.com/content/175d7014-a61a-499f-860b-a69b6b1d470c?syn-25a6b1a6=1)
• Novartis cuts staff again in its biomedical research division (https://www.consalud.es/salud35/internacional/novartis-vuelve-a-recortar-plantilla-en-su-division-de-investigacion-biomedica.html)

National news

• Hefame presents iaFarma, the largest network of cooperative pharmacies in Spain. It is the only network in the country where all member pharmacies work with all the group’s projects and tools (https://www.abc.es/salud/hefame-presenta-iafarma-mayor-red-farmacias-cooperativas-20260514164942-nt.html)
• The new Ascires Valencia hospital promotes a high-precision care model. The center integrates Europe’s first advanced precision hybrid operating room and is committed to minimally invasive medicine, AI, and patient-centered care (https://www.consalud.es/industria/sanidad-privada/el-nuevo-hospital-ascires-valencia-impulsa-un-modelo-asistencial-de-alta-precision-con-tecnologia-pionera-en-europa.html)
• Sacyr and ACS win two hospitals in the UK for £3.5 billion (https://www.expansion.com/empresas/inmobiliario/2026/05/20/6a0cc77de5fdeaee6c8b458b.html)
• Quirónsalud boosts research with nearly 1,500 clinical trials. The Oncology area accounts for 73% of the phase I and II studies launched in the last year (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/privada/quironsalud-impulsa-la-investigacion-con-cerca-de-1-500-ensayos-clinicos-8456)

 

 

Summary

The most impactful health news of the week included:

• Biomedicine: Stem cell medicine. The scope of what’s to come.
• Global health: Liver health, a forgotten aspect of the non-communicable disease agenda.
• International health policy: The response to hantavirus shows that Trump’s cuts have compromised US preparedness.
• National health policy: Sánchez forces the Canary Islands government to accept the Hondius ship in Tenerife.
• Companies: Moderna announces work on a hantavirus vaccine and its stock price jumps 14%.

Biomedicine

• Stem cell medicine. The scope of what’s to come. The totipotent nature of stem cells means they can be used for the regeneration of damaged tissues and for the treatment of some diseases (Parkinson’s, spinal cord injury, bullous keratopathy, and others). It is reasonable to assume that stem cell therapy will play a prominent role in the future.
• Blood test that provides clues about tumor response to treatment. A biomarker indicates which tumors will respond best to treatment.
• The human genome encodes a new category of molecules. An article in Nature demonstrates that the genome encodes peptides, a new type of molecule, which may be useful for the production of new drugs.

Global Health

• Liver health, a forgotten aspect of the non-communicable diseases (NCD) agenda, despite being the second leading cause of lost workdays in Europe.
• Pandemic Agreement delayed by differences over pathogen sharing. The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed an extension of talks on the rules for sharing pathogens, delaying the effective entry into force of the Pandemic Agreement.
• What you should know about hantavirus. What it is, how it is transmitted, what symptoms it causes, and treatment. Interesting review from the BMJ.

International Health Policy

• The hantavirus response shows that Trump’s budget cuts have compromised US preparedness, according to an article published in the NYT.
• Republicans in the USA see high-risk plans as the future of health insurance. These plans consist of high deductibles, which can reach $7,000.
• AI is reshaping European healthcare systems. The report presents how AI is being introduced into the healthcare systems of the WHO-Europe.

National Health Policy (Spain)

• Sánchez is forcing the Canary Islands government to accept the Hondius ship in Tenerife, despite the opposition of the Canary Islands president. The Ministry of Transport, through the Merchant Marine, issued a binding resolution to impose the reception of the ship for security reasons. The government has turned what is a public health crisis, which should be managed with consensus, discretion, and efficiency, into a political confrontation and a spectacle for television. This is without even considering the dubious option, despite the support of the WHO and a certain degree of international consensus. But it is at least doubtful that dispersing potential carriers among several countries is the best solution. Regarding Spain, the crisis is occurring without the implementation of the State Public Health Agency.
• The Ministry of Health plans to promote 16 regulations in 2026, focusing on public management and pharmaceuticals. Updates to the Medicines Act and the Framework Statute are planned, although this government is more effective at announcing laws than passing them.
• Osakidetza (the Basque Health Service) is committed to a faster diagnostic model in pathology. Osakidetza has completed the full implementation of digital pathology, a milestone in the modernization of the healthcare system that allows for faster, more precise, and more collaborative analysis of tissue samples, especially in addressing diseases such as cancer.
• Spain, a country of 50 million inhabitants (plus almost 100 million tourists per year), has infrastructure for 40 million.

Companies

• International
  • Moderna announces work on a hantavirus vaccine and its stock price soars 14%. The laboratory has announced preliminary research for a hantavirus vaccine, which generated a significant boost in its stock price.
  • BioNTech cuts 1,860 jobs due to falling vaccine sales. Three production plants in Germany are threatened with closure.

• National
  • Quirónsalud Barcelona presents the first private lung cancer screening program in Spain. Screening using low-dose Computed Tomography (CT) has been shown to reduce mortality by between 20% and 26% in high-risk populations. It is the first program of its kind outside the public sector.
  • The Cordón family has increased its investment to €125 million in its mega-complex healthcare facility in Madrid. The center expects to generate between €100 and €150 million in revenue in its fifth year, and the family is already considering replicating this concept in other regions of Spain, according to the hospital’s CEO and CFO, Alfonso Escárate.

Biomedicine

• Stem cell medicine: The future. The totipotent nature of stem cells means they can be used to regenerate damaged tissues and to treat certain diseases (Parkinson’s, spinal cord injury, bullous keratopathy, and others). Stem cell therapy is expected to play a prominent role in the future (https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(25)00814-9/fulltext)
• Does acupuncture work? This technique of Chinese origin is over 3,000 years old. Recent studies consider it useful in pain management, but beyond that, its beneficial effects are questionable (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2026/05/01/does-acupuncture-work)
• Colonoscopy and cancer prevention: The new arithmetic of benefit. A recent analysis discussed in The Lancet reaffirms that colonoscopy is useful in the early diagnosis of colon cancer, but has no effect on mortality (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00794-4/fulltext)
• Blood test that provides clues about tumor response to treatment. A biomarker indicates which tumors will respond best to treatment (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01353-7)
• The human genome encodes a new category of molecules. An article in Nature demonstrates that the genome encodes peptides, a new type of molecule, which may be useful for the production of new drugs (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2026/05/06/the-human-genome-encodes-for-a-new-category-of-molecule). Access the original article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10459-x
• A new atlas of human organs, with three-dimensional access to the organs (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adz2240)

Global Health

• The agreement on pandemics is delayed due to differences in the sharing of pathogens. The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed an extension to the talks on pathogen sharing rules, delaying the effective entry into force of the Pandemic Agreement (https://www.consalud.es/politica/se-estancan-las-negociaciones-sobre-el-intercambio-de-patogenos.html)
• Liver health, a forgotten aspect of the non-communicable diseases (NCD) agenda, despite being the second leading cause of lost workdays in Europe (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00710-5/fulltext)
• Lebanon’s healthcare system: a silent victim of war. Lebanon’s already weakened healthcare system is under-resourced and in some cases devastated by Israeli attacks (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00907-4/fulltext)
• What you should know about hantavirus: what it is, how it is transmitted, what symptoms it causes, and treatment. An interesting review from the BMJ (https://www.bmj.com/content/393/bmj.s877)
• Hantavirus in Argentina: 198 deaths in 13 years and a virus that has spread from Patagonia to central provinces like Buenos Aires. This season alone, it has already killed 9 people. The country is experiencing the paradox that what happened on the cruise ship is forcing it to collaborate with the WHO, an organization that Javier Milei abandoned following in Donald Trump’s footsteps (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2026/05/05/69f9fd9721efa0e5668b459d.html)
• Argentina again criticizes the WHO regarding the hantavirus outbreak: “It is once again putting politics before evidence.” “The WHO is trying to use an extraordinary health event to influence a sovereign decision by Argentina,” Javier Milei asserted (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2026/05/08/69fd205bfdddff57158b456d.html).
• María Neira: “Primary prevention is the great challenge for public/private collaboration in managing global health.” Neira emphasized not only the importance of early detection, but also that it is necessary to go further. In this regard, she argued that “mayors are the new health ministers.” Decisions regarding urban planning, energy policies, and food systems directly determine the health of the population. citizens(https://www.eleconomista.es/salud-bienestar/noticias/13903932/05/26/maria-neira-oms-las-enfermedades-infecciosas-siguen-siendo-un-reto-para-la-salud-mundial-porque-nos-hacen-vulnerables.html)

International Health Policy

• USA
  • WHO Director says hantavirus outbreak proves USA must get back on track. WHO and US authorities are working together, despite Trump’s decision (https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/07/hantavirus-outbreak-cruise-who-tedros-00910213)
  • Hantavirus response shows Trump’s cuts have compromised US preparedness, according to a NYT article (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/07/health/hantavirus-americans-cdc.html)
  • Supreme Court temporarily restores mail-in abortion pill distribution (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/04/us/politics/supreme-court-abortion-pill.html)
  • Republicans see high-risk plans as the future of health insurance. They consist of having high deductibles, which can reach $7,000 (https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/03/republicans-embrace-high-deductible-obamacare-plans-00902194)
  • Hospitals are largely to blame for the increase in healthcare costs in the USA. Health insurance premiums for an American family can exceed $27,000 a year. Hospitals are largely responsible for the rise in healthcare prices in the USA (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/04/opinion/health-care-hospitals-insurance.html)
  • Kennedy launches a campaign to help Americans stop taking antidepressants. The health secretary says Americans are overusing psychiatric medication (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/04/science/rfk-antidepressants-ssris-hhs-maha.html)
  • A study shows that half of patients with metastatic lung cancer do not receive treatment, according to a study (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/07/well/metastatic-lung-cancer-study.html). Access the original JAMA study: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2848634?guestAccessKey=dc8a51f8-dc91-49b9-92dc-974c33b8cd3b&utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_content=tfl&utm_term=050726
  • Why Republicans Support Psychedelic Drugs. For decades, Republicans opposed psychedelic drugs, but now, with Trump, they are fully in favor (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/03/science/ibogaine-psychedelics-rogan-trump.html)

• United Kingdom
  • Innovation, Economic Growth, Medical Technologies, and the NHS: From Strategy to Implementation. The proposals in the “10-Year Health Plan for England” suggest that the NHS will have to work differently with the pharmaceutical and medical technology industries (https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/long-reads/innovation-economic-growth-medtech-nhs-strategy-delivery)

• France
  • How the French healthcare system is preparing for hantavirus. Transportation, virological tests and clinical examinations, as well as the repatriation of the five French citizens on the ship (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2026/05/08/hantavirus-comment-le-systeme-sanitaire-et-les-etablissements-de-sante-de-reference-francais-se-preparent_6687083_3224.html)
  • The Academy of Medicine recommends flu vaccination for caregivers and healthcare workers. According to the Academy, this would reduce infections and mortality (https://www.lemonde.fr/sante/article/2026/05/05/l-academie-de-medecine-recommande-l-obligation-vaccinale-contre-la-grippe-pour-les-soignants_6685595_1651302.html)

• WHO-Europe
  • WHO-Europe document: AI is reshaping European health systems. The report presents how AI is being introduced into WHO-Europe health systems (https://www.who.int/europe/publications/i/item/WHO-EURO-2025-12707-52481-81028)

National Health Policy

• Central Administration
  • The Ministry of Health plans to promote 16 regulations in 2026, focusing on public management and pharmaceuticals. Updates to the Medicines Act and the Framework Statute are planned (https://diariofarma.com/2026/05/05/sanidad-preve-impulsar-16-normas-en-2026-con-el-foco-en-la-gestion-publica-y-la-farmacia)
  • The Ministry of Health is preparing the ground for centralized public procurement of digital apps and artificial intelligence. The Department is finalizing an order for this (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260505/sanidad-prepara-terreno-compras-centralizadas-publicas-apps-digitales-inteligencia-artificial/1003744233333_0.html)
  • Eleven regions join the framework agreement to acquire 62 CT scanners. A new option is introduced for bidders to offer a lease with or without an option to purchase the equipment. (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260507/once-ccaa-incorporan-acuerdo-marco-adquirir-equipos-tac-ahorraran-millones-sanidad-publica/1003744236949_0.html)

• Regional Governments
  • The Community of Madrid is implementing AI in hospitals to expedite cancer diagnosis. Madrid’s public hospitals are testing systems focused on prostate and breast tumors. (https://theobjective.com/tecnologia/2026-05-06/comunidad-madrid-ia-hospitales-diagnostico-cancer/)
  • Osakidetza is committed to a faster diagnostic model in pathology. Osakidetza has completed the full implementation of the digitalization of its Pathology Department, a milestone in the modernization of the healthcare system that allows for faster, more precise, and more collaborative analysis of tissue samples, especially in the treatment of diseases such as cancer. (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/pais-vasco/osakidetza-apuesta-por-un-modelo-de-diagnostico-mas-rapido-y-preciso-con-la-digitalizacion-de-la-anatomia-patologica.html)
  • New Medicine degree in Burgos (https://www.consalud.es/formacion/nuevo-grado-de-medicina-en-burgos-una-formacion-de-calidad-ya-garantiza-buenos-puestos-en-el-mir.html)
  • Galicia creates a support unit to reduce bureaucracy in Primary Care. It will have 50 qualified professionals and will be launched in the coming weeks (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/galicia/galicia-creara-una-unidad-de-apoyo-para-reducir-burocracia-en-primaria-3357)
  • The Balearic Islands Health Pact sets the roadmap for digital transformation (https://diariofarma.com/2026/05/07/el-pacto-por-la-salud-de-baleares-marca-la-hoja-de-ruta-para-la-transformacion-digital)

• Hantavirus in Spain
  • Sánchez forces the Canary Islands government to accept the Hondius ship in Tenerife, despite the opposition of the Canary Islands president. The Ministry of Transport, through the Merchant Marine, issued a binding resolution mandating the acceptance of the ship for safety reasons (https://www.elespanol.com/ciencia/20260510/sanchez-impone-gobierno-canarias-acogida-hondius-pese-negativa-clavijo-autorizar-fondeo-tenerife/1003744239815_0.html).
  • The Public Health Agency, announced by Sánchez six years ago for crises such as hantavirus, still lacks headquarters and statutes. The creation of AESAP was approved in 2025, but the Ministry of Health has not yet made it operational. Experts describe the delay as “Kafkaesque.” (https://www.elespanol.com/espana/20260508/agencia-salud-anunciada-sanchez-hace-anos-crisis-hantavirus-sigue-sin-sede-estatutos/1003744236875_0.html)
  • The People’s Party (PP) demands the government approve the Plan for Preparedness and Response to Health Emergencies. The party’s Deputy Secretary for Health, Carmen Fúnez, has met with the entities and civil society organizations that signed the ‘Manifesto for Strengthening Preparedness and Response to Health Emergencies in Spain’ and is advancing a non-legislative motion to demand progress (https://gacetamedica.com/politica/hantavirus-pp-plan-preparacion-respuesta/)

• Sick Leave
  • The occupational health of Spaniards is worsening, reaching 1.07 million sick leaves each week. Spain has gone from being below the OECD average to being the third country with the most sick leaves out of the 38 member states. economies that make up the Organization (https://www.elindependiente.com/economia/2026/05/05/salud-laboral-espanoles-empeora-alcanza-cifras-record-1-millon-bajas-medicas-semana/)
  • Only five autonomous communities cede the management of sick leave to mutual insurance companies, despite the agreement signed in 2024 (Catalonia, Balearic Islands, Asturias, Castilla-La Mancha, and Cantabria) (https://www.eleconomista.es/economia/noticias/13903405/05/26/solo-cinco-autonomias-ceden-la-gestion-de-bajas-a-las-mutuas-pese-al-pacto-firmado-en-2024.html)

• Psychology
  • Spaniards take six months to access a psychologist for the first time in the public healthcare system, 90 days longer than the European average. Currently, our country has six clinical specialists per 100,000 inhabitants, three times less than the European average (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260504/espanoles-tardan-meses-acceder-primera-vez-psicologo-sanidad-publica-dias-europeos/1003744229920_0.html)

• Infrastructure problems, also in healthcare
  • Spain, a country of 50 million inhabitants (plus almost 100 million tourists per year), has infrastructure for 40 million. (https://elpais.com/economia/negocios/2026-05-09/espana-llegara-pronto-a-los-50-millones-de-habitantes-y-100-millones-de-turistas-estas-son-las-necesidades-de-inversion-mas-urgentes.html)

Companies

• International
  • Laboratories are researching more than 90 vaccines to address new health threats. The pipeline includes developments against HIV, respiratory diseases, and antimicrobial resistance, for which there are still no effective solutions (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud-bienestar/noticias/13905096/05/26/los-laboratorios-investigan-mas-de-90-vacunas-para-hacer-frente-a-nuevas-amenazas-sanitarias.html)
  • How GSK is rebuilding its cancer business: R&D and acquisitions (https://www.ft.com/content/ae053d2c-de07-47a8-92fa-3310b20eae19?syn-25a6b1a6=1)
  • BioNTech cuts 1,860 jobs due to declining vaccine sales. Three production plants in Germany threatened with closure (https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2026/05/05/biontech-supprime-1-860-postes-sur-fond-de-chute-des-ventes-de-vaccins-anti-covid_6685654_3234.html)
  • The anti-obesity pill boosts Novo Nordisk’s treatments, which improves its forecasts. The Danish pharmaceutical company increases its profit by 67% in the first quarter and rises more than 6% on the stock market (https://www.expansion.com/empresas/industria/2026/05/06/69fb2892e5fdea09318b457b.html)
  • Moderna announces work on a hantavirus vaccine and its stock jumps 14%. The laboratory has announced preliminary research for a hantavirus vaccine, which generated a significant boost in its stock price (https://www.expansion.com/empresas/2026/05/08/69fe304fe5fdea771c8b4592.html)

• National News
  • Quirónsalud Barcelona presents the first private lung cancer screening program in Spain. Screening using low-dose computed tomography (CT) has been shown to reduce mortality by between 20% and 26% in high-risk populations. It is the first program of its kind outside the public sector (https://www.consalud.es/industria/sanidad-privada/el-hospital-quironsalud-barcelona-presenta-el-primer-programa-de-la-sanidad-privada-en-espana-para-el-cribado-precoz-del-cancer-de-pulmon.html)
  • Rovi’s stock price plummets 16% after a 48% drop in profits and lower annual forecasts (https://cincodias.elpais.com/companias/2026-05-06/rovi-se-desploma-en-bolsa-tras-reducir-el-beneficio-un-48-y-rebajar-sus-previsiones-anuales.html)
  • The Cordón family increases its investment to €125 million in its mega-complex healthcare facility in Madrid. The center expects to generate between €100 and €150 million in revenue in its fifth year, and the family is already considering replicating this concept in other regions of Spain, according to the hospital’s CEO and CFO, Alfonso Escárate (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud-bienestar/noticias/13901448/05/26/la-familia-cordon-eleva-la-inversion-a-125-millones-en-su-megacomplejo-sanitario-en-madrid.html).
  • Almirall accelerates R&D and assesses sales in its general medicine portfolio. The group will focus on developing new proprietary products specializing in skin diseases (https://www.expansion.com/empresas/2026/05/09/69fe22f9e5fdeaea5c8b458b.html).

 

Summary

The week’s most impactful health news stories were:

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

Biomedicine

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

Global Health

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

International Health Policy

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

National Health Policy (Spain)

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

Companies

• International
  • The Financial Times publishes a list of the fastest-growing companies in the United States; of the top 10, 7 are in the healthcare sector.

• National
  • La Caixa completes a €100 million investment in the CaixaResearch Institute. The banking foundation has inaugurated Spain’s first biomedical research center specializing in immunology.

Biomedicine

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

Global Health

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

International Health Policy

• USA
  • The CDC is on the brink. 80% of senior positions are vacant (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00799-3/fulltext)
  • Home hospitalization is transforming healthcare delivery in the USA. A Medicare regulation allows payment for home hospitalization as a substitute for traditional hospitalization (https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2026.4791)
  • Trump is giving a push to psychedelic drugs. However, the way he’s doing it is completely unorthodox: an email responding to an influencer promising FDA approval, followed by an executive order (https://www.economist.com/business/2026/04/23/donald-trump-is-giving-psychedelic-medicines-a-welcome-boost)
  • In the US, the birth rate is in sharp decline. It has fallen from 2.12 children per woman in 2007 to 1.62 in 2025. All projections indicate that the birth rate will continue to fall (https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(25)00744-2/fulltext)
  • Youth suicides are declining after the implementation of a national hotline. Youth suicides fell more in states that implemented the 988 hotline, according to results published in JAMA (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/22/science/988-youth-suicides-decline.html). Access the original article: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2848066?guestAccessKey=e44e29be-7891-45b3-a22d-128a80e60dad&utm_source=for_the_media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_content=tfl&utm_term=042226
  • Trump moves in favor of medical marijuana, reducing federal regulation of the drug (https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/23/trump-moves-to-reschedule-marijuana-00888729)
  • The FDA launches Rapid: the express access model that unifies regulation and funding of devices. The new program will allow medical devices with “Breakthrough” designation to obtain Medicare coverage in just two months (https://diariofarma.com/2026/04/23/borrador-automati)

• China
  • The medical data of 500,000 Britons is for sale on a Chinese website. It was at an Alibaba branch; the data came from the UK Biobank, and the ad was quickly removed (https://www.ft.com/content/2022ff7b-ec38-4a03-90a3-d80a33133118?syn-25a6b1a6=1)

• United Kingdom
  • The British Parliament will ban the sale of tobacco to those born since 2009. Both houses of the British Parliament have agreed on the final version of the law that will prohibit sales and aims to make possible “the first tobacco-free generation” (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2026/04/21/69e7b494fc6c8337228b45cc.html)
  • The bill on assisted dying in England and Wales fails in Parliament, due to opposition from the House of Lords (https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2026/04/24/au-royaume-uni-le-projet-de-loi-sur-l-aide-a-mourir-en-angleterre-et-au-pays-de-galles-echoue-au-parlement_6683097_3210.html)

• Australia
  • Modeling the effects of taxes and subsidies on food. Fiscal policies can reduce the burden of diet-related diseases (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(26)00043-5/fulltext?dgcid=tlcom_carousel1_globalhealth_red_lanpub)

• Hungary
  • The new government wants to revitalize healthcare. The Tisza Party promises to increase investment, strengthen public health, and address staff dissatisfaction (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00795-6/fulltext)

• OECD
  • The OECD warns that colon cancer is skyrocketing among young people, and only 48% of the population participates in screening. This organization proposes five priority strategies to improve the prognosis of the disease (https://www.consalud.es/pacientes/la-ocde-alerta-el-cancer-de-colon-se-dispara-entre-los-jovenes-y-solo-el-48-de-la-poblacion-participa-en-el-cribado.html)

• European Union
  • Medical AI reforms. European regulation is criticized by American big tech companies (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00796-8/fulltext)

National Health Policy

• Central Administration
  • The Ministry of Health is finalizing the Health Technology Assessment decree and states that it is “almost ready.” Javier Padilla says there are modifications still being discussed with other ministries (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260421/sanidad-ultima-decreto-evaluacion-tecnologias-sanitarias-afirma-punto-salir-horno/1003744214683_0.html)
  • The Ministry of Health is raising the age for colon cancer screening to 74 and expanding the heel prick test to include 21 other conditions. The Official State Gazette (BOE) published this Monday the new ministerial order that incorporates nine additional diseases into the newborn screening program, known as the “heel prick test,” bringing the total to 21 detectable pathologies (https://www.abc.es/salud/enfermedades/sanidad-eleva-anos-cribado-cancer-colon-amplia-20260421163444-nt.html).
  • The Ministry of Health concludes that there is no scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of homeopathy in any pathology. A report from the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products warns of the risk of replacing medical treatments with proven efficacy with homeopathic alternatives (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2026/04/21/69e7652cfdddffc6178b457e.html)

• Regional governments
  • Asturian hospitals unify their laboratories into a network. This will facilitate the performance of analyses and the consultation of results from any center (https://www.lne.es/cangas-del-narcea/2026/04/23/hospitales-asturianos-unifican-laboratorios-red-129455585.html)
  • Castilla-La Mancha reinstates the healthcare professional career path established by the People’s Party (PP) 14 years ago. Unions and the regional government signed an agreement this Monday to reactivate the economic incentive in the only autonomous community that had not yet implemented it (https://elpais.com/espana/2026-04-20/castilla-la-mancha-recupera-la-carrera-profesional-sanitaria-congelada-por-el-pp-hace-14-anos.html)
  • Proton therapy advances against cancer: Galicia leads its rollout in up to seven communities (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/avanza-la-llegada-de-protonterapia-publica-frente-al-cancer-galicia-encabeza-su-despliegue-en-hasta-siete-ccaa.html)

• Framework Statute
  • The strike committee maintains the work stoppages due to the lack of “useful proposals” from the healthcare sector. The five unions leading the protests affirm that, without “real progress,” the strike, scheduled for April 27-30, will not be called off (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2026/04/22/69e85c1cfdddff3a5a8b459d.html).

• Sudden Death in Spain
  • Spain is experiencing the largest increase in sudden death in Europe. A European study warns of an upward trend in this type of death over the last decade (https://elpais.com/salud-y-bienestar/2026-04-24/espana-experimenta-el-mayor-aumento-de-muerte-subita-de-europa.html). Access the original document published in Lancet Regional Health: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanepe/article/PIIS2666-7762(26)00067-0/fulltext
  • Cardiologists call for more defibrillators to curb the rise in sudden cardiac death in Spain. The largest increase in deaths from this cause across Europe between 2010 and 2020 occurred in Spain, with an average annual increase of 3.3%, according to a recent study (https://www.abc.es/salud/enfermedades/cardiologos-piden-desfibriladores-frenar-incremento-muerte-subita-20260424004422-nt.html)

• Impact of the British law banning tobacco for those born from 2009 onwards
  • Medical societies are calling on Spain to follow the UK’s lead and prohibit tobacco purchases for those born from 2009 onwards. (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2026-04-22/sociedades-medicas-piden-que-espana-imite-al-reino-unido-y-prohiba-comprar-tabaco-a-los-nacidos-a-partir-de-2009.html)
  • The Ministry acknowledges that Spain is not yet ready to prohibit the sale of tobacco to an entire generation. The Ministry of Health views the measure favorably but believes it is too soon to implement it in the country. British regulations are less restrictive regarding vapes and electronic cigarettes (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2026/04/22/69e8d23ee9cf4ae3318b4575.html)

• Sick leave
  • The OECD warns the government of the sharp increase in sick leave in Spain and identifies management problems. The organization ranks Spain as the third country with the highest level of worker absences in the OECD, with an average of 4.9 weeks per year (https://www.expansion.com/economia/2026/04/22/69e8f3bce5fdeacf798b4578.html)
  • The Government will send a new proposal to social partners to improve sick leave (https://www.consalud.es/politica/el-gobierno-remitira-a-los-agentes-sociales-una-nueva-propuesta-para-mejorar-las-bajas-medicas.html)

• IDIS Foundation
  • The IDIS Foundation calls for integrating private healthcare as a strategic ally to reduce waiting lists. The private sector offers its more than 400 hospitals and surgical capacity as a strategic ally to alleviate overcrowding in the healthcare system Salud (https://www.consalud.es/industria/sanidad-privada/la-fundacion-idis-sugiere-integrar-la-sanidad-privada-ante-el-estancamiento-de-las-listas-de-espera.html)

Companies

• International
  • UnitedHealth reports flat profits in the first quarter (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/21/business/united-health-group-earnings.html)
  • Financial Times publishes list of the fastest-growing companies in the United States; of the top 10, 7 are healthcare companies (https://www.ft.com/content/3d3b5406-b7e6-4ef0-8b50-cf02904589cb?syn-25a6b1a6=1)
  • Moderna receives European approval for its mRNA vaccine that combines flu and COVID-19 in adults. The European Commission grants marketing authorization to mCOMBRIAX, the world’s first combined mRNA vaccine against influenza and COVID-19. The drug is indicated for active immunization in adults aged 50 and over (https://diariofarma.com/2026/04/22/moderna-logra-el-aval-europeo-para-su-vacuna-de-arnm-que-combina-gripe-y-covid-en-adultos)
  • Asia as the emerging epicenter of global pharmaceutical investment. Innovation, demographics, and regulatory reforms are driving a new strategic cycle for multinationals and local markets (https://www.consalud.es/salud35/analisis/asia-como-epicentro-emergente-de-la-inversion-farmaceutica-global.html)
  • Bayer expects to soon settle the glyphosate lawsuits with legal settlements of around €24 billion (https://elpais.com/economia/2026-04-24/bayer-espera-cerrar-pronto-las-demandas-por-el-glifosato-con-un-desembolso-legal-que-ronda-los-24000-millones.html)

• National News
  • PharmaMar obtains authorizations in Australia and Singapore for lung cancer treatment (https://cincodias.elpais.com/companias/2026-04-20/pharmamar-obtiene-autorizaciones-en-australia-y-singapur-para-el-tratamiento-del-cancer-de-pulmon.html)
  • La Caixa completes a €100 million investment in the CaixaResearch Institute. The banking foundation has inaugurated Spain’s first biomedical research center specializing in immunology (https://www.expansion.com/catalunya/2026/04/24/69eb46f9e5fdea8c7a8b4589.html)
  • Quirón publishes its results in the NEJM Catalyst, comparing them with other hospitals in Madrid. The study compares 16 medium-sized hospitals in the Community of Madrid: 13 from the Madrid Health Service (SERMAS) and 3 from Quirón operating under a concession agreement. The results are very favorable for Quirón hospitals (https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:EU:b79ac08e-d23c-44e4-acd4-3411b45555a2)
  • Vithas buys the Blue Healthcare clinic and expands its network in the center of Madrid. The center is expected to begin operating under the Vithas brand between April and May (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260420/vithas-compra-clinica-blue-healthcare-amplia-red-centro-madrid/1003744211053_0.html)
  • Quirón wants the outgoing company of its new Madrid laboratory to lay off the staff in order to rehire them without seniority. Days before the handover, the healthcare giant clashes with Ribera Salud, which opposes paying millions in severance packages to the 249 workers (https://elpais.com/espana/madrid/2026-04-25/quiron-quiere-que-la-empresa-saliente-de-su-nuevo-laboratorio-madrileno-despida-a-la-plantilla-para-recontratarlos-sin-antiguedad.html)

 

Summary

The week’s most impactful health news stories were:

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

Biomedicine

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

Global Health

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

International Health Policy

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

National Health Policy (Spain)

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

Companies

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

Biomedicine

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

Global Health

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

International Health Policy

• USA
  • Trump’s new science advisors include 12 tech executives and one academic. The composition reflects a focus on technology and industry (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00977-z)

• UK
  • Why the UK can’t pass an assisted dying bill. The bill, passed by the Commons, has been rejected in the House of Lords (https://www.economist.com/britain/2026/04/09/why-cant-britain-pass-an-assisted-dying-bill)

• Brazil
  • There is little chance of abortion being legalized in Brazil. Other large Latin American countries have legalized or decriminalized this practice (https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2026/04/09/there-is-little-prospect-of-legalising-abortion-in-brazil)

• Europe
  • Europe only approves 39% of innovative medicines compared to 85% in the United States (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260411/europa-solo-da-luz-verde-medicamentos-innovadores-frente-unidos/1003744201991_0.html) Original report by the consultancy CRA, commissioned by EFPIA (https://www.efpia.eu/media/5mvbnamw/assessing-europe-s-competitiveness-as-a-location-for-the-life-sciences-industry.pdf)

• OECD
  • Long Covid is estimated to cost OECD economies $135 billion annually. The reasons include reduced productivity, sick leave, and job losses (https://www.ft.com/content/de4463af-093e-43e2-a928-c41429bccde8?syn-25a6b1a6=1). Access the original document: https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2026/03/addressing-the-costs-and-care-for-long-covid_e203e3d0/87a0c171-en.pdf
  • OECD health systems facing the challenge of aging: spending will increase by 2.8% of GDP in 2050. For the health sector, this has a direct consequence: the need to much better integrate healthcare and coordinate with social services (https://www.consalud.es/pacientes/los-sistemas-sanitarios-de-la-ocde-ante-el-reto-del-envejecimiento-el-gasto-aumentara-un-28-del-pib-en-2050.html) Access the original document: https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2026/04/future-long-term-care-expenditure-trajectories-across-oecd-countries_00aa6c05/800aba3e-en.pdf

National Health Policy

• Central Administration
  • The government is processing the abortion reform as a matter of urgency. The Socialists want the debate in Congress to take place on Thursday, April 30, coinciding with the poster campaign in Andalusia, which will be held that same evening (https://www.elespanol.com/espana/politica/20260410/gobierno-tramita-reforma-aborto-caracter-urgente-debate-coincida-campana-andaluza/1003744200546_0.html)
  • INGESA is preparing framework agreements to purchase healthcare technology. The agreement for the acquisition of computed tomography equipment is now ready, and the agreement for magnetic resonance imaging will soon be finalized (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260406/ingesa-prepara-acuerdos-marco-comprar-tecnologia-sanitaria-precio-anecdotico/1003744189717_0.html)
  • The reform of the Law on the Regulation of Healthcare Professions: a new problem for healthcare? The problem in this case arises from the professional classification of doctors and nurses (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/reforma-ley-ordenacion-profesiones-sanitarias-nuevo-problema-sanidad.html)
  • Double reform of the healthcare portfolio in the National Health System: nutrition and the catalog of orthotics and prosthetics. Introduces clinical malnutrition and updates products due to funding issues (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/ministerio-sanidad/doble-reforma-de-cartera-en-el-sns-nutricion-y-catalogo-de-ortoprotesis-4234)

• Regional Administrations
  • The Ayuso government delays approval of the new euthanasia manual from the Ministry of Health, which aims to expedite urgent cases (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2026-04-09/ayuso-retrasa-la-aprobacion-del-nuevo-manual-de-eutanasia-de-sanidad-que-busca-agilizar-los-casos-urgentes.html)
  • Córdoba adds its 405 pharmacies to the list for colon cancer prevention and detection. The province’s pharmacy network will distribute informational materials to reach patients between 50 and 69 years old (https://diariofarma.com/2026/04/09/cordoba-suma-a-sus-405-farmacias-en-la-prevencion-y-deteccion-del-cancer-de-colon)

• Framework Statute
  • The Strike Committee rejects the Public Health Program (POP) as a mediator in the conflict, considering that it defends partisan positions and that a mediator should be required to be neutral (https://www.consalud.es/profesionales/comite-de-huelga-rechaza-la-decision-unilateral-del-ministerio-de-llevar-a-la-pop-a-la-reunion-de-este-miercoles.html)

• Sick Leave
  • Sick leave in Spain reached another record high in 2025 with no solutions in sight. Social Security is seeking an agreement to address the problem with unions and employers, who disagree on the causes of the increase in temporary disability (https://elpais.com/economia/2026-04-06/las-bajas-laborales-en-espana-marcaron-en-2025-otro-record-sin-soluciones-a-la-vista.html)

Companies

• International
  • Lilly climbs into the industry’s “top 3” for its anti-obesity treatments (https://www.expansion.com/empresas/industria/2026/04/06/69d2b729e5fdea2a578b458e.html)
  • Pharmaceutical companies are accelerating in the “obesity market.” Novo Nordisk will apply discounts of up to 50% on Wegovy and Ozempic to expand its customer base in the USA. The pharmaceutical company is betting on accessibility to conquer an underserved mass market (https://www.expansion.com/economia/financial-times/2026/04/11/69da1009e5fdea0c568b45ab.html)

• National News
  • Quirón’s parent company, Fresenius, plans to open new hospitals and expand its centers in Spain during 2026. They anticipate an increase in demand for healthcare services (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260408/matriz-quiron-fresenius-planea-abrir-nuevos-hospitales-ampliar-centros-espana/1003744197967_0.html)
  • The “5-star” hospital with which María Cordón wants to change the patient experience. The fully private hospital will operate using reimbursement cards. Located in Pozuelo, it represents an investment of around 100 million euros (https://www.elconfidencial.com/salud/2026-04-09/nuevo-hospital-memorial-publio-cordon-cbtrrptj_4334318/)
  • CRB Health Tech, the venture capital firm focused on healthcare innovation (https://www.expansion.com/mercados/fondos/2026/04/09/69d75b97e5fdea336d8b4575.html)

 

Summary

The most impactful health news of the week included:

• Biomedicine: Changes in the geography of pharmaceutical innovation, favoring China, which now surpasses the USA.
• Global Health: Child mortality: millions of preventable deaths.
• International health policy: The politicization of the FDA erodes trust in this important institution with global influence.
• National health policy: The Ministry and the autonomous communities agree that an independent body will mediate with doctors to end the strike.
• Companies: Meta and Google held liable in the USA for harm to children’s mental health.

Biomedicine

• The geography of pharmaceutical innovation: USA and China in the new world order. China’s emergence as a powerhouse in drug development represents one of the most significant changes in recent times. The number of drug development programs is currently higher in China than in the USA.

Global Health

• Child mortality: millions of preventable deaths, while cuts in aid minimize progress, warns the United Nations. A report from this organization proves that 4.9 million children died before the age of 5 in 2024.
• The opportunity has arrived for the African Medicines Agency. Created in 2025 and currently under development, it already has a busy agenda.
• Meningitis caused more than 250,000 deaths in 2023, affecting African countries particularly, according to a study. Despite vaccination, the disease primarily affects poor countries, hindering progress toward global health goals.

International Health Policy

• The politicization of the FDA erodes trust. The role of the US FDA is to evaluate medicines from a safety and efficacy standpoint, and its decisions have a global impact. The changes implemented by the Trump Administration are eroding trust in this organization.
• The King’s Fund presents its report on public satisfaction with the NHS and social services in 2025. In that year, satisfaction scores improved for the NHS.
• The OECD presents its roadmap for the use of AI in health. The organization’s diagnosis is that the transformative potential of AI in health “is not being fully realized due to fragmented databases, a lack of coherence in policies and practices, and structural and governance barriers that hinder its scalability.”

National Health Policy (Spain)

• The Ministry and the autonomous communities agree that an independent body will mediate with doctors to end the strike. It was about time; however, it is not positive that one of the parties (the Ministry) is initially setting limits on what it is willing to offer, clearly excluding a specific statute for doctors.
• A decree is announced to determine the actual length of waiting lists. The Minister of Health, Mónica García, announced this Thursday that the Government will modify the royal decree regulating waiting lists to give the system “transparency and traceability.” Very importantly, in the past the Ministry of Health ignored waiting lists, considering it a problem for the regional governments, as if fulfilling a substantial part of the healthcare services portfolio were not also the Ministry’s responsibility.
• The Ministry prohibits cosmetic surgeries for doctors who are not specialists. The Council of Ministers approves a Royal Decree to guarantee that care is provided exclusively by personnel “with the appropriate qualifications and skills.”

Companies

• International
  • Meta and Google found liable in the USA for harm to children’s mental health caused by social media. The jury proposed fines of $3 billion, primarily against Meta, owned by Mark Zuckerberg, for its actions on Instagram.
• National
  • Juan Abarca, acting individually, not as HM Hospitals, buys Redacción Médica and opens a new chapter for this healthcare digital publication, with the ambition of influencing the sector. A move that will undoubtedly have consequences, given the importance of the professional healthcare press.

Biomedicine

• The Geography of Pharmaceutical Innovation: USA and China in the New World Order. China’s emergence as a drug development powerhouse represents one of the most significant changes in recent times. The number of drug development programs is currently higher in China than in the USA (https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2026.2390)
• A combination of radiotherapy and experimental gene therapy shows a “potent antitumor effect” in animal models. In mouse studies, the approach developed by researchers at CIMA (a research center affiliated with the University of Navarra) has shown it to be safe and effective (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2026/03/23/69c10ddfe4d4d8625a8b4570.html)

Global Health

• Child Mortality: Millions of preventable deaths, while aid cuts minimize progress, warns the United Nations. A United Nations report proves that 4.9 million children died before the age of 5 in 2024. (https://www.bmj.com/content/392/bmj.s540?nbd_source=adestra&nbd=8fbb67008476fb2494c9dc673c1a59b833545ade97e59cd7efd9c117443308b8&uaa_id=8fbb67008476fb2494c9dc673c1a59b833545ade97e59cd7efd9c117443308b8&utm_campaign=This%20week%20in%20The%20BMJ%20-%20Fortnightly%20manual%20alert&utm_medium=email&utm_source=adestra). To access the UN report: https://data.unicef.org/resources/levels-and-trends-in-child-mortality-2025/
• The opportunity has arrived for the African Medicines Agency. Established in 2025 and currently under development, it already has a busy agenda (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00601-X/fulltext)
• Meningitis caused more than 250,000 deaths in 2023, disproportionately affecting African countries, according to a study. Despite vaccination, the disease is hitting poor countries hardest, with progress toward global health goals slow (https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2026/03/28/la-meningite-a-fait-plus-de-250-000-morts-en-2023-touchant-particulierement-les-pays-africains-selon-une-etude_6674793_3244.html)
• Diabetes, often overlooked and without proper screening, is a new risk for Africa. Diabetes deaths are approaching those from infectious diseases (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/23/health/diabetes-africa-cameroon-type-5.html)
• The Iran-Contra conflict threatens MRI scanners: a third of the world’s liquid helium comes from Qatar. This material is essential for cooling the magnets used in MRI machines, which need to be refilled periodically (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260326/guerra-iran-amenaza-resonancias-magneticas-tercio-helio-liquido-mundial-procede-qatar/1003744183688_0.html)
• Europe fails to detect one in five cases of tuberculosis. Europe continues to struggle with tuberculosis detection, failing to identify one in five cases, according to a report published Monday by the World Health Organization Europe and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2026/03/23/69c11e41fc6c83a3088b4590.html)

International Health Policy

• USA
  • The politicization of the FDA erodes trust. The FDA’s role is to evaluate drugs from a safety and efficacy standpoint, and its decisions have a global impact. Changes under the Trump Administration are eroding trust in this organization (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00600-8/fulltext)
  • The Environmental Protection Agency is being sued by 24 states over changes to the criteria for regulating greenhouse gases. These states say that under the Trump Administration, the Agency is weakening the fight against these gases. (https://www.bmj.com/content/392/bmj.s556?nbd_source=adestra&nbd=8fbb67008476fb2494c9dc673c1a59b833545ade97e59cd7efd9c117443308b8&uaa_id=8fbb67008476fb2494c9dc673c1a59b833545ade97e59cd7efd9c117443308b8&utm_campaign=This%20week%20in%20The%20BMJ%20-%20Fortnightly%20manual%20alert&utm_medium=email&utm_source=adestra)
  • RFK Jr. is losing control of the CDC (https://www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/03/cdc-director-hhs-kennedy-bhattacharya/686541/)
  • As RFK Jr. tries to regulate food companies, they resist (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/27/health/rfk-food-ingredients-fda.html)

• United Kingdom
  • The King’s Fund presents its report on public satisfaction with the NHS and social services in 2025. In that year, satisfaction results improved in the NHS (https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/reports/public-satisfaction-nhs-social-care-2025-bsa). Access the full document: https://assets.kingsfund.org.uk/f/256914/x/bd8551f32f/public_satisfaction_nhs_bsa2025_march2026.pdf

• France
  • The French healthcare system suffers from weaknesses in prevention policies (https://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2026/03/26/le-systeme-de-sante-francais-souffre-de-la-faiblesse-des-politiques-de-prevention_6674309_3232.html)

• OECD
  • The OECD presents its roadmap for the use of AI in healthcare. The organization’s diagnosis is that the transformative potential of AI in healthcare “is not being fully realized due to fragmented databases, a lack of coherence in policies and practices, and structural and governance barriers that hinder its scalability.” This is not a technological problem, but rather an organizational, regulatory, and cultural one. (https://www.consalud.es/politica/como-mejorar-el-uso-de-la-inteligencia-artificial-en-los-sistemas-sanitarios-la-ocde-presenta-su-hoja-de-ruta.html). Access the original document: https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/scaling-artificial-intelligence-in-health_a436e12d-en.html

National Health Policy

• Central Administration
  • A decree is announced to determine the actual length of waiting lists. The Minister of Health, Mónica García, announced this Thursday that the Government will modify the royal decree regulating waiting lists to give the system “transparency and traceability” (https://www.eldiario.es/sociedad/monica-garcia-anuncia-decreto-conocer-duracion-real-listas-espera-no-pasa-pacientes_1_13100879.html)
  • The Ministry will reduce bureaucratic delays in euthanasia procedures. It aims to approve a Good Practices Manual on Euthanasia by 2026 (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260326/sanidad-reducira-plazos-burocraticos-eutanasia-reforzara-papel-enfermera-proceso/1003744183563_0.html)
  • The drug law is diluted amidst the political and health debate. The Minister of Health highlighted the importance of the initiative without specifying its current status, despite the fact that the Ministry was “finalizing the last review” in October of last year (https://elglobalfarma.com/politica/ley-medicamentos-diluye-debate-politico-sanitario/).

• Framework Statute
  • The Ministry and the autonomous communities agree that an independent body will mediate with the doctors to end the strike (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260327/sanidad-ccaa-acuerdan-organismo-independiente-medie-medicos-poner-fin-huelga/1003744186788_0.html).
  • The Platform of Patient Organizations (POP) puts itself forward to mediate between the government and doctors. “We believe we can bring transparency to the negotiations,” explains Carina Escobar, president of the association.(https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260328/plataforma-pacientes-pop-postula-mediar-gobierno-medicos-buena-relacion/1003744187010_0.html)

• Violence against doctors
  • Violence against doctors reaches record levels in Spain. According to data from the Spanish Medical Association, there were 897 attacks on doctors in 2025. (https://www.bmj.com/content/392/bmj.s560?nbd_source=adestra&nbd=8fbb67008476fb2494c9dc673c1a59b833545ade97e59cd7efd9c117443308b8&uaa_id=8fbb67008476fb2494c9dc673c1a59b833545ade97e59cd7efd9c117443308b8&utm_campaign=This%20week%20in%20The%20BMJ%20-%20Fortnightly%20manual%20alert&utm_medium=email&utm_source=adestra)

• Cosmetic Surgery
  • The Ministry bans cosmetic surgeries to doctors who do not have the specialty. The Council of Ministers approves a Royal Decree to guarantee that care is provided exclusively by personnel “with the appropriate qualifications and skills” (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2026-03-24/sanidad-veta-las-cirugias-esteticas-a-los-medicos-que-no-tengan-la-especialidad.html)

• Palliative care
  • Spain, at the bottom of the European rankings in palliative care teams, with only 0.6 per 100,000 inhabitants. Spain is at the bottom of the European rankings in palliative care and far from the two teams recommended by the European Association for Palliative Care, the association of professionals specializing in the field. (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260327/espana-cola-europa-equipos-cuidados-paliativos-solo-habitantes/1003744185609_0.html)

• Research
  • The end of Next-Gen funding plunges Spanish R&D into a crisis due to a lack of funding. In August of this year, the Next Generation EU funds, which the EU promoted as a resilience mechanism for economic recovery after the pandemic, will expire. (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260322/final-next-gen-arroja-id-espanola-crisis-falta-financiacion/1003744178176_0.html)

• Healthcare for immigrants
  • Vox drags the PP into the debate on restricting healthcare for immigrants. The PP advocates limiting… Emergency healthcare for undocumented immigrants, while far-right groups in Extremadura are demanding that nationals be given priority in all healthcare services (https://elpais.com/espana/2026-03-28/vox-arrastra-al-pp-al-debate-de-restringir-la-sanidad-a-los-inmigrantes.html)

Companies

• International
  • Ozempic, about to become generic for billions of people. In India, China, and other nations, Novo Nordisk is about to lose its patent (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/19/health/ozempic-wegovy-generic-india-china-canada.html)
  • Meta and Google held liable in the USA for harm to children’s mental health caused by social media. The jury proposed sanctions of $3 billion, primarily against Meta (https://www.ft.com/content/d3d80bd4-d2b1-4522-9752-4071df5b4c0a?syn-25a6b1a6=1)
  • Merck reaches a $5.7 billion agreement with a biotech company to boost its cancer drugs (https://www.ft.com/content/3f695210-8cc0-4736-837a-7961d80588d9?syn-25a6b1a6=1)
  • Gilead Sciences buys autoimmune company Ouro Medicines for $2.2 billion (https://www.ft.com/content/81528c31-c735-41b7-b042-81a811a76877?syn-25a6b1a6=1
  • The two mistakes that the president of Novo Nordisk will have to explain to shareholders (https://cincodias.elpais.com/companias/2026-03-26/los-dos-errores-que-el-presidente-de-novo-nordisk-tendra-que-explicar-ante-los-accionistas-enfadados.html)

• National News
  • Juan Abarca, acting individually, not as HM Hospitals, buys Redacción Médica and opens a new chapter for this healthcare digital publication (https://www.elconfidencialdigital.com/articulo/medios/presidente-hm-hospitales-compra-diario-online-redaccion-medica/202603271300001012367.html)
  • Grifols is considering an IPO in the United States for its biopharma division (https://www.larazon.es/economia/grifols-estudia-salida-bolsa-estados-unidos-division-biopharma_2026032469c2ffabe9252951fe88f7da.html)
  • Europe recommends Zepzeica (from Pharmamar) as maintenance therapy for small cell lung cancer (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260327/europa-recomienda-zepzelca-pharmamar-terapia-mantenimiento-cancer-pulmon-celula-pequena/1003744186557_0.html)
  • The United States approves the first gene therapy drug “made in Spain” (https://www.abc.es/salud/estados-unidos-aprueba-primer-medicamento-terapia-genica-20260328153659-nt.html)