Summary

The week’s most impactful health news stories were:

• Biomedicine: The most expensive drug ever approved, $20 million a year.
• Global Health: After assessing the global burden of oral disease, half of the world’s population has oral problems.
• International Health Policy: In a move similar to Elon Musk’s DOGE, the British government is closing NHS England, laying off up to 30,000 people.
• National Health Policy: Five years into the pandemic, the public health system has more staff and more bottlenecks.
• Companies: Private healthcare will have to invest $1 billion in hospitals to meet the upcoming demand.

Biomedicine

• The most expensive drug ever approved: a gene therapy that cures butterfly skin and could cost $20 million per patient. It was recently approved by the EMA and the drug is called Vyjuvek.
• A key, decades-long mystery about Parkinson’s disease has been unraveled with the discovery of the PINK1m protein, which adheres to the surface of damaged mitochondria.

Global Health

• The global burden of oral disease. For the first time, a review of the global burden of oral disease has been published. The study shows that half of the world’s population is affected by untreated caries, severe periodontitis, edentulism (the absence of one or more teeth), and other oral disorders. Knowing the facts is good, but action is needed.

International Health Policy

• According to The Economist, DOGE is also reaching the UK, with the closure of NHS England. NHS England, the agency that manages the NHS in England, was created in 2012 as an attempt to maintain a professional management approach independent of political changes in each legislative term. Now their functions are transferred directly to the health department, headed by Wes Starmer. The truth is that the problems are worse: 6.5 million people on waiting lists and productivity 18.5% lower than before COVID. The reasons given by Starmer are twofold: 1. Allocate more money to doctors and nurses and not so much to bureaucrats; and 2. Ensure oversight by elected politicians. This movement seems similar to DOGE in the USA, but the inspiration behind it is neither Javier Milei nor Elon Musk, but Alan Milburn, a former health secretary under Tony Blair. This operation could lead to the dismissal of up to 30,000 people. We’ll see if the results live up to the promises.
• How DOGE (Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency) is driving public health officials in the USA crazy. The MAGA movement sees the CDC as “the most incompetent and arrogant agency in the federal government.”
• Kennedy has already broken his promise on vaccines. The health secretary is undermining America’s vaccination infrastructure.
• Congressmen and activists denounce that Trump’s tax cuts are being funded by Medicaid cuts. More than 70 million Americans are on that program (a health insurance program for the poor), which is threatened by $880 billion in cuts.
• The childbirth scandal in France, with rising infant mortality. The high infant mortality rate (under 1 year of age) is blamed on the closure of small maternity wards.

National Health Policy (Spain)

• The Congressional Health Commission gives the green light to the creation of the State Agency for Public Health. This agency will coordinate surveillance, risk assessment, and rapid response to potential health crises. We’ll see what happens during the parliamentary process.
• Fifth anniversary of the emergence of COVID-19. This is the state of the healthcare system five years after the pandemic: more staffed, but also more collapsed. There are 45,000 more doctors and nurses, but almost all indicators have worsened. Meanwhile, then-spokesperson Simón and Minister Illa appear on screens to explain how well the situation was managed in Spain. It must be that the delays in implementing measures; the chaotic communication; the two lockdowns declared unconstitutional; the serious governance problems; the absence of a committee of experts; the lack of involvement of professional organizations or patients; the late expert report that fails to compare management between regions or that of Spain with other countries; the high mortality rate per 100,000 inhabitants (Spain is among the three countries in the world with the highest mortality rate); the lack of attention to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Commission for Social and Economic Reconstruction; the problems and corruption in the purchase of materials, etc., are all things we have invented. Of course, aside from this downside, the entire COVID-19 process also had its positive side: the behavior of the general population, professionals, patients, law enforcement agencies, and many businesses.

Companies

• International
  • Roche signs the largest deal in anti-obesity drugs, for a licensing agreement with Zeland Pharma,

• National
  • Advent is exploring the sale of its Vitaldent and Dentix dental business; the fund appears to be seeking more than €700 million, given the positive results.
  • Private healthcare will need to invest €1 billion annually in new hospitals to meet demand, as according to Colliers, by 2023 there will be 14.6 million people covered by private insurance, and a bed ratio of 4.13 per 1,000 inhabitants is needed, which is the current ratio.

Biomedicine

• Is butter bad for your health? Oil appears to be a better alternative, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, which followed 220,000 doctors and nurses for 33 years. https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/03/07/is-butter-bad-for-you
• Australian man survives 100 days with artificial heart. The patient lived for more than 100 days before receiving a donor heart. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/mar/12/australian-man-survives-100-days-with-artificial-heart-in-world-first-success
• Mutated DNA restored to normal with a single injection, a breakthrough in gene therapy, after a study in 9 patients. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/10/health/gene-editing-beam-mutation-dna.html
• A key decades-long mystery about Parkinson’s disease has been solved with the discovery of the PINK1m protein, which adheres to the surface of damaged mitochondria. https://www.abc.es/salud/enfermedades/resuelven-misterio-durado-decadas-sobre-parkinson-20250313121641-nt.html. Access the original Science article: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adu6445
• The most expensive drug ever approved: a gene therapy that cures butterfly skin and could cost $20 million per patient. It has recently been approved by the EMA and the drug is called Vyjuvek https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-03-12/el-medicamento-mas-caro-jamas-aprobado-una-terapia-genica-que-cura-la-piel-de-mariposa-y-puede-costar-20-millones-por-paciente.html
• An annual injection can prevent HIV infection; it is lenacapavir, and the study is still in Phase 1. https://elpais.com/ciencia/2025-03-11/una-inyeccion-anual-puede-prevenir-la-infeccion-por-vih.html. Access the original article in The Lancet: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)00405-2/abstract
• Money and education slow biological aging, according to a study of more than 800 people published in Nature Medicine. More than 60 age-related diseases are related to education and socioeconomic status. https://www.abc.es/salud/enfermedades/dinero-educacion-frenan-envejecimiento-biologico-20250314114141-nt.html

Global Health

• The global burden of oral disease. For the first time, an article on the global burden of oral disease has been published. The study shows that half of the world’s population is affected by untreated caries, severe periodontitis, edentulism (the absence of one or more teeth), and other oral disorders. Knowing the facts is good, but action is essential. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)00460-X/abstract. Access the original article in The Lancet: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)02811-3/fulltext
• A malignant avian flu strain is spreading rapidly in Antarctica, https://www.science.org/content/article/deadly-avian-flu-strain-spreading-rapidly-antarctica
• Israel blocks humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, https://www.bmj.com/content/388/bmj.r448

International Health Policy

• USA
  • The termination of NIH grants is causing complete chaos. Until Trump’s second term, NIH—the world’s largest biomedical research funding agency—did not typically cancel grants. Of the more than 60,000 grants the agency awards each year, rarely more than 20 were canceled, always with justified reasons. During Trump’s new term, more than 100 have already been canceled, and it seems the plan is to continue along these lines. More than 1,000 grants are eligible for cancellation. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2025/03/nih-grant-terminations/682039/
  • How DOGE (Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency) is driving public health officials in the US crazy. The MAGA movement sees the CDC as “the most incompetent and arrogant agency in the federal government.” https://www.economist.com/united-states/2025/03/10/how-doge-is-driving-americas-public-health-guardians-mad
  • Kennedy has already broken his promise on vaccines. The health secretary is undermining America’s vaccination infrastructure. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2025/03/rfk-jr-quiet-assault-vaccination/682040/
  • Federal agencies dedicated to mental illness and addiction have experienced steep cuts. Offices have already been closed, and staff may be reduced by 50%. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/12/health/federal-cuts-substance-abuse-mental-health.html
  • Congressmen and activists denounce that Trump’s tax cuts are being financed by Medicaid cuts. More than 70 million Americans are enrolled in that program (a health insurance program for the poor), which is threatened by $880 billion in cuts. https://elpais.com/us/2025-03-14/congresistas-y-activistas-denuncian-que-la-rebaja-de-impuestos-de-trump-a-los-ricos-se-financiara-con-los-recortes-de-medicaid.html
  • Kennedy links the measles outbreak to diet, citing bizarre theories, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/10/health/measles-texas-kennedy-fox.html

• China
  • The obesity crisis is big business. NovoNordisk’s current dominance in China is numbered: March 20, 2026, when the patent expires. The market could reach 900 million people by 2030 https://www.ft.com/content/8f05d97a-acfd-4514-84d4-07f03ffc9eeb

• United Kingdom and the National Health Service
  • According to The Economist, DOGE is also coming to the UK, with the closure of NHS England. NHS England, the agency that manages the NHS in England, was created in 2012 as an attempt to maintain a professional management line outside of political changes in each legislative term. Now its functions are passed directly to the Ministry of Health, headed by Wes Streting. The truth is that the problems are greater: 6.5 million people on waiting lists and productivity 18.5% lower than before COVID. The reasons given by Starmer are twofold: 1. Allocate more money to doctors and nurses and not so much to bureaucrats; and 2. Ensure oversight by elected politicians. This movement seems similar to DOGE in the US, but the inspiration behind it is neither Javier Milei nor Elon Musk, but Alan Milburn, a former health secretary under Tony Blair. https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/03/12/doge-comes-to-englands-health-service. This document explains the functions of NHS England, which were primarily supervisory: https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/what-we-do/
  • Up to 30,000 jobs could be lost as a result of the closure of NHS England. The number of layoffs has risen from the expected 10,000 to between 20,000 and 30,000 https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/mar/14/30000-jobs-could-go-in-labours-radical-overhaul-of-nhs
  • The Guardian analysis: why NHS England is closing and what it means for patients. Neither the Prime Minister nor the Health Secretary had ever announced such a change https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/13/why-has-nhs-england-been-abolished-and-what-does-it-mean-for-patients
  • NHS England, the creation of Tory Andrew Landsley, https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/14/what-were-the-lansley-reforms-and-how-did-they-create-nhs-england
  • Analysis of the closure of NHS England by two prestigious think tanks. King’s Fund: https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/press-releases/response-government-plans-abolish-nhs-england, Nuffield Trust: https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/nhse-to-be-scrapped-nuffield-trust-responds
  • The British government announces changes to the “broken” welfare system. Benefits for some people with disabilities may be reduced https://www.ft.com/content/988d7b23-e53f-45c7-a001-1a0702521928

• France
  • The childbirth scandal in France, with rising infant mortality. The high infant mortality rate (under 1 year of age) is attributed to the closure of small maternity wards. https://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2025/03/13/4-1-le-scandale-des-accouchements-en-france-la-hausse-de-la-mortalite-infantile-une-exception-francaise_6579865_3232.html
  • The new “Nutri-score” has been validated, following disagreements within the government. https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2025/03/14/le-nouveau-nutri-score-valide-apres-des-dissensions-gouvernementales_6580810_3245.html

• Canada
  • Health care in Canada, at a key moment. Trudeau leaves many plans in motion: child benefits (Canada Child Benefit), climate change initiatives, cannabis legalization, and the Canadian dental plan, among others. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)00501-X/fulltext

• Indonesia
  • Indonesia is considering offering checkups for everyone, which theoretically will detect diseases earlier. It is an attempt at promotion and prevention. We will see its effects. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)00499-4/abstract

• European Union
  • Brussels presents its plan to make the EU less dependent on foreign sources for critical medicines, based on aid to European industry and reviewing public procurement criteria. Currently, 90% of these drugs are produced outside of Europe https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-03-11/bruselas-presenta-su-plan-para-que-la-ue-dependa-menos-del-exterior-en-medicinas-criticas-como-los-antibioticos.html
  • The European industry warns of a wave of generic drug shortages due to the wastewater directive. Medicines for Europe, the generic medicines trade association, supports the companies that have filed a lawsuit with the Court of Justice of the European Union. https://www.elperiodico.com/es/sociedad/20250310/industria-europea-advierte-oleada-escasez-115136632
  • 2.3 million companies and 13.3 million jobs: the impact of the health and social sector in the EU, https://www.consalud.es/industria/23-millones-empresas-133-millones-empleos-impacto-sector-salud-social-en-ue_155772_102.html
  • The ECDC warns of the increase in measles in the EU and calls for a review of vaccinations, https://diariofarma.com/2025/03/11/el-cedc-alerta-por-el-aumento-del-sarampion-en-la-ue-y-llama-a-revisar-su-vacunacion

National Health Policy

• Central Administration
  • The Council of Ministers gives the green light to parliamentary processing of the law on alcohol and minors, which restricts its sale and advertising. The law seeks to reduce consumption by limiting the spaces where drinking is allowed, as well as advertising and sponsorship. https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2025/03/11/67d01c5c21efa0f5078b457a.html
  • The Health Commission of Congress gives the green light to the creation of the State Public Health Agency. This Agency will coordinate surveillance, risk assessment, and rapid response to potential health crises https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/comision-sanidad-congreso-da-luz-verde-texto-centro-estatal-salud-publica.html

• Initiatives and news from the autonomous communities
  • Aragon prepares a strategy for the comprehensive treatment of rare diseases, https://diariofarma.com/2025/03/07/aragon-prepara-una-estrategia-para-el-tratamiento-integral-de-las-enfermedades-raras
  • Strategic pillars of the new health promotion model in Castilla-La Mancha, https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/profesion/son-pilares-estrategicos-nuevo-modelo-promocion-salud-castilla-mancha.html
  • The UPM (Polytechnic University of Madrid) creates its new Faculty of Health Sciences with a focus on the Medicine program, https://www.consalud.es/formacion/upm-nueva-facultad-ciencias-salud-con-foco-puesto-en-carrera-medicina_155699_102.html

• Framework Statute
  • An almost unanimous Unions, medical associations, and scientific societies, https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/profesion/estatuto-marco-unanime-sindicatos-colegios-medicos-sociedades-cientificas.html

• MUFACE
  • Asisa and Adeslas propose to increase hospital rates by only 3%, despite the historic increase in MUFACE, which disagrees with ASPE, the private healthcare employers’ association, https://www.eleconomista.es/salud-bienestar/noticias/13265557/03/25/carlos-rus-aspe-las-aseguradoras-nos-estan-ofreciendo-un-incremento-de-las-tarifas-del-3-sobre-el-40-que-les-ha-brindado-muface.html
  • Public healthcare gains weight in MUFACE with 100,000 new civil servants, https://www.eleconomista.es/banca-finanzas/noticias/13268800/03/25/la-sanidad-publica-gana-peso-en-muface-con-100000-nuevos-funcionarios-en-dos-anos.html

• Fifth anniversary of the emergence of COVID-19
  • This is how the healthcare system is five years after the pandemic: more staff, but also more collapsed. There are 45,000 more doctors and nurses, but almost all indicators have

Companies

• International News
  • Novo Nordisk shares fall after results from latest anti-obesity drug trials, https://www.ft.com/content/7f7e4aa3-d356-4c3a-88d9-002997855525
  • Roche signs the largest deal in anti-obesity drugs, for a licensing agreement with Zeland Pharma, https://www.ft.com/content/80c5c67e-c55d-4fb1-bfb3-da96644edc82
  • Pfizer and Arvinas’ breast cancer drug disappoints the market, https://www.elconfidencial.com/mercados/2025-03-11/farmaco-de-pfizer-contra-el-cancer-de-mama_4083528/
  • Gilead Sciences presents advances in HIV at CROI 2025 and strengthens Its commitment to the cure, https://www.consalud.es/medicamentos/gilead-presenta-avances-vih-croi-2025-refuerza-apuesta-cura_155896_102.html

• National
  • Advent is exploring the sale of its Vitaldent and Dentix dental business. It appears the fund is seeking more than €700 million, given the positive results, https://www.elconfidencial.com/empresas/2025-03-14/advent-jp-moran-vender-negocio-dental-vitaldent-dentix_4085418/
  • Private healthcare will have to invest €1 billion annually in new hospitals to meet demand, as according to Colliers, by 2023 there will be 14.6 million people covered by private insurance, and a bed ratio of 4.13 per 1,000 inhabitants is needed, which is the current ratio. https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20250312/sanidad-privada-debera-invertir-millones-ano-nuevos-hospitales-atender-demanda/930407089_0.html, original Colliers report: https://www.colliers.com/en-es/research/informe-healthcare-spain-2025

 

Summary

The most impactful news in health this week were:

• Biomedicine: Editorial by The Economist: The enormous possibilities of CRISPR technology in agriculture and medicine.
• Global health: Editorial by Nature: The need to learn the lessons of Covid-19, before it is too late.
• International health policy: Threats to Medicaid. To make their numbers work, many Republicans want to restrict Medicaid, which could affect 20 million Americans.
• National health policy. Interoperable clinical history of private health care from IDIS. It is already active in 12 companies, including insurers and hospital groups.
• Companies: Only 50% of the most important drugs launched in 2024 were by large companies.

Biomedicine

• The enormous possibilities of CRISPR technology in agriculture and medicine. Of the many patients who need an organ, 90% are left without one; 240 million people have a rare disease, most of them without treatment; Every year, inappropriate diets cause more than 10 million premature deaths. For all these processes, CRISPR can be useful, it is like an editor that can rewrite DNA letter by letter or gene by gene, to remove harmful mutations or add protective ones.
• The threats of Trump’s policies to the scientific and health research community. The case produced by the Trump Administration in the world of American science, which is as much as saying global, leads this Science editorial to call for the scientific world to unite against certain policies.

Global Health

• The growing threat of H5N1 to human health. Infections in animals with the H5N1 virus have affected all continents since 1997. The NEJM analyzes 46 cases in humans, generally with self-limiting infection. The CDC still defines the risk to humans as low. However, surveillance must continue.
• The need to learn the lessons of covid-19, before it is too late. Five years into Covid-19, irresponsible policies are hampering an effective global response to infectious outbreaks. What would happen if another pandemic were to emerge? The answer is: we don’t know. In some respects there is reason for optimism, such as the faster development of mRNA vaccines or the better surveillance system in countries. But in other respects, countries are as ill-prepared as they were in 2020.

International health policy

• Threats to Medicaid. To make their numbers work, many Republicans want to restrict Medicaid, which could affect 20 million Americans. Medicaid is public health insurance for the “poor” in the USA.
• The Trump Administration ends global health research: the Demographic and Health Surveys were the only metrics in many countries on mortality, nutrition and education. This program has been ended by order of the American government.
• Pharmaceutical companies in check: Trump imposes tariffs and pressures to reduce the cost of drugs. Tariffs affect the price of imported products such as many APIs for producing medicines. There is also pressure to lower the price of medicines.

National Health Policy (Spain)

• The Basque Health Pact is moving forward with 24 strategic lines and more than 400 professionals involved.
• Doctors call a strike against the draft Health Framework Statute. Called by the CESM, it will take place on May 23. Objectives: limit the workload and improve salary conditions.
• Interoperable clinical history of the IDIS. It is already active in 12 companies, including insurance companies and hospital groups (these are Occident, Quirónsalud, HM Hospitales, HLA, Mapfre, Sanitas, Adeslas, Hospiten, DKV, Cigna, Clínica Universitaria de Navarra and Chipcard. All of them have 100% miHC operational. Others continue working to join the project: Ribera Salud, Caser Seguros, Nueva Mutua Sanitaria, Asisa, Vithas and the Hospital Order of San Juan de Dios.

Companies

• International
  • Only 50% of the most important drugs launched in 2024 were by large companies, according to Evaluate Pharma. This was unthinkable a few years ago in the era of blockbusters. It seems that the need to attack niche diseases and precision medicine has opened up possibilities for medium and small pharmaceutical companies.
  • Lilly will invest 25.7 billion in four new factories in the USA. The creation of 3,000 jobs. This is in addition to the announcements by Apple, Open AI and SoftBank, undoubtedly to win the sympathy of the Trump Administration.

• National
  • Almirall earns 10.1 million and exceeds forecasts. The company reaps the rewards of its commitment to dermatology

Biomedicine

• The Economist Editorial: The enormous potential of CRISPR technology in agriculture and medicine. Of the many patients who need an organ, 90% are left without one; 240 million people have a rare disease, most of them without treatment; inappropriate diets cause more than 10 million premature deaths every year. For all these processes, CRISPR can be useful, it is like an editor that can rewrite DNA letter by letter or gene by gene, to remove harmful mutations or add protective ones (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2025/02/26/crispr-technologies-hold-enormous-promise-for-farming-and-medicine)
• Science Editorial: The threats of Trump’s policies to the scientific and health research community. The case produced by the Trump Administration in the world of American science, which is as much as to say global, leads this Science editorial to ask for the scientific world to unite against certain policies (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adw9972)
• Blood tests for aging organs that detect diseases (https://www.ft.com/content/95109083-fcf5-450c-96af-45471775adf1)
• The FDA expands access to Clozapine, a key treatment for schizophrenia (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/25/health/clozapine- schizophrenia-fda.html)
• The big question of why women live longer than men (https://www.ft.com/content/91cbe143-1961-4168-96f6-9892604778c1)

Global Health

• The growing threat of H5N1 to human health. Animal infections with the H5N1 virus have affected all continents since 1997. The NEJM reviews 46 human cases, generally with self-limited infection. The CDC still defines the risk to humans as low. However, surveillance must continue (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe2416323)
• The scale of critical illness in Africa and the need for universal access (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)02843-5/abstract). Access to the original article in The Lancet: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)02846-0/fulltext
• Nature Editorial: The need to learn the lessons of Covid-19, before it is too late. Five years after the start of Covid-19, irresponsible policies are hampering an effective global response to infectious outbreaks. What would happen if another pandemic were to emerge? The answer is: we do not know. In some respects there are reasons for optimism, such as the faster development of mRNA vaccines or the better surveillance systems in countries. But in other ways, countries are as ill-prepared as they were in 2020 (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00498-1)
• WHO warns globally of resurgence of cholera, a treatable but potentially fatal bacterial disease (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud-bienestar/enfermedades/noticias/13244905/02/25/la-oms-advierte-a-nivel-mundial-de-la-reaparicion-de-una-de-las-enfermedades-mas-temidas-del-pasado.html)
• Mysterious illness in Congo kills more than 50 people just hours after they fall ill. The origin may be the ingestion of a bat (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2025/02/25/67bdf90de85ece0b6c8b45bc.html)

International health policy

• USA
  • Threats to Medicaid. To make their numbers work, many Republicans want to restrict Medicaid, which could affect 20 million Americans (https://www.economist.com/united-states/2025/02/27/to-make-their-numbers-work-republicans-must-slash-health-spending)
  • The rise of the anti-vaccine movement. Although Kennedy promised at the Senate hearing that he would not do anything against vaccines, he seems to have forgotten that promise as soon as he took office, and wants to review the childhood vaccination schedule (https://www.ft.com/content/d4199db2-01c1-4260-ac60-0f547a6a2fbe)
  • The Trump Administration ends global health research: the Demographic and Health Surveys were the only metrics in many countries on mortality, nutrition and education. This program has been terminated by order of the American government (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/26/health/usaid-global-health-surveys.html)
  • Unvaccinated child dies of measles in Texas (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/26/us/texas-measles-outbreak-death.html)
  •  Pharmaceutical companies in check: Trump imposes tariffs and pressures to reduce the cost of drugs. The tariffs affect the price of imported products such as many APIs for producing drugs. There is also pressure to lower the price of drugs. (https://www.consalud.es/salud35/internacional/pharmaceuticas-en-jaque-trump-impone-aranceles-presiona-reducir-coste-farmacos_154349_102.html)

• United Kingdom and the National Health Service
  • • In the reform project, primary care physicians will offer online appointments. This will allow for a telephone consultation with the patient on the same day (https://www.ft.com/content/f1aa7987-c9d8-4f86-8731-32d40bef72fa

• European Union
  • The EMA starts 2025 with a good pace of approvals (https://www.consalud.es/industria/aprobaciones-evaluaciones-cambios-regulatorios-ema-arranca-2025-con-buen-ritmo_155322_102.html)

National health policy

• Central administration

o The law of the State Agency of Public Health resumes its processing (https://diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/proyecto-ley-agencia-salud-publica-reanuda-tramitacion-parlamentaria-6-meses-despues.html

• Initiatives and news from the autonomous communities
  • The University of León wants to close the curriculum of the degree in Medicine in less than a month (https://www.consalud.es/formacion/universidad-leon-quiere-cerrar-plan-estudios-grado-en-medicina-en-menos-mes_155147_102.html)
  • The Basque Health Pact is moving forward with 24 strategic lines and more than 400 professionals involved (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/pais-vasco/pacto-vasco-salud-avanza-con-24-lineas-estrategicas-mas-400-profesionales-implicados_155270_102.html)
  • Extremadura leads the European project against dementia JADE (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/extremadura/extremadura-su-liderazgo-en-proyecto-europeo-contra-demencia-jade-health_155274_102.html)
  • The European Health Pact is starting in Bilbao persistent covid unit (https://www.abc.es/salud/arranca-bilbao-unidad-covid-persistente-medicos-gipuzkoa-20250227150306-vi.html)
  • Launch of the Phase I Clinical Trials Unit in Malaga (https://diariofarma.com/2025/02/26/andalucia-refuerza-apuesta-por-la-innovacion-con-la-unidad-de-ensayos-clinicos-fase-i-en-malaga)
  • The Galician vaccine against tuberculosis makes its way (https://www.elconfidencial.com/espana/galicia/2025-03-01/tuberculosis-vacuna-gallega-abre-paso-somos-optimistas_4075947/)

• Framework Statute
  • Doctors call a strike against the draft Statute Health Framework. Called by CESM, it will be on May 23. Objectives: limit the workload and improve salary conditions (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-02-25/los-medicos-convocan-una-huelga-contra-el-borrador-del-estatuto-marco-de-sanidad.html)

• Health barometer
  • The perception of a worsening of the waiting list is increasing, 38% believe that waiting times have worsened compared to the previous year (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/barometro-sanitario-aumenta-percepcion-empeoramiento-listas-espera.html). Access to the 2024 Health Barometer report: https://www.sanidad.gob.es/estadEstudios/estadisticas/BarometroSanitario/Barom_Sanit_2024/BS_2024_Totales/Informe_BS_2024.pdf

• Interoperable clinical history of private healthcare from IDIS
  • It is already active in 12 companies, including insurers and hospital groups (These are Occident, Quirónsalud, HM Hospitales, HLA, Mapfre, Sanitas, Adeslas, Hospiten, DKV, Cigna, Clínica Universitaria de Navarra and Chipcard. All of them have 100% miHC operational. Others continue working to join the project: Ribera Salud, Caser Seguros, Nueva Mutua Sanitaria, Asisa, Vithas and the Hospital Order of San Juan de Dios. (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20250219/historia-clinica-interoperable-sanidad-privada-activa-companias/925157763_0.html)

• Spanish hospitals
  • 12 Spanish hospitals, among the 250 best in the world, according to Newsweek (https://theobjective.com/sanidad/2025-02-26/doce-hospitales-espanoles-mejores-del-mundo/)

• Measles
  • Measles is on the rise in Spain, with eight open outbreaks and at least 107 cases since January (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-02-25/el-sarampion-se-dispara-en-espana-con-ocho-brotes-abiertos-y-al-menos-107-casos-desde-enero.html)

Companies

• International news
  • Only 50% of the most important drugs launched in 2024 were by large companies, according to Evaluate Pharma (https://elglobalfarma.com/industria/grandes-lanzamientos-medicamentos-2024/)
  • Lilly will invest 25.7 billion in four new factories in the USA. They announce the creation of 3,000 jobs. This is in addition to announcements by Apple, Open AI and SoftBank, no doubt to win the sympathy of the Trump Administration (https://www.expansion.com/empresas/industria/2025/02/26/67bf4be5468aeb0d728b45ab.html)
  • Smith & Nephew boss rejects shareholders’ request for a company split (https://www.ft.com/content/c2dd4317-821f-4b41-96af-cd6f7918a59b)
  • Microsoft Health Futures: the future of medicine powered by AI (https://www.consalud.es/salud35/internacional/microsoft-health-futures-futuro-medicina-inteligencia-artificial_154392_102.html)

• National
  • Almirall earns 10.1 million and exceeds forecasts. The company reaps the rewards of its commitment to dermatology (https://www.expansion.com/catalunya/2025/02/24/67bc1b9be5fdea5c298b45a2.html)
  • Grifols announces a strategic plan to reach 10 billion euros in revenue by 2029 (https://cincodias.elpais.com/companias/2025-02-27/grifols-anuncia-un-plan-estrategico-para-alcanzar-los-10000-millones-en-ingresos-en-2029.html)
  • Grifols buys 14 plasma centers in the USA (https://cincodias.elpais.com/companias/2025-03-01/grifols-compra-14-centros-de-plasma-en-ee-uu-a-immunotek-por-135-millones.html)

 

Summary

The most impactful news in health this week were:

• Biomedicine: Personalized cancer screening is key. Especially in five cancers: breast, lung, colorectal, cervical and prostate.
• Global health: The exit of the USA from the WHO forces reforms and reprioritization in that organization.
• International health policy: Trump wants an alternative to the WHO, something foreseen in the executive order he signed.
• National health policy. The plan against suicide is approved.
• Companies: Rise in the Nasdaq of companies that fight against aging.

Biomedicine

• Cancer screening. Although population screening has been key to the decrease in mortality, the problem of overdiagnosis and overtreatment persists. The important thing is personalized cancer screening, especially in relation to these five cancers: breast, lung, colorectal, cervical and prostate.
• A “road map” of how cancers spread offers hope for new treatments. Researchers are now focusing on the growth of cancers in surrounding tissues to help track the most malignant forms of cancer. It is believed that this knowledge will help prevent the spread of some cancers.

Global Health

• The WHO is downsizing. The US exit represents an 18% reduction in the budget for 2024-25. A reduction in size, improved governance and a reprioritization of the initiatives are on the agenda.
• With the withdrawal of aid, Trump threatens the lives of millions. Harsh article in the New York Times. This withdrawal may affect: HIV medications for more than 20 million people; nutritional supplements for hungry children; aid for refugees, orphaned children and women hit by violence.

International health policy

• Trump wants an alternative for the WHO. Some things are better done together, as demonstrated by the structures for controlling civil aviation or the coordinated postal system. The complexity of bilateral efforts cannot replace multilateralism. The need for a structure for international cooperation in health is obvious. This is what the WHO was created for. This body is not the only global health organization. There is also UNAIDS, Gavi, the World Bank Group alliance, as well as philanthropic foundations such as the Gates Foundation. The executive order contemplates that efforts should be made to create a credible and transparent body to carry out activities previously developed by the WHO. According to this article in the BMJ, the creation of a parallel structure will harm global responses to common challenges.
• The Royal Society of London meets to remove Elon Musk’s membership. More than 1,300 scientists address the world’s oldest scientific society against Elon Musk.

National Health Policy (Spain)

• The Plan against suicide is approved, with 18 million euros and a Prevention Observatory.
• The Interterritorial Council rejects the Mental Health Plan. Only Catalonia, Asturias and Castilla-La Mancha give a yes to the document, rejected by the PP communities. Some psychiatric scientific societies claim that they have learned of the plan through the press.
• Doctors oppose the Ministry’s proposals on the Framework Statute and want their own regulations, to avoid the negotiation of their conditions being diluted in a common Framework Statute. The attempt to reform the Framework Statute was a blunder by this ministerial team, which has created a fire in an issue that, although poorly resolved and in need of reform, was calm. The ministerial team has shown that it does not have the intellectual or political baggage to tackle a reform of this calibre. The demand by doctors for their own statute is entirely logical, given the experience that any approach to professionalism is diluted by a union representation that is more attentive to other things.
• Muface introduces harsh fines for insurers in the new specifications. The sanctions are toughened, introducing: sanctions for delays in the provision of service, quality audits, quarterly review of the quality of service with satisfaction surveys. There is no doubt that this is an important step towards transparency. We wonder what would happen if the public system introduced these penalties for delays in services.

Companies

• International
  • Companies that challenge ageing: United Biotechnology; Longeveron; Seres Therapeutics; BioVie Inc, all of them on the Nasdaq, among the main companies. There is no doubt that a large part of the future lies there.

• National
  • Mapfre and Sanitas launch a subsidiary to develop hospitals. This new company Desarrollos Hospitalarios is controlled by 49.7% by Mapfre, with the rest of the capital being Sanitas. They will build a hospital in the Balearic Islands, which joins the one announced in Barcelona. This seems to be a defensive move by insurers against the concentration processes in the hospital world, which could make their negotiations with suppliers more difficult.

Biomedicine

• Cancer screening. Although population screening has been key to the decrease in mortality, the problem of overdiagnosis and overtreatment persists. The important thing is personalized cancer screening, especially in relation to these five cancers: breast, lung, colorectal, cervical and prostate) (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(25)00016-7/fulltext)
• A “road map” of how cancers spread offers hope for new treatments. Researchers are now focusing on the growth of cancers in surrounding tissues to help track the most malignant forms of cancer. It is believed that this knowledge will help prevent the spread of some cancers (https://www.ft.com/content/47816a9f-c974-4b37-9d28-4bf777a2d765). Access to the original article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56299-7)
• The Swedish biotech BioArtic behind the companies researching Alzheimer’s is looking for a way to break the blood-brain barrier, so that drugs can reach the brain. This company relies on the mechanism of transporting iron to the brain (https://www.ft.com/content/4b28c118-58ea-48c5-82e6-941bc9f2c079)
• Can anti-obesity drugs be given to children? There is a battle between the defenders of these therapies in children and those who oppose them due to the consequences on the growth of their bodies (https://www.ft.com/content/8370db31-e9d8-4aa8-ae00-8c1a716b4b6c)
• The new success of the “miracle” drug Ozempic: it reduces alcohol consumption by up to 40% in people with addiction. A trial in 48 people has shown the success of Ozempic in treating excessive drinking (https://www.elespanol.com/ciencia/salud/20250214/nuevo-exito-farmaco-milagro-ozempic-reduce-consumo-alcohol-personas-adiccion/923908094_0.html)

Global Health

• The introduction of the malaria vaccine in Africa: progress and challenges. In 2024, Africa reached a milestone in its fight against malaria, a disease that causes 95% of deaths in the USA. In 2024, the incidence was 58.6 cases per 1,000 inhabitants, far from the target of 21.3 cases per 1,000 inhabitants that had been set for 2023. There are 14 countries involved in this fight. Financial sustainability and differences between countries are the major challenges (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)02841-1/abstract?rss=yes#au30)
• African leaders on malaria call for continued aid amid uncertainty. The freeze in American aid is causing financial constraints in the fight against malaria (https://www.bmj.com/content/388/bmj.r271)
• The reduction in the size of the WHO. The exit of the USA represents an 18% decrease in the budget for 2024-25. Downsizing, improved governance and reprioritizing the agenda are on the agenda (https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2825%2900289-2)
• Trump’s exit from the WHO leaves it without defenses against smallpox, one of the deadliest pathogens (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/12/health/smallpox-who-cdc-bioweapons.html)
• Withdrawal of aid, Trump threatens the lives of millions. Harsh article in the New York Times. This withdrawal may affect: HIV medications for more than 20 million people; nutritional supplements for hungry children; Aid to refugees, orphaned children and women affected by violence (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/08/health/trump-usaid-health-aid.html)

International Health Policy

• USA
  • Trump wants an alternative to the WHO. Certain things are better done together, as demonstrated by the structures of civil aviation control or the coordinated postal system. The complexity of bilateral efforts cannot replace multilateralism. The need for an international health cooperation structure is obvious. This is what the WHO was created for. This body is not the only global health organization. There is also UNAIDS, Gavi, the World Bank Group alliance, as well as philanthropic foundations such as the Gates Foundation. The executive order contemplates that efforts should be made to create a credible and transparent body to carry out activities previously developed by the WHO. According to this BMJ article, the creation of a parallel structure will undermine global responses to common challenges (https://www.bmj.com/content/388/bmj.r188)
  • Vaccine skeptic Robert Kennedy, Jr. is now US Secretary of Health, with a proven track record of vaccine skepticism (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00439-y)
  • Who is running health care in the new American government? This article analyzes the personality and careers of the new Secretary of Health; the new director of the NHI; the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid; the new director of the CDC; the new commissioner of the FDA and the new “surgeon general.” (https://www.bmj.com/content/388/bmj.r267)
  • How Trump’s cuts affect hospitals and universities in different American states (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/02/13/upshot/nih-trump-funding-cuts.html)
  • Trump withdraws funding for schools that make vaccines mandatory (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/health/trump-schools-covid-vaccine-mandates.html)

• United Kingdom and the National Health Service
  • NHS Trust deficits double. Rising costs for temporary staff and outsourcing are at the root of these deficits (https://www.ft.com/content/45e39986-4f19-4247-a4ef-da673306fdd2)
  • The Royal Society of London meets to revoke Elon Musk’s membership. More than 1,300 scientists address the world’s oldest scientific society against Elon Musk (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00486-5)

• France
  • The French Parliament approves the ban on disposable electronic cigarettes. The Senate has approved this ban by a single vote in France (https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2025/02/13/cigarettes-electroniques-jetables-le-parlement-adopte-definitivement-l-interdiction-des-puffs_6545304_823448.html)

• Canada
  • Canada appoints a person in charge of fighting fentanyl, a promise made to Trump (https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2025/02/12/le-canada-nomme-un-responsable-de-la-lutte-contre-le-fentanyl-une-promesse-faite-a-donald-trump_6542915_3210.html)

• EU
  • Shortage of doctors and nurses in Europe: the European Union is working on a rescue plan. There are 1.8 million professionals in the sector in Europe. In five years, there will be a shortage of 4.1 million healthcare workers in the EU (https://www.cones/politica/escasez-medicos-enfermeras-en-europa-union-europea-trabaja-en-plan-rescate_154644_102.html)
  • Europe designates 13 notified bodies for in vitro. Notified bodies are the gateway for products to the European market (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/industria/europa-avanza-en-organismos-notificados-in-vitro-para-enfrentar-la-escasez–1649)

National health policy

• Central administration
  • he Plan against suicide is approved, with 18 million euros and a Prevention Observatory (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/ministerio-sanidad/el-plan-antisuicidio-tendra-partida-de-18-millones-y-3-vias-de-vigilancia-5554)
  • The Interterritorial Council rejects the Mental Health Plan. Only Catalonia, Asturias and Castilla-La Mancha give a yes to the document, rejected by the PP communities. Some psychiatric scientific societies claim that they have learned about the plan through the press (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/consejo-interterritorial-tumba-plan-salud-mental-aprueba-prevencion-suicidio.html)
  • Doctors oppose the Ministry’s proposals on the Framework Statute and want their own regulation, to avoid the negotiation of their conditions being diluted in a common Framework Statute (https://www.consalud.es/profesionales/medicos-todo-pais-dicen-no-propuesta-estatuto-marco-queremos-norma-propia_154550_102.html)
  • The Royal Decree on Health Technology Assessment, about to be sent to the Council of State (https://elglobalfarma.com/politica/rd-evaluacion-tecnologias-sanitarias-consejo-estado/)

• Initiatives and news from the communities autonomous communities
  • Asturias opens meetings for the social pact for mental health, a prelude to the future law (https://diariofarma.com/2025/02/10/asturias-abre-las-reuniones-por-el-pacto-social-por-la-salud-mental-antesala-de-la-futura-ley)
  • The Balearic Islands already have their research and clinical trials unit, the UBICEC, at the Son Espases hospital (https://diariofarma.com/2025/02/10/baleares-cuenta-ya-con-su-unidad-de-investigacion-clinica-y-ensayos-clinicos-ubicec)
  • The government of Aragon will speed up appointments in Primary Care with AI (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/aragon/gobierno-aragon-ha-dado-conocer-agilizara-citas-en-primaria-traves-ia_154805_102.html)
  • Asturian health researchers will be in group A (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/asturias/el-salto-de-los-investigadores-sanitarios-al-a1-da-un-aceleron-en-asturias-5987)

• MUFACE
  • Sanitas, Mapfre and AXA analyze the Muface tender after years outside the agreement (https://elpais.com/economia/2025-02-14/sanitas-mapfre-y-axa-analizan-el-pliego-de-muface-despues-de-anos-fuera-del-concierto.html)
  • Muface introduces harsh fines to insurers in the new specifications. Sanctions are toughened, introducing: sanctions for delays in the provision of the service, quality audit, quarterly review of the quality of the service with satisfaction surveys (https://www.vozpopuli.com/economia/letra-pequena-nuevos-pliegos-muface-multas-sd.html)

• Pharmaceutical sector
  • Pharmaceutical companies commit to Sánchez to multiply their investment if it is encouraged. They plan to close this year with 9,000 million of investment in three years (https://cincodias.elpais.com/companias/2025-02-12/las-farmaceuticas-se-comprometen-con-sanchez-a-multiplicar-su-inversion-si-es-incentivada.html)

• Sick leave
  • Sick leave soars by 113% in just a decade and already lasts 43 days. Causes: aging of workers, lack of control, health collapse and increased employment (https://theobjective.com/economia/2025-02-09/coste-incapacidad-temporal-bajas-laborales-dispara-decada/)

Companies

• International news
  • Companies that challenge aging: United Biotechnology; Longeveron; Seres Therapeutics; BioVie Inc, all of them on the Nasdaq, among the main companies (https://www.eleconomista.es/mercados-cotizaciones/noticias/13213813/02/25/biotecnologia-y-longevidad-las-companias-que-desafian-el-envejecimiento.html)
  • The growing weight of Private Equity in healthcare: a phenomenon not only American. Between 2018 and 2022, more than 446 billion dollars have been invested globally in healthcare by private equity firms. The concern remains that they are focusing more on short-term profit than on long-term profit and patient care, and investments have been mostly in sectors with limited regulation and public funding (http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2412002)
  • Bain buys 340-year-old drug company to boost development in Japan (https://www.ft.com/content/6fd756af-c63f-4587-ba67-189009102e5f)
  • Johnson & Johnson puts stroke-related business up for sale (https://www.ft.com/content/b2a52b96-121e-469e-b4a3-5b6c3ab2994b)
  • Novartis agrees to pay $3 billion to buy cardiovascular biotech from Blackstone (https://www.ft.com/content/6d2458c4-9c0b-4548-a387-c229dba73e26)

• National
  • Mapfre and Sanitas launch a subsidiary to develop hospitals. This new company Desarrollos Hospitalarios is controlled by 49.7% by Mapfre, with the rest of the capital belonging to Sanitas. They will build a hospital in the Balearic Islands, which joins the one announced in Barcelona (https://www.expansion.com/empresas/seguros/2025/02/14/67ae6a41468aeb9d5a8b4583.html)
  • The Spanish biotechnology company Amadix receives 15 million from the EIB for its cancer detection tests, innovative blood tests for the detection of different types of cancer (https://cincodias.elpais.com/companias/2025-02-10/la-biotecnologica-espanola-amadix-recibe-15-millones-del-bei-para-sus-analisis-de-deteccion-de-cancer.html)

Summary

The most impactful news in health this week were:

• Biomedicine: Stem cells are used to recover damaged heart muscle fibers.
• Global health: The exit of the USA from the WHO, a blow to the international architecture of global health.
• International health policy: By cutting aid to foreigners and leaving the WHO, the USA is harming itself.
• National health policy. Medical organizations are against the changes announced in the Framework Statute, and demand specific regulation for doctors.
• Companies: Medicines investigated by AI have multiplied by nine in the last year.

Biomedicine

• Scientists use stem cells to recover damaged heart muscle. Revascularization trials to treat cardiovascular diseases, the main cause of death globally.
• The FDA approves a new drug to treat pain without addictive effects. The new drug Journavx blocks pain signals from the brain, but without the negative effects of opioids.

Global Health

• The US withdrawal from the WHO is a blow to the international architecture of global health. The twelve months from the announcement to the effective withdrawal provide a window of opportunity to negotiate a profound reform of the WHO that makes it more agile, depoliticized, transparent, efficient and technically solid.
• Health programs are closing around the world, after Trump paused foreign aid. Treatment and prevention of diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria or HIV are interrupted.

International health policy

• By cutting aid to foreigners, the US is harming itself. First, it favors the possible influence of China. Second, a responsible Administration must analyze the consequences when making the necessary review of expenses. The US will be left out of the information on the appearance of emerging diseases.
• Upheaval in American health care. The decisions are justified by how much American health care spends, twice as much as Europe, with worse results. The intention is to change gigantic and very important bureaucratic organizations, such as the FDA, the CDC or the health research institutes (NHI). The problems of the American health system are obvious, particularly its high cost, but entering like a bull in a china shop into such a delicate fabric can do great damage. Surely, the policy of deregulation as an absolute value is not the most appropriate for a sector like health.

National Health Policy (Spain)

• Medical unions announce demonstrations against the new Health Framework Statute. Medical organizations announce two demonstrations: one on February 10, regional, and another on February 13, in front of the Ministry of Health. It gives the impression that this Ministry did not sufficiently consider that its ideological and tendentious proposals are not the most appropriate for the sector and may start a fire in an issue that needed reforms, but was quiet.
• The OMC defends a differentiated statutory framework for doctors. In its declaration, apart from a differentiated statute for doctors, it defends that the issues of the Statute are not only labor issues. This is the central issue, the issues of the Statute as they relate to doctors cannot be discussed only by the unions, even if the medical unions participate. They are not only labour issues, but fundamentally of professionalism, which is why the participation of professional medical organisations (colleges, scientific societies, etc.) is necessary.
• The government increases the premium it pays for MUFACE by 41.2%, to attract ADESLAS.

Companies

• International
  • The drugs investigated with AI have multiplied by nine in the last year. AI allows drugs to be created in less time and with greater success.

• National
  • Esteve finalises the purchase of Takeda’s mifamurtide business, a solution for osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer.

Biomedicine

• Scientists use stem cells to restore damaged heart muscle. Revascularization trials to treat cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death globally. (https://www.ft.com/content/5234d311-4671-4e02-a770-f2195e19b37e). Access to the original Nature document: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08463-0
• FDA approves new drug to treat pain without addictive effects. New drug Journavx blocks pain signals from the brain, but without the negative effects of opioids (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/30/health/fda-journavx-suzetrigine-vertex-opioids.html)
• The importance of cancer registries. There will be 35 million cancers globally by 2050, representing a 77% increase from 2022. The most affected will be low- and middle-income countries. Hence the importance of population-based registries on cancer incidence (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)00189-8/fulltext)
• A new study detects the dangers of anti-obesity drugs. The use of these drugs can increase the onset of certain diseases, including arthritis (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00173-5)
• Psychedelic drugs in medicine. There are more and more trials of this type of medicine (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)00188-6/abstract)
• Lung cancer is already the most diagnosed cancer in the world. According to the Global Cancer Observatory, the 2.48 million new cases already exceed those of breast cancer (https://www.elespanol.com/ciencia/salud/20250128/cancer-pulmon-diagnosticado-mundo-punto-mortal-mujeres-espana/919658530_0.html)

Global Health

• Opinion article by Pedro Alonso: The exit of the USA from the WHO is a blow to the international architecture of global health. The twelve months from the announcement to the effective exit provide a window of opportunity to negotiate a profound reform of the WHO that makes it more agile, depoliticized, transparent, efficient and technically sound (https://elpais.com/opinion/2025-01-29/la-salida-de-ee-uu-de-la-oms-es-un-golpe-a-la-arquitectura-internacional-de-la-salud-global.html)
• The Trump Administration interrupts the distribution of HIV drugs in poor countries (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/27/health/pepfar-trump-freeze.html)
• Health programs are closing around the world, after Trump pauses foreign aid. Treatment and prevention of diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria and HIV are interrupted (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/01/health/trump-aid-malaria-tuberculosis-hiv.html)

International health policy

• USA
  • The Economist editorial: By cutting aid to foreigners, the US is hurting itself. First, it is encouraging China’s potential influence. Second, a responsible administration must analyze the consequences when it makes the necessary review of expenses (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2025/01/30/by-cutting-off-assistance-to-foreigners-america-hurts-itself)
  • The abandonment of the WHO can harm the USA in a wide variety of matters, especially in information on emerging diseases (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/29/health/who-us-withdrawal.html)
  • An executive order by Trump alters federal surveys that asked about gender identity (https://www.science.org/content/article/trump-executive-order-would-upend-federal-surveys-ask-about-gender-identity)
  • Upheaval in American health care. The decisions are justified by how much the American health care system spends, twice as much as Europe, with worse results. The aim is to change huge and very important bureaucratic bodies, such as the FDA, the CCD or the National Health Research Institutes (NHI) (https://www.larazon.es/salud/convulsion-sanidad-norteamericana_20250202679ec4c9e95c060001842a06.html)

• China
  • China is investigating generic drugs for safety. The campaign to use national drugs for their lower price is raising questions about their effectiveness (https://www.ft.com/content/e613e042-874d-4864-9108-bcbd26a1a39e)

• United Kingdom and the National Health Service
  • A quarter of people in England received inadequate care on the NHS, according to a report. Poor follow-up of complaints is reported (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jan/27/nhs-care-report-survey-healthwatch-england-complaints)
  • Prostate cancer becomes the most common cancer in England, which already surpasses breast cancer (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jan/28/prostate-cancer-becomes-most-common-cancer-diagnosis-in-england)

• France
  • Bayrou (French Prime Minister) tries to impose the division of the law, on the one hand palliative care, on the other hand aid to die (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2025/01/29/fin-de-vie-francois-bayrou-tente-d-imposer-sa-partition-aux-partisans-de-l-aide-a-mourir_6521250_3224.html)
  • Vaccination against pneumococcus, recommended for all people over 65 years of age (https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2025/01/28/infections-a-pneumocoque-la-haute-autorite-de-sante-recommande-la-vaccination-des-plus-de-65-ans_6519755_3244.html)

• WHO
  • WHO warns that Trump puts millions of lives at stake by withdrawing aid to HIV programs (https://www.elespanol.com/ciencia/salud/20250129/oms-advierte-decision-trump-retirar-ayuda-programas-vih-pone-millones-vidas-riesgo/920158141_0.html)

• EU
  • The EU forces pharmaceutical companies to assume the multi-million dollar bill for cleaning up rivers of drug residues (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2025-01-27/la-ue-obliga-a-las-farmaceuticas-a-asumir-la-millonaria-factura-de-limpiar-los-rios-de-restos-de-medicamentos.html)
  • Europe launches its Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Centre to support innovation. The objective is to support emerging companies and SMEs in the sector to increase their productivity (https://diariofarma.com/2025/01/30/europa-pone-en-marcha-su-centro-de-biotecnologia-y-biofabricacion-para-apoyar-la-innovacion)

National health policy

• Central administration
  • Health and Social Rights approve guaranteeing Early Care in less than 45 days of waiting. Early care for children between 0 and 6 years (https://www.consalud.es/politica/ministerio-sanidad/sanidad-derechos-sociales-garantizar-atencion-tempranamenos-45-dias-espera_154183_102.html)

• Initiatives and news from the autonomous communities
  • • The expansion of Cabueñes (Gijón). The termination of the contract threatens to delay the completion of the work indefinitely (https://www.elcomercio.es/gijon/ampliacion-cabuenes-teorico-fin-obra-rescision-contrato-20250202073701-nt.html)
    • The advanced therapies that the investment plan of Catalonia will bring. Illa presents the government’s economic objectives for the next 5 years (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/cataluna/cataluna-liga-las-terapias-avanzadas-a-su-plan-inversor-de-18-500-millones-3964)

• Framework Statute
  • Medical unions announce mobilizations against the new Health Framework Statute. Medical organizations announce two mobilizations: one on February 10, regional, and another on February 13, in front of the Ministry of Health (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/profesion/sindicatos-medicos-anuncian-movilizaciones-borrador-estatuto-marco.html)
  • The OMC defends a differentiated statutory framework for doctors. In its statement, apart from a differentiated statute for doctors, it argues that the issues of the Statute are not only labor issues (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/medicina/la-omc-se-planta-ante-sanidad-y-apoya-un-estatuto-propio-de-los-medicos-9555)

• MUFACE
  • The government raises the premium it pays for MUFACE by 41.2% to attract ADESLAS (https://www.expansion.com/empresas/seguros/2025/01/28/6798e3f8468aeb886c8b458c.html)
  • The government gives itself another month to resolve the health contest, given the difficulty of putting into a document what it announced (https://www.elmundo.es/economia/empresas/2025/02/01/679cbcf8fdddff222a8b4574.html)
  • MUFACE patients still cost the State 300 euros less per capita, despite the planned changes to the premium (https://www.vozpopuli.com/economia/pacientes-muface-cuestan-estado-300-euros-nueva-licitacion.html)

• Cancer
  • Spain will detect almost 300,000 new cases of cancer in 2025, according to the report “Las cuentas del cáncer en España” published by SEOM (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2025/01/27/67975d2d21efa072658b4579.html). Access to the full report: https://seom.org/images/LAS_CIFRAS_DMC2025.pdf

• Organ donation
  • Organ donations are being considered from the private sector. The ONT intends to expand its organ procurement network to the private sector (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/ministerio-sanidad/la-ont-prepara-el-impulso-de-la-privada-en-donaciones-con-2-vias-de-trabajo-7417)

Companies

• International news
  • A report points to the most in-demand drugs in 2025. Ozempic (NovoNordisk) and Mounjaro (Lilly) are expected to be the best-selling drugs, according to Evaluate Pharma’s 2025 Preview document (https://elglobalfarma.com/industria/informe-medicamentos-demandados-2025/)
  • Drugs investigated with AI have multiplied by nine in the last year. AI allows drugs to be created in less time and with greater success (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud/noticias/13187903/01/25/los-medicamentos-investigados-con-ia-se-multiplican-por-nueve-en-el-ultimo-ano.html
  • AstraZeneca abandons its plan to make an investment of 450 million pounds to manufacture vaccines. The decision is a blow to Prime Minister Starmer (https://www.ft.com/content/289dbaa2-f452-4aef-995c-bdbd5a79eea7)

• National
  • Esteve finalizes the purchase of Takeda’s mifamurtide business, a solution for osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud/noticias/13198100/01/25/esteve-ultima-la-compra-del-negocio-de-mifamurtida-de-takeda.html)

 

Summary

The most impactful news in health this week were:

• Biomedicine: The new definition of obesity challenges the use of the BMI (Body Mass Index).
• Global health: The triumph and tragedy of malaria prevention.
• International health policy: The FDA proposes new labels to inform about the sugar, fat and salt content in food.
• National health policy: New crazy proposals from the government in relation to the Framework Statute.
• Companies: The third largest hospital in Aragon, Quirón, opens on January 27.

Biomedicine

• The new definition of obesity challenges the use of the BMI (Body Mass Index). According to the new criterion, it is excess fat and not weight that must be taken into account for the definition of obesity and, therefore, for its treatment.
• Identification and treatment of alcohol abuse. The American Journal of Medicine reviews this topic, a medical and psychological disorder that influences health, mental health and social behavior. In the USA, it is estimated that 29 million people have this condition, which caused 181,000 deaths in 2021, twice as many as those caused by opioids.

Global Health

• The triumph and tragedy of malaria prevention. In the 1960s, 400 out of 1,000 children died in Gambia, half of the victims were from malaria. This disease began to decline long before the arrival of the vaccine, which was only in 2023.

International health policy

• The FDA proposes new labels to inform about the sugar, fat and salt content in foods. The idea is to establish an easy system to alert consumers

National Health Policy (Spain)

• Framework Statute: crazy proposals from the Ministry of Health.Instead of facing a serious and mature review of the Personnel  Framework Statute, starting with a good dialogue with professionals, the government is only proposing nonsense of its own ideological invention (prohibition of Heads of Service from working in the private sector, 17-hour shifts and the obligation of residents to work for 5 years for the public sector, once they have finished their MIR); and it is proposing to negotiate it only with the unions, another major nonsense. If these are to be the “advances” it is better to leave the Statute as it is.
• Discrepancies within the government itself regarding MUFACE and reasonable intervention by UNESPA. While the Ministry of Health only thinks about setting a date to integrate MUFACE officials into the public system (that is, sending them to the waiting lists), the Ministry of Public Administration seems to be trying to continue the negotiation. The latter seems the most logical, since the closure of MUFACE could mean losing 1.5 million votes for the government party. More than reasonable note from UNESPA, which warns insurers of what the exit of MUFACE could mean in terms of growth. As for insurers, a call to responsibility must be made. Although they cannot be condemned to losses, they must be aware that the dismantling of a substitute insurance system such as MUFACE may mean that they will not recover for decades.

Companies

• International
  • Johnson & Johnson offers up to 14.6 billion dollars for the neuroscience biotechnology company Intra-Cellular.

• National
  • BioNTech chooses Spain to test its new vaccine against lung cancer.
  • The third largest hospital in Aragon, from Quirón, opens on January 27.

Biomedicine

• The new definition of obesity challenges the use of BMI (Body Mass Index). According to the new criterion, it is excess fat and not weight that should be taken into account for the definition of obesity and, therefore, for its treatment (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/14/health/bmi-obesity-definition.html). Access to the original article in The Lancet: https://www.thelancet.com/commissions/clinical-obesity
• Identification and treatment of alcohol abuse. The American Journal of Medicine reviews this topic, a medical and psychological disorder that influences health, mental health and social behavior. In the USA, it is estimated that 29 million people have this condition, which caused 181,000 deaths in 2021, twice as many as those caused by opioids (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra2306511)
• The Lancet Editorial: Health in the age of misinformation. The Covid-19 pandemic was a high point in the spread of misinformation in medicine. Today, the media provides misinformation about cancer prevention and treatment, minimizes the seriousness of mental illness, or promotes supplements for everything from weight loss to anti-aging. Misinformation is a social threat (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)00094-7/fulltext)
• Human immortality. Commentary from the American Journal of Medicine. Although human immortality is far from reality at the moment, it is still interesting to contemplate some examples of immortality in nature, such as the case of jellyfish) (https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(24)00490-X/fulltext)
• The new face of cancer in women and young people. Although it had been considered a disease of aging, cancer increasingly attacks young people and women (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/16/health/cancer-younger-women.html)=
• Neurotechnology offers a new level of touch to the bionic hand, via signals sent from its brain (https://www.ft.com/content/47b9a447-ea01-4559-a826-51f54816f577). Access to the original article: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adu7929
• An earthquake in DNA has been discovered that causes an aggressive cancer in children and adolescents (https://elpais.com/ciencia/2025-01-14/descubrimiento-un-terremoto-en-el-adn-que-provoca-un-cancer-agresivo-en-ninos-y-adolescentes.html)
• An article in Nature in defense of multiple editing of human embryos alarms scientists (https://www.eldiario.es/sociedad/articulo-nature-defensa-edicion-multiple-embriones-humanos-alarma-cientificos-locura_1_11962692.html)

Global Health

• The triumph and tragedy of malaria prevention. In the 1960s, 400 out of 1,000 children died in Gambia, half of them from malaria. The disease began to decline long before the arrival of the vaccine, which was only in 2023 (https://www.ft.com/content/2951de64-bd78-4a0b-b3ca-2b9f0f31c246)
• Death estimates in Gaza may be underestimated by 25,000 deaths (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/14/health/gaza-death-toll.html)
• Editorial in Science: Let’s not pretend that Covid hasn’t happened. In defense of the Pandemic Treaty (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adv8836)

International health policy

• USA
  • Changing the way Medicare is paid to strengthen primary care. Despite its importance, primary care attendance is declining in the USA, as is the number of doctors opting for this practice. For this reason, better compensation is proposed in order to make this practice more attractive (http://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMp2413193)
  • The FDA proposes new labels to inform about the sugar, fat and salt content of foods. The idea is to set up an easy system to alert consumers (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/14/health/fda-food-labels-sugar-fat-salt.html)
  • Kennedy’s plan for the drug crisis: a network of “healing farms” (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/18/health/rfk-addiction-farms.html). His position is set out in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liZq31HLnyA
  • Research shows that dementia cases will grow in the USA (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/13/health/dementia-cases-us.html). Access to the original Nature Medicine study: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03340-9
  • Medicare to negotiate price of weight loss drugs. Government expects to pay lower prices for Ozempic and Wegovy from 2027 (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/17/health/medicare-prices-ozempic-wegovy.html)

• United Kingdom and the National Health Service
  • Half of Boris Johnson’s promised hospitals will not be built for years. Labour announces delay of 40 of Johnson’s promised hospitals (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jan/17/half-new-hospitals-promised-boris-johnson-not-be-built-for-decades)
  • UK bans meat imports from Germany after foot-and-mouth outbreak. (https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jan/14/uk-bans-german-pork-products-foot-and-mouth-outbreak-near-berlin)

• WHO
  • The WHO warns of the highest number of human cases of H5 bird flu since 2015. Last year, 66 cases of H5 were reported in the United States, ten in Cambodia, two in Vietnam and one each in Australia, Canada and China. This is the highest number of human cases reported since 2015(https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2025/01/16/67893html)

National health policy

• Central administration initiatives
  • The drug law is delayed, the ministry plans to submit it to the Council of Ministers in February (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20250115/ley-medicamentos-productos-sanitarios-retrasa-sanidad-preve-elevarla-consejo-ministros-febrero/916408704_0.html)
  • Pedro Sánchez will meet with the global CEOs of pharmaceutical companies in February (https://theobjective.com/economia/2025-01-13/pedro-sanchez-reunion-febrero-ceo-farmaceuticas/)

• Initiatives and news from the autonomous communities
  • Castilla y León presents an ambitious mental health strategy with more than 200 actions (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/castilla-y-leon/castilla-leon-dotacion-psicologos-clinicos-once-areas-salud_153371_102.html). Access to the original document: https://www.saludcastillayleon.es/institucion/es/publicaciones-consejeria/buscador/estrategia-regional-salud-mental-asistencia-psiquiatrica–1.ficheros/327852-ESTRAT%20MENTAL%20Entero.pdf
  • Galicia and Aragon join forces to develop centralized purchasing in healthcare. Both communities explore formulas to achieve more effective and efficient contracting (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/galicia/galicia-y-aragon-se-unen-para-desarrollar-la-compra-sanitaria-centralizada-7442)
  • Galicia creates the Technical Advisory Committee for health results (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/galicia/galicia-comite-tecnico-asesor-salud-transformar-atencion-sanitaria_153374_102.html)
  • Madrid reaches 109 national reference centers to treat complex diseases (https://www.larazon.es/madrid/madrid-suma-109-centros-referencia-nacional-tratar-enfermedades-complejas_20250117678a438a6b777a000176d97b.html)
  • La Rioja is provided with a Law of Pharmaceutical regulation (https://diariofarma.com/2025/01/14/la-rioja-se-dota-de-una-nueva-ley-de-atencion-y-ordenacion-farmaceutica-27-anos-despues)
  • Galicia redesigns healthcare through 3 billion data from clinical records (https://www.larazon.es/galicia/galicia-redisena-asistencia-sanitaria-partir-3000-millones-datos-historias-clinicas-p7m_2025011467866b13bc785b00017bb457.html)

• Framework Statute
  • The Ministry of Health proposes that heads of services cannot work in the private sector (https://elpais.com/espana/madrid/2025-01-16/el-ministerio-de-sanidad-choca-con-el-mayor-sindicato-medico-madrileno-por-la-idea-de-prohibir-a-los-jefes-de-la-publica-trabajar-en-la-privada.html)
  • The ministry intends to force doctors to work for the public sector for five years after completing their MIR (https://www.abc.es/sociedad/sanidad-obligara-medicos-trabajar-cinco-anos-solo-20250116041945-nt.html?ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.abc.es%2Fsociedad%2Fsanidad-obligara-medicos-trabajar-cinco-anos-solo-20250116041945-nt.html)
  • The Ministry of Health proposes to unions that medical on-call hours be a maximum of 17 hours (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20250115/sanidad-propone-sindicatos-guardias-medicas-maximo-horas/916658512_0.html)

• MUFACE
  • The government says it will compensate insurers if the cost of healthcare is diverted (https://www.abc.es/economia/gobierno-asume-debera-compensar-aseguradoras-muface-desvia-20250117183549-nt.html)
  • The Ministry of Health torpedoes Óscar López’s attempt to maintain MUFACE by asking for a date for the transfer of civil servants to the public sector (https://www.elmundo.es/economia/empresas/2025/01/13/678576b4fc6c83417c8b45b9.html)
  • Private healthcare asks to negotiate with the government so that insurers do not monopolize all the benefits of the MUFACE contract (https://www.eldiario.es/economia/sanidad-privada-pide-negociar-gobierno-aseguradoras-no-acaparen-mejoras-economicas-muface_1_11972493.html)
  • The growth of insurers will stagnate if MUFACE is not renewed (https://www.eleconomista.es/banca-finanzas/noticias/13174847/01/25/el-crecimiento-de-las-aseguradoras-de-salud-se-estancara-si-no-se-renueva-muface.html)
  • The government Spanish:negotiates with Adeslas and Asisa to push forward MUFACE (https://www.expansion.com/empresas/seguros/2025/01/17/67897177468aeb23128b4583.html)

• Transplants
  • Spain exceeds 6,400 transplants in 2024, above the objectives (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2025/01/16/678903b221efa0ed178b458b.html)

• Sick leave
  • The AIREF will submit a report to the government to cut the multimillion-dollar bill for sick leave, since the expense has skyrocketed by 170% since 2014 and already represents 1% of GDP (https://www.elmundo.es/economia/2025/01/18/678a4febfdddffa04c8b459d.html)

• Medical Schools
  • The trickle of new medical schools continues. Up to 7 more in 2025 (https://www.consalud.es/formacion/goteo-nuevas-facultades-medicina-continua-en-2025-siete-mas_153241_102.html)

• Hepatitis A
  • Hepatitis A cases triple in Spain (https://www.consalud.es/pacientes/se-triplican-casos-hepatitis-en-espana-hay-reorientar-politicas-vacunacion_153292_102.html)

Companies

• International news
  • Johnson & Johnson offers up to $14.6 billion for neuroscience biotechnology company Intra-Cellular (https://www.ft.com/content/32a4bb19-5f28-4ea7-a9c8-a776ef2fecd9)
  • NovoNordisk faces US Senate committee over price of its obesity drugs (https://www.ft.com/content/0bb0a4f8-ca72-4bc2-9d87-2dfff3567995)
  • The 10 biggest mergers and acquisitions in the world pharmaceutical sector in 2024 (https://elglobalfarma.com/industria/diez-fusiones-adquisiciones-sector-farmaceutico-2024/)

• National
  • Almirall receives its double-digit growth forecast until 2030 with increases on the stock market (https://cincodias.elpais.com/companias/2025-01-14/almirall-recibe-con-subidas-en-bolsa-su-prevision-de-crecimiento-de-dobles-digitos-hasta-2030.html)
  • BioNTech chooses Spain to test its new vaccine against lung cancer (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud/noticias/13173524/01/25/biontech-elige-a-espana-para-probar-su-nueva-vacuna-contra-el-cancer-de-pulmon.html)
  • Grifols wins the mega plasma contract of the Ministry of Health of 281 million euros (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud/noticias/13168325/01/25/grifols-gana-el-megacontrato-de-plasma-de-sanidad-de-281-millones-de-euros.html)