Summary

The most impactful news in health this week were:

• Biomedicine: Closer to babies on demand, as it is possible to introduce heritable changes in DNA.
• Global health: President Trump signs an executive order to remove the USA from the WHO.
• International health policy: Unprecedented: the Trump Administration intends to stop meetings and review of grants at the NHI (National Health Institutes).
• National health policy. The government again rectifies and will launch a third competition on MUFACE, after negotiations with ADESLAS.
• Companies: Retro Sciences, by Sam Altman, promotes a project to extend human life by 10 years.

Biomedicine

• Closer to babies on demand, Nature predicts that they will arrive in 30 years and sets off alarm bells for scientists. An article predicts the path to introduce heritable changes in DNA and the magazine says it is time to open the debate.
• Medicines developed by AI will be in trials at the end of the year. A Google subsidiary, Isomorphic Labs, plans to have drug trials in oncology, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disorders by the end of the year.

Global Health

• The Economist: US withdrawal from WHO will hurt everyone. It remains to be seen whether it is a negotiating position. The executive order signed mentions the poor management of Covid and the lack of independence. For some, this withdrawal requires the approval of Congress, since it was Congress that made the decision for the US to enter the WHO.
• Trump’s anticipated defunding of the UMFPA will harm millions of women and girls, without access to reproductive health care.

International health policy

• Nature alert: nothing like this has ever been seen: Trump’s team wants to stop meetings and trips of the NIH (National Health Institutes). In an unprecedented move, the review of the grants of the NIH, the largest funder of health research in the world, has been suspended.
• France, Hospitals: adoption of the law that establishes a minimum number of caregivers per patient. The text plans to establish a minimum by specialty and hospital activity.
• Colombia: Keralty accuses the Colombian government of expropriating EPS Sanitas. Keralty (formerly Sanitas Internacional, nothing to do with the Spanish Sanitas, owned by BUPA) counterattacks with a request for international arbitration against Colombia for 1.2 billion dollars.
• The EU Council adopts the new regulation for the European Health Data Space. The EU countries must establish a digital health authority to promote the new provisions.

National Health Policy (Spain)

• The medical profession is up in arms over the Framework Statute and against the approaches of the Ministry of Health. Doctors are asking for their own Statute that reflects their uniqueness, something that the Ministry does not contemplate. All the Ministry’s proposals are in line with the ideological approaches of Podemos-Sumar. Although the Statute would certainly need reform (without ruling out its repeal), it is clear that all the proposals of the current ministerial team are in line with making it worse.
• The government has once again rectified its position on MUFACE: it has modified the conditions and opened a third period for insurers. The announcement of a new tender has been published on the contracting platform and is preceded by intense negotiations with Adeslas. It seems that caution has prevailed in this matter, given the serious consequences of the disappearance of MUFACE, a position defended by the Ministry of Health.
• 15,106 doctors are taking the MIR exam for 9,007 positions. What will happen to those who do not get a position? New “remnants”?

Companies

• International
  • Sam Altman’s company Retro Sciences invests 1,000 million dollars in a project to extend human life by a decade.

• National
  • The CNMV points to the Grifols family and several directors in its analysis of the Gotham report.

Biomedicine

• AI-developed drug to be in trials by year-end. Google subsidiary Isomorphic Labs aims to have drug trials in oncology, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disorders by year-end (https://www.ft.com/content/41b51d07-0754-4ffd-a8f9-737e1b1f0c2e)
• Weight-loss drugs reduce Alzheimer’s risk, large study finds. Analysis of drugs such as Ozempic detect improvements in 42 conditions, but a higher incidence of arthritis (https://www.ft.com/content/015e989d-75ca-4cbe-b315-13f910e35b62)
• They complete the map of the genes involved in human reproduction (https://www.abc.es/salud/enfermedades/completan-mama-genes-implicados-reproduccion-humana-20250122135454-nt.html)
• (https://www.elespanol.com/ciencia/20250125/cerca-bebes-carta-nature-pronostica-llegaran-anos-dispara-alarmas-cientificos/918908507_0.html)
• They test a therapy that dissolves cancer cells in patients with metastasis (https://www.abc.es/salud/enfermedades/prueban-terapia-disuelve-celulas-cancerosas-pacientes-metastasis-20250124190437-nt.html)

Global Health

• The Economist: US withdrawal from WHO will hurt everyone. Whether it is a negotiating position remains to be seen. The signed executive order mentions poor management of Covid and lack of independence. For some, this withdrawal requires Congressional approval, since it was Congress that made the decision for the US to enter the WHO (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/01/22/americas-departure-from-the-who-would-harm-everyone)
• Trump’s anticipated defunding of the UMFPA will harm millions of women and girls, without access to reproductive health care (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)00134-5/abstract)
• The war in Sudan continues with deadly attacks on hospitals and ambulances (https://www.bmj.com/content/388/bmj.r109)
• Leprosy remains a 21st century disease (https://elpais.com/planeta-futuro/2025-01-26/la-lepra-es-un-problema-del-siglo-xxi-como-se-erradica-una-enfermedad-que-todos-quieren-ocultar.html)
• Colon cancer continues to grow among those under 30 years of age (https://www.consalud.es/pacientes/cancer-colon-aumenta-entre-menores-50-anos-es-genetica-factor-riesgo-clave_153628_102.html)

International health policy

• USA
  • Nature alert: nothing like this has ever been seen before: Trump’s team wants to stop NIH (National Health Institutes) meetings and trips. In an unprecedented move, the review of grants from the NIH, the world’s largest funder of health research, has been suspended (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00231-y)
  • Trump wants to put a top pharmaceutical industry executive in charge of budget policy, which is interpreted as a brake on Robert Kennedy (https://www.ft.com/content/a0993441-da1b-41b2-819f-4d1c383b5034)

• United Kingdom and the National Health Service
  • The risk of death doubles with long waits in emergency rooms. Patients who wait more than 12 hours in A&E are twice as likely to die within 30 days than those seen within two hours (https://www.bmj.com/content/388/bmj.r119)
  • UK needs strategy to tackle alcohol harms (https://www.bmj.com/content/388/bmj.r38)
  • Royal College of Nursing report highlights serious NHS problems (https://www.bmj.com/content/388/bmj.r135)

• France
  • Medical deserts: emphasis should be placed on recruiting local doctors, in order to anchor their practice (https://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2025/01/24/deserts-medicaux-l-accent-doit-etre-mis-sur-le-recrutement-local-des-medecins-afin-d-ancrer-leur-pratique-durablement-dans-les-territoires_6514087_3232.html)
  • End of life: Bayrou (Prime Minister) wants to split the bill into two texts. One on palliative care, the other on aid in dying (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2025/01/21/fin-de-vie-francois-bayrou-souhaite-scinder-le-projet-de-loi-en-deux-textes_6508930_3224.html)
  •  Hospitals: adoption of the law establishing a minimum number of caregivers per patient. The text provides for a minimum for each specialty and hospital activity (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2025/01/23/hopital-adoption-de-la-loi-instaurant-un-nombre-minimal-de-soignants-par-patient_6512764_3224.html)

• Colombia
  • Keralty (formerly Sanitas Internacional, nothing to do with the Spanish Sanitas, owned by BUPA) counterattacks with a request for international arbitration against Colombia for 1.2 billion dollars. They accuse the government of expropriating EPS Sanitas (https://elpais.com/america-colombia/2025-01-24/sanitas-contraataca-con-una-solicitud-de-arbitraje-internacional-contra-colombia-por-1200-millones-de-dolares.html)

• OECD
  • The OECD publishes a report on telemedicine. Through in-depth discussions with experts and analysis of experiences in telemedicine, the document identifies best practices, innovative financing models, inclusive governance and integration models in care (https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/leading-practices-for-the-future-of-telemedicine_496a8ffe-en.html)

• WHO
  • WHO-Europe issues a report on quality of care and patient safety. The parameters measured are six: national quality plan; national safety plan; national plan on antimicrobial resistance; plan for prevention of misinformation; hospital accreditation system; and, representation of patients and citizens in the governance of the system (https://www.who.int/europe/publications/i/item/9789289061568)

• EU
  • The Council of the EU adopts the new regulation for the European Health Data Space. EU countries will have to establish a digital health authority to promote the new provisions (https://diariofarma.com/2025/01/21/el-consejo-de-la-ue-adopta-el-nuevo-reglamento-espacio-europeo-de-datos-sanitarios)

National health policy

• Initiatives and news from the autonomous communities
  • The government of Asturias stops the construction of the Cabueñes hospital, due to disagreements with the current construction company. A new project will begin to be drafted (https://www.elcomercio.es/gijon/principado-detiene-obra-cabuenes-cambiara-diseno-20250125223515-nt.html)
  • The Junta de Andalucía creates I+Salud, the research portal of the Andalusian public health system. Data from researchers, research projects, publications, etc. will be collected (https://www.juntadeandalucia.es/organismos/fps/servicios/actualidad/noticias/detalle/556894.html)
  • The Basque Country promotes the creation of the Health Data Office. This tool will aim to put this information at the service of management, assistance and research (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/pais-vasco/pais-vasco-impulsa-creacion-oficina-datos-salud_153820_102.html)
  • Heel prick test: from the 44 tests in Murcia to the 7 in the Balearic Islands. The unification of these tests is one of the historical demands of FEDER (the Spanish Federation of Rare Diseases) (https://www.elperiodico.com/es/sociedad/20250121/diferencias-cribado-neonatal-espana-113586351)

• Framework Statute
  • The medical profession on the warpath for the Framework Statute and against the approaches of the Ministry of Health. Doctors are asking for their own Statute that reflects their uniqueness, something that the Ministry does not contemplate (https://www.larazon.es/sociedad/medicos-amenazan-sanidad-movilizaciones-empeoran-sus-condiciones-laborales_2025012367922f4d47e9a00001e42d0d.html)

• MUFACE
  • The government once again rectifies in MUFACE: it modifies the conditions and opens a third period for insurers. The announcement of a new tender has been published on the contracting platform and is preceded by intense negotiations with Adeslas (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20250125/gobierno-vuelve-rectificar-muface-modifica-condiciones-abre-tercer-plazo-aseguradoras/919158237_0.html)

• MIR exam
  • 15,106 doctors take the MIR exam for 9,007 places (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2025/01/24/6793aa3c21efa04c218b4584.html)

• Role of the patient in health policy
  • WHO-Europe publishes a report on the quality of care and patient safety. Of the six parameters analyzed, Spain performs well in five, except in the participation of professionals in the governance of the system (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/oms-fija-espana-debe-mejorar-rol-paciente-politica-sanitaria.html?check_logged_in=1). Access to the original document: https://www.who.int/europe/publications/i/item/9789289061568

Companies

• International news
  • Purdue and the Sackler family agree to pay US states $7.4 billion for their role in the opioid crisis (https://www.ft.com/content/aefb2258-7871-439e-b23f-03d2753be7b2)
  • Neko Health, the company owned by Daniel Ek, founder of Spotify, raised $260 million to build what they say will be the Apple of health (https://www.ft.com/content/c870d156-4f0c-4aa3-813e-87811718e04a)
  • Sam Altman’s company Retro Sciences invests $1 billion in a project to extend the human life a decade (https://www.ft.com/content/25a473ea-9f87-474a-8729-bc5287df853a)

• National
  • The CNMV points to the Grifols family and several directors in its analysis of the Gotham report. Raimon Grifols and Víctor Grifols are targeted (https://www.elconfidencial.com/empresas/2025-01-23/investigacion-cnmv-grifols-familia-consejeros_4048177/)

 

Summary

The most impactful news in health this week were:

• Biomedicine: Colombian scientist Manuel Elkin Patarroyo dies.
• Global health: The world breaks the 1.5º C warming target for the first time in 2024.
• International health policy: Keir Starmer launches the private sector to reduce the waiting list in England.
• National health policy: The government extends the deadline for insurers to apply for the MUFACE agreement by two weeks.
• Companies: Ribera expands its healthcare network with the incorporation of the Perpetuo Socorro hospital in Cartagena and its polyclinics.

Biomedicine

• Colombian scientist Manuel Elkin Patarroyo dies, father in 1987 of the vaccine against malaria, the first synthetic vaccine in the world. He had won the Prince of Asturias Award in 1994 and died at the age of 78 at his home in Bogotá.
• We need to talk about genetic editing in humans. Scientists believe tens of thousands of DNA variants are associated with human disease.

Global Health

• World breaks 1.5C warming warning target for first time in 2024. Copernicus data shows 2024 was the hottest year on record, suggesting climate change is evolving faster than expected.
• World ill-prepared to tackle infectious diseases in 2025. While Covid has taught many lessons, the world is no more prepared for another pandemic, according to both the UN and WHO. May 2025 is the deadline for the delayed “Treaty on Pandemics”.

International Health Policy

• Trump’s second term threatens US leadership in global health. Doubts about continued US contribution to scientific development, infectious disease control and pandemic preparedness.
• Keir Starmer launches private sector to reduce waiting list in England. Says he is not interested in putting ideology ahead of patients.

National Health Policy (Spain)

• Castilla y León consolidates its position in the elite of personalized medicine with its own strategy until 2030. The motto is ‘Multiomics: a new era for health’ and it follows in the footsteps of Navarra and Cantabria
• The government extends the deadline for insurers to opt for the MUFACE agreement by two weeks.
• According to Oscar López, MUFACE accumulates imperfections. He says that for the government the priority is to renew the agreement, although the model is old and needs to be improved. It is difficult not to agree with the minister (absence of primary care, care based on specialties, lack of a transparent information system), but the cause of these imperfections must be sought in the Administration, responsible for the successive tenders, and which never adequately regulated this issue, leaving a regulation as complex as the healthcare one to non-specialized Administrations (Public Administrations, Justice, Defense).

Companies

• International
  • Lilly, in advanced talks to buy an American biotech for up to 2.5 billion dollars.

• National
  • BIOSIM’s vision: why best-selling biologics may be left without biosimilars. Iqvia expects 110 biologics to lose their patents in Europe between 2023 and 2032. However, this will not mean that biosimilars will arrive for all these drugs. The reason explained by Encana Cruz, general director of BIOSIM, is that while developing a generic costs approximately one million euros and takes between one and two years, developing a biosimilar requires 100 to 300 million euros and six to eight years.
  • Ribera expands its healthcare network with the incorporation of the Perpetuo Socorro hospital in Cartagena and its polyclinics. With this, the company now has 15 hospitals, including the one in Cascais, Portugal, and a bariatric surgery hospital in the Czech Republic.

Biomedicine

• Colombian scientist Manuel Elkin Patarroyo dies. He was the father of the malaria vaccine, the world’s first synthetic vaccine, in 1987. He won the Prince of Asturias Award in 1994 and died at the age of 78 at his home in Bogotá (https://diariofarma.com/2025/01/10/muere-el-padre-de-la-vacuna-contra-la-malaria-manuel-elkin-patarroyo)
• We need to talk about gene editing in humans. Scientists believe that tens of thousands of DNA variants are associated with human diseases. Polygenic genome editing, currently in development, could reduce the likelihood of certain diseases. We must be prepared for these technologies, which will come. This will be a great achievement, but also with limitations and challenges (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00015-4)
• Herpes virus and repeated head trauma in contact and military sports linked to Alzheimer’s, study finds. According to the WHO, around 55 million people have dementia, with around 10 million new cases diagnosed each year (https://www.ft.com/content/4d2b7a67-0541-4fc2-8105-11ba69a0cb96)
• Study links high fluoride exposure to lower IQ in children. Although water fluoridation was one of the public health milestones of the 20th century, there is evidence linking the level of fluoridation to lower cognitive functions in children (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/08/health/fluoride-children-iq.html)

Global Health

• The world breaks the 1.5ºC warming alert target for the first time in 2024. Copernicus data shows that 2024 was the hottest year on record, suggesting that climate change is evolving faster than expected (https://www.ft.com/content/fd914266-71bf-4317-9fdc-44b55acb52f6
• Infectious diseases in 2025. Although Covid left many lessons, the world is not more prepared for another pandemic, according to both the UN and the WHO. May 2025 is the deadline set for the delayed “Treaty on Pandemics” (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)00036-4/fulltext)
• Optimism about a global treaty on plastics. Negotiations will continue in 2025 (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adv2404)
• Cautions about alcohol warnings. According to The Economist, although it is clear that drinking a lot of alcohol causes serious health problems, this should not lead to demonizing moderate alcohol use (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2025/01/09/health-warnings-about-alcohol-give-only-half-the-story)
• Sugary drinks linked to global rise in diabetes. A new global study shows higher levels of consumption in Latin America and parts of Africa (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/06/health/sugary-soda-beverages-diabetes-heart-disease.html)
• The growing threat of deadly diseases jumping from animals to humans. (https://www.ft.com/content/a7148663-dd17-4334-b423-b92204ed56cd)
• What is known about HMPV, the virus that is spreading in China. According to medical experts, the situation is very different and much less worrying than the covid pandemic (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/07/health/hmpv-virus-china.html)

International health policy

• USA
  • Trump’s second term threatens US leadership in global health. Doubts about the continued US contribution to scientific development, infectious disease control and pandemic preparedness (https://www.ft.com/content/0362f2dc-75f5-4f33-aba3-1080be05d541)
  • The CDC should be treated with a scalpel, not an axe. The new administration must not alter the great benefits that this agency has brought to public health in the USA (https://www.ft.com/content/cabb1e14-45c7-42bc-8266-a96e7e1e6d70)

• United Kingdom and the National Health Service
  • Medical leaders express doubts about the government’s ability to reduce waiting lists, by creating community diagnostic centres, creating 14 surgical platforms and increasing the use of online monitoring technology (https://www.bmj.com/content/388/bmj.r19)
  • Keir Starmer calls on the private sector to reduce the waiting list in England. He says he is not interested in putting ideology before patients (https://www.ft.com/content/a62a9715-30f4-4bbf-9f9b-d450690e244d)

• France
  • Exceptional right of pharmacists to extend treatment for chronic conditions beyond the prescription period (https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/monitors/health-systems-monitor/updates/hspm/france-2023/expansion-of-pharmacists-exceptional-right-to-deliver-treatment-for-chronic-conditions-beyond-the-prescription-period)

National health policy

• Initiatives and news from the autonomous communities
  • Castilla y León consolidates itself in the elite of personalized medicine with its own strategy until 2030. The motto is ‘Multiomics: a new era for health’ and follows in the footsteps of Navarra and Cantabria (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/disruptores/autonomias/castilla-leon/20250107/castilla-leon-consolida-elite-medicina-personalizada-estrategia-propia/913658823_0.html)

• MUFACE
  • The government extends the deadline for insurers to opt for the MUFACE agreement by two weeks (https://elpais.com/economia/2025-01-10/el-gobierno-amplia-dos-semanas-el-plazo-para-que-las-aseguradoras-opten-al-concierto-de-muface.html)
  • The end of MUFACE puts 13,000 jobs and the viability of 20 hospitals at risk (https://www.vozpopuli.com/economia/el-fin-de-muface-tambien-pone-en-riesgo-13000-puesto-de-trabajo-y-la-viabilidad-de-20-hospitales.html)
  • According to Oscar López, Muface accumulates imperfections. He says that for the government the priority is to renew the agreement, although the model is old and needs to be improved (https://www.expansion.com/empresas/seguros/2025/01/08/677e507b468aeb894d8b4595.html)
  • Two health economists talk about the transparency of the MUFACE model (https://elpais.com/economia/2025-01-12/transparencia-sostenible.html)

Companies

• International news
  • Lilly in advanced talks to buy US biotech for up to $2.5 billion (https://www.ft.com/content/fdd081b7-4ae3-4160-a246-a0afe1b86df2)
  • Elon Musk ally tries to take over psychedelic biotech Lykos (https://www.ft.com/content/ae447a7f-4252-4150-9eee-6bba7ce99905)
  • GSK close to $1 billion deal for biotech developing treatment for rare tumor (https://www.ft.com/content/fe25ff13-aa55-4090-aae5-8c9f96239fd8)

• National news
  • BIOSIM’s vision: why biologics are bestsellers They may run out of biosimilars. Iqvia expects 110 biologics to lose their patents in Europe between 2023 and 2032. However, this will not mean that biosimilars will be available for all these drugs. The reason explained by Encana Cruz, general director of BIOSIM, is that while developing a generic costs approximately one million euros and takes between one and two years, developing a biosimilar requires 100 to 300 million euros and six to eight years (https://www.diariomcom/farmacia/industria/biologicos-superventas-quedarse-biosimilares.html)
  • Bayer obtains financial support from the Government in the midst of restructuring its business in Spain. The company will access PERTE financing for decarbonisation (https://www.vozpopuli.com/economia/empresas/bayer-consigue-respaldo-financiero-del-gobierno-para-su-reestructuracion-en-espana.html)
  • KKR, one of the largest venture capital funds, will pay 250 million to compensate the thousands of people affected by the bankruptcy of Dentix, according to the agreement that is being finalised with the bankruptcy administration (https://www.elconfidencial.com/empresas/2025-01-09/kkr-acuerdo-millonario-compensar-afectados-quiebra-dentix_4038811/)
  • Ribera expands its healthcare network with the incorporation of the Perpetuo Socorro hospital in Cartagena and its polyclinics. With this, the company now has 15 hospitals, including the one in Cascais, Portugal, and a bariatric surgery hospital in the Czech Republic (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20250110/ribera-salud-amplia-red-asistencial-incorporacion-hospital-perpetuo-socorro-cartagena-policlinicas/915408740_0.html)
  • Grifols moves on to the final phase of the plasma mega-contract being prepared by the Ministry of Health after the Australian giant CSL’s offer was derailed (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud/noticias/13164197/01/25/grifols-pasa-a-la-final-del-megacontrato-de-plasma-tras-descarrilar-la-oferta-de-csl.html)

 

 

 

 

Summary

The most impactful news in health this week were:

• Biomedicine: New tech treatments are being tested in mental health, to avoid medications and treatments.
• Global health: Trump’s return could worsen the situation of global health institutions.
• International health policy: Trump’s team plans to leave the WHO as one of its first measures
• National health policy. A study by El País shows that more than half of health centers make appointments with a delay of more than 48 hours.
• Companies: NovoNordisk receives a severe correction on the stock market after the disappointment with the results of the trial of its new weight loss drug

Biomedicine

• The new tech treatment that can improve mental health. From video games to personal avatars, researchers are trying to develop new digital tools that do not involve medications or treatments.

Global Health

• Trump’s return could worsen the financial situation of global health institutions. This will be a serious problem since the US provides half of global health aid, including vaccinations for children, HIV treatments and disease surveillance
• An exodus of nurses from the global South to help the health of rich countries. The increase in professionals after the pandemic is further weakening the already weak health systems of African countries.

International health policy

• Trump’s team proposes that the US leave the WHO “on day one.” This would mean that the WHO would lose its largest funder and weaken its capacity.
• Is the opioid epidemic in the US finally ending? CDC data indicate that the peak of deaths was reached in August 2023 and has been declining since then, although in the first months of this year until July there were no less than 90,000 deaths from this cause in the US.

National Health Policy (Spain)

• The Ministry of Health and the communities create the figure of the health administrator to free doctors and nurses from bureaucracy.
• Pané presents his first reform measures in Catalonia. It includes demographic analysis, a study of the needs of health professionals and the implementation of 10 pilot centres for comprehensive health (CSIR), with autonomy outside of their public or private management, with changes in the financing system so that they charge for activity and results.
• Analysis by El País on delays in Primary Care. More than half of the health centres make appointments after 48 hours. The worst communities: Madrid, Valencian Community, Balearic Islands and Canary Islands. The objective of the central government and communities was to guarantee non-urgent care in less than two days.
• The government will launch a new tender in MUFACE with a 33.5% increase in premiums.

Companies

• International
  • NovoNordisk receives a severe correction on the Stock Market, after the disappointment of the trials of the new drug for weight loss.
  • Lilly receives the green light in the USA to treat sleep disorders with its weight loss drug

• National
  • AstraZeneca will hire 1,000 people in 2025 to reinforce its operations centre in Barcelona.

Biomedicine

• The new tech treatment that can improve mental health. From video games to personal avatars, researchers are trying to develop new digital tools that do not involve drugs or treatments (https://www.ft.com/content/134bddde-23fe-4214-a3ee-ff0e131a5f71)
• Genes explain differences in response to the flu vaccine. Closer to a universal vaccine against this disease (https://www.abc.es/salud/enfermedades/razon-respondemos-mejor-peor-vacuna-gripe-20241219200000-nt.html)

Global Health

• Global progress towards the 2050 food goals. Of the six global goals chosen in 2012 by the WHO General Assembly in 2012, few will be achieved by 2030 (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01821-X/fulltext)
• Trump’s return may worsen the financial situation of global health institutions. This will be a serious problem since the US provides half of global health aid, including childhood vaccinations, HIV treatments and disease surveillance (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/19/health/global-health-funding-us-trump.html)
• Measles is killing thousands of children in the Congo. All this despite the fact that the measles vaccine has been in use since 1963 and is estimated to have saved more children’s lives than any other type of immunization (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/18/health/measles-congo-vaccines.html)
• An exodus of nurses from the global South to help the health care of rich countries. The surge in professionals after the pandemic is further weakening the already weak health systems of African countries (https://elpais.com/planeta-futuro/2024-12-21/un-exodo-de-enfermeros-del-sur-global-para-socorrer-la-sanidad-de-los-paises-ricos.html)

International health policy

• USA
  • Trump’s team is proposing that the USA leave the WHO “on day one”. This would mean that the WHO would lose its largest funder and weaken its capacity (https://www.ft.com/content/e6061ed5-2703-4b8a-9948-a557aaaf52c2)
  • Is the opioid epidemic finally ending? CDC data indicates that the peak of deaths was reached in August 2023 and has been declining since then, although in the first months of this year until July there were no less than 90,000 deaths from this cause in the USA (https://www.economist.com/is-the-opioid-epidemic-finally-burning-out)
  • Health expenditure in the USA in 2023. Growth in 2023 was 7.3%, while in 2022 it had been 4.6%. This is equivalent to 17.6% of American GDP, higher than in 2022 (17.4), although lower than during the Covid pandemic. The percentage of the American population covered by health insurance reached a record 92.5% (https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2024.01375)
  • California declares an emergency due to avian flu in livestock. The virus has been discovered in 645 dairy farms, more than in any other state (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/18/health/bird-flu-emergency-california.html)
  • As pharmacies close, more and more older people are left in “pharmacy deserts,” which is a serious problem as older people take more medication and also turn to pharmacies for health advice (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/21/health/drugstore-closures-seniors.html)

• United Kingdom and the National Health Service
  • The King’s Fund’s recommendations for the 10-year plan for the NHS that is being prepared, including measurement, funding, human resources policy, patient and professional involvement (https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/long-reads/10-year-health-plan-recommendations)
  • One in four babies in the UK is delivered by caesarean section. This increase is due to complex births, including obesity (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/dec/16/one-in-four-babies-in-england-delivered-by-caesarean-section-nhs-data-shows)

• France
  • Primary care consultations rise to 30 euros, as debate over health costs resurfaces. This increase will come into effect on December 22, 24 (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2024/12/22/la-consultation-chez-le-medecin-passe-a-30-euros-le-debat-sur-le-cout-de-la-sante-relance_6461774_3224.html)

• Italy
  • Milan will ban smoking on the street within 10 meters of other people in 2025 (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2024/12/20/676543ebe9cf4aa5778b457c.html)

• European Union
  • Editorial from The Lancet: Health security in Europe needs a redesign by 2025. According to a report from The Lancet global Health 2050 Commission, the probability that in the next 25 years there will be a pandemic with more than 25 million deaths is 48% (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)02789-2/fulltext)
  • The EMA approves 114 new drugs this year, 48% more than in 2023 (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20241219/ema-aprueba-nuevos-medicamentos-ano/909659179_0.html)
  • The EU is on alert due to the detection of the polio virus in the wastewater of 10 large cities, including them Barcelona (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2024-12-17/la-ue-se-pone-en-alerta-por-la-deteccion-del-virus-de-la-polio-en-aguas-residuales-de-10-ciudades-entre-ellas-barcelona.html)

International health policy

• USA
  • Trump’s team is proposing that the US should leave the WHO “on day one”. This would mean that the WHO would lose its largest funder and weaken its capacity (https://www.ft.com/content/e6061ed5-2703-4b8a-9948-a557aaaf52c2)
  • Is the opioid epidemic finally ending? CDC data indicate that the peak of deaths was reached in August 2023 and has been declining since then, although in the first months of this year until July there were no less than 90,000 deaths from this cause in the USA (https://www.economist.com/is-the-opioid-epidemic-finally-burning-out)
  • Health spending in the USA in 2023. Growth in 2023 was 7.3%, while in 2022 it had been 4.6%. This is equivalent to 17.6% of the American GDP, higher than in 2022 (17.4), although lower than during the Covid pandemic. The percentage of the American population covered by health insurance reached a record 92.5% (https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2024.01375)
  • California declares an emergency due to avian flu in livestock. The virus has been discovered in 645 dairy farms, more than in any other state (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/18/health/bird-flu-emergency-california.html)
  • As pharmacies close, more and more older people are left in “pharmacy deserts,” which is a serious problem as older people take more medication and also turn to pharmacies for health advice (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/21/health/drugstore-closures-seniors.html)

• United Kingdom and the National Health Service
  • The King’s Fund’s recommendations for the 10-year plan for the NHS that is being prepared, including measurement, funding, human resources policy, patient and professional involvement (https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/long-reads/10-year-health-plan-recommendations)
  • One in four babies in the UK is delivered by caesarean section. This increase is due to complex births, including obesity (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/dec/16/one-in-four-babies-in-england-delivered-by-caesarean-section-nhs-data-shows)

• France
  • Primary care consultations rise to 30 euros, as debate over health costs resurfaces. This increase will come into effect on December 22, 24 (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2024/12/22/la-consultation-chez-le-medecin-passe-a-30-euros-le-debat-sur-le-cout-de-la-sante-relance_6461774_3224.html)

• Italy
  • Milan will ban smoking on the street within 10 meters of other people in 2025 (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2024/12/20/676543ebe9cf4aa5778b457c.html)

• European Union
  • The Lancet Editorial: Health security in Europe needs a redesign in 2025. According to a report by The Lancet Global Health 2050 Commission, the probability of that in the next 25 years there will be a pandemic with more than 25 million deaths is 48% (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)02789-2/fulltext)
  • The EMA approves 114 new drugs this year, 48% more than in 2023 (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20241219/ema-aprueba-nuevos-medicamentos-ano/909659179_0.html)
  • The EU is on alert due to the detection of the polio virus in the wastewater of 10 large cities, including Barcelona (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2024-12-17/la-ue-se-pone-en-alerta-por-la-deteccion-del-virus-de-la-polio-en-aguas-residuales-de-10-ciudades-entre-ellas-barcelona.html)

National health policy

• Central government initiatives
  • The Ministry of Health and the autonomous communities create the figure of the health administrator to free doctors and nurses from bureaucracy (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2024-12-16/sanidad-y-las-comunidades-crean-la-figura-del-administrativo-en-salud-para-liberar-de-burocracia-a-medicos-y-enfermeras.html)
  • The protocol for abortion objectors receives the support of the Interterritorial Council (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2024/12/16/67606aa5e4d4d822718b4579.html)

• Initiatives and news from the autonomous communities
  • Andalusia launches the largest emergency agency in Spain (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/andalucia/andalucia-pone-en-marcha-mayor-agencia-emergencias-espana_152515_102.html)
  • Asturias will receive 29.2 million from the cutting-edge Health Perte (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/asturias/asturias-292-millones-perte-salud-vanguardia-innovacion-sanitaria_152538_102.html)
  • Castilla y León publishes a Strategic Plan for Personalized Medicine (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/castilla-y-leon/castilla-leon-apuesta-por-innovacion-con-su-nuevo-plan-estrategico-medicina-personalizada_152700_102.html)
  • Pané presents its first reform measures in Catalonia. It includes demographic analysis, a study of the needs of health professionals and the launch of 10 pilot comprehensive health centres (CSIR), with autonomy outside of their public or private management, with changes in the financing system so that they charge for activity and results (https://diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/cataluna-pane-presenta-primeras-medidas-reforma.html)
  • The new Cuenca hospital is inaugurated (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/castilla-la-mancha/garcia-page-junto-reyes-inaugura-nuevo-hospital-cuenca-con-mas-tecnologia-personal_152695_102.html)

• Primary Care
  • Analysis by El País on delays in Primary Care. More than half of the health centres make appointments after 48 hours. The worst communities: Madrid, Valencia, Balearic Islands and Canary Islands. The objective of the central government and the communities was to guarantee non-urgent care in less than two days (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2024-12-22/mapa-de-la-atencion-primaria-en-espana-mas-de-la-mitad-de-los-centros-de-salud-citan-pasadas-48-horas.html)

• Cancer in children
  • The survival rate for childhood cancer exceeds 85% five years after diagnosis (https://www.elperiodicoextremadura.com/sociedad/2024/12/21/supervivencia-cancer-infantil-espana-cinco-diagnostico-familia-112824410.html)

• MUFACE
  • The future of MUFACE in limbo due to ADESLAS’ misgivings about the extension of the agreement (https://www.vozpopuli.com/economia/el-recelo-de-las-aseguradoras-por-la-extension-del-concierto-pone-en-vilo-el-futuro-de-muface.html)
  • The government will launch a new tender in MUFACE with a 33.5% increase in premiums (https://www.eldebate.com/sociedad/20241217/gobierno-lanzara-nueva-licitacion-muface-incremento-primas-335_254091.html)
  • A complaint from private doctors threatens to judicially block the renewal of MUFACE. The blockade of MUGEJU and ISFAS also threatens MUFACE (https://www.vozpopuli.com/economia/una-denuncia-de-los-medicos-privados-amenaza-con-bloquear-judicialmente-la-renovacion-de-muface.html)

• Pharmaceutical policy
  • Penalties if pharmaceutical expenditure grows above GDP (https://www.consalud.es/industria/vuelta-control-gasto-farmaceutico-penalizaciones-industria-si-crece-mas-pib_152736_102.html)

• Crisis at the CNIO
  • Members of the CNIO board of trustees do not approve the accounts and demand an explanation of María Blasco’s management (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2024/12/17/6761721afdddffb16a8b458e.html)

• AI and Health Data Space
  • ASEBIO and the Ministry launch a document on this topic (https://diariofarma.com/2024/12/19/asebio-y-ministerio-lanzan-el-documento-la-ia-aplicada-en-los-espacios-de-datos-sanitarios). Access to the full document: https://www.asebio.com/aplicacion-inteligencia-artificial-espacios-datos-sanitarios

• Health Barometer
  • The third wave of the 2024 Health Barometer is out (October, 2024). The score that citizens give to health is still below that before the pandemic (https://www.sanidad.gob.es/estadEstudios/estadisticas/BarometroSanitario/Barom_Sanit_2024/BS_2024_3a_oleada/Marginales_3a_oleada_Es3484_def.pdf)

• Suicide
  • 116 people died in Spain by suicide in 2023, with very high rates among the elderly (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2024/12/17/67615f5321efa038748b457e.html)

Companies

• International News
  • Ottimo raises $140m to pursue $100bn market for new cancer drugs (https://www.ft.com/content/42c64dd3-1e99-44c3-8ee9-32628c01433b)
  • NovoNordisk sees severe correction after disappointing trials of new weight loss drug (https://www.ft.com/content/a91c249f-61f4-4613-96aa-ca8e67b9d21e)
  • Lilly gets green light in US to treat sleep disorders with its weight loss drug (https://www.ft.com/content/d7fb5cf1-e6d2-4aa9-8c42-8faf67388069)
  • US sues its largest retail chain pharmacies (CVS) for illegally prescribing opioids for a decade (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2024/12/19/6763c113fc6c833b5a8b45bb.html)
  • Merck joins the slimming fever with an oral drug for 2,000 million (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/merck-se-suma-a-la-fiebre-adelgazante-con-un-farmaco-oral-por-2000-millones)

• National
  • Andbank joins forces with Ysios Capital in a biomedical fund focused on the USA (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/mis-finanzas/fondos-de-inversion/20241217/andbank-alia-ysios-capital-fondo-biomedicina-foco-eeuu/909159653_0.html)
  • AstraZeneca will hire 1,000 people in 2025 to reinforce its operations centre in Barcelona (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud/noticias/13136574/12/24/astrazeneca-contratara-a-1000-personas-en-2025-para-reforzar-el-hub-de-barcelona.html)
  • Danish company Falck wins part of the mega-contract for ambulances in Catalonia (https://www.plantadoce.com/publico/la-danesa-falck-se-adjudica-el-megacontrato-de-ambulancias-de-cataluna#:~:text=Muface%20Roche-,The%20Danish%20Falck%20is%20awarded%20the%20megacontract%20of%20ambulances%20of,Barcelonés%20Sur%2C%20Girona%20and%20Penedès.)

 

 

Summary

The most impactful news in health this week were:

• Biomedicine: a very large study shows that prevention and early diagnosis have saved more lives in the last 45 years than treatments.
• Global health: A Treaty on Plastics is necessary but it will take time.
• International health policy: The British Parliament approves the law to legalize assisted dying in England and Wales.
• National health policy: The government intends to launch a new competition on MUFACE.
• Companies: The crime of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare brings to light the discontent of customers about abuses with health insurance in the USA.

Biomedicine

• Lung cancer could be detected by a urine test.  It seems that the tumor produces zombie proteins, which could be detected by a sensor. This would allow the diagnosis of cancer in early stages, which would make treatment easier.
• Prevention and detection has saved more lives in the last 45 years than treatments for these five types of cancer: breast, cervical, colorectal, lung and prostate. Eight out of ten deaths avoided are due to prevention and early diagnosis.

Global Health

• A treaty on plastics is necessary, but reaching it will take time. 400 million tons of plastics are produced every year and the figure is expected to double by 2050. Plastics would be responsible for 15% of carbon emissions in 2050. There have been recent failed attempts at an international treaty on the subject.
• Mpox: efforts are beginning to bear fruit, despite 60,000 cases recorded in Africa

International health policy

• According to The Lancet: Strategic imperatives for the health policy of the new American Administration. According to The Lancet, the five priorities are: 1. Improve public health and address health inequities; 2. Move towards a more equitable health system; 3. Address climate change; 4. Promote the use of AI in health and healthcare; and 5. Strengthen science and innovation in health. What The Lancet says is interesting, all that is missing is for Trump to agree with these priorities.
• Parliament approves the proposal to legalise “assisted death” in England and Wales, 54% of parliamentarians voted in favour of the law.

National Health Policy (Spain)

• Government calendar: the Law of Guarantees, the Royal Decree on Price and Financing and the Strategic Plan of the Pharmaceutical Industry.
• The Minister of Health’s plan on mental health involves combating the high rates of consumption of psychiatric drugs. There do not seem to be any other measures. Although it is true that in Spain the consumption of certain psychiatric drugs is high, the plan cannot be reduced to addressing this problem. 
• The Government is committed to introducing clinical assistants to reduce bureaucracy in the activity of doctors in Catalonia and is considering paying healthcare teams based on the number of patients (not on activity with those patients).
• The “Basque Pact” will address the drafting of six health strategies at the end of January. The six strategies are: health and citizen demand; quality and safety; professionals; information; the health sector as a creator of value and growth; and modernisation of health infrastructures.
• Cruces Hospital achieves Joint Commission International accreditation. Compliance with almost 1,400 quality standards has been assessed.
• The Government begins the process to unblock MUFACE by issuing a new tender.
• Smoking falls sharply in Spain and is at its lowest level in 30 years.

Companies

• International
  • The murder of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare brings to light the discontent of clients over abuses with health insurance in the USA. Although we know almost nothing about this still unsolved murder, it does not seem very risky to assume that it is related to the poor perception of health insurers among the public in the USA.

• National
  • Sanitas is considering opening a large hospital in Madrid in Arganzuela:  13 floors and 110 beds.

Biomedicine

• Lung cancer could be detected by a urine test. It seems that the tumor produces zombie proteins, which could be detected by a sensor. This would allow the diagnosis of cancer in early stages, which would make treatment easier (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/dec/06/lung-cancer-could-be-detected-by-world-first-urine-test)
• Prevention and detection have saved more lives in the last 45 years than treatments for these five types of cancer: breast, cervical, colorectal, lung and prostate. Eight out of ten deaths avoided are due to prevention and early diagnosis (https://www.abc.es/salud/enfermedades/cinco-tipos-cancer-prevencion-deteccion-salvado-vidas-20241205104759-nt.html). Access to the original article in JAMA: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/article-abstract/2827241
• A single mutation in avian influenza in cows could allow its transmission between humans. The need to monitor mutations is highlighted in order to avoid a future pandemic (https://elpais.com/salud-y-bienestar/2024-12-05/una-sola-mutacion-en-la-gripe-aviar-de-las-vacas-persistiria-su-transmision-entre-humanos.html). Access to the original article in Science: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adt0180?adobe_mc=MCMID%3D84187969665220337930870085553489090931%7CMCORGID%3D242B6472541199F70A4C98A6%2540AdobeOrg%7CTS%3D1733398240
• A study demonstrates for the first time the efficacy of gene therapy against Fanconi anemia. The work has been led from Spain (https://elpais.com/salud-y-bienestar/2024-12-04/un-estudio-demuestra-por-primera-vez-la-eficacia-de-la-terapia-genica-contra-la-anemia-de-fanconi.html). Access to the original article in The Lancet: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01880-4/abstract
• A molecular GPS that guides T cells to glioblastoma to destroy it. The technology has been tested in mice (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/oncologia/gps-molecular-guia-celulas-t-directamente-glioblastoma-destruirlo.html). Access to the original article in Science: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adl4237
• Stimulating parts of the brain can help the paralyzed to walk again (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/12/04/stimulating-parts-of-the-brain-can-help-the-paralysed-to-walk-again)
• NHJM article: Preventing cardiovascular disease, let’s not stop thinking about tomorrow (https://www.nejm.org/doi/abs/10.1056/NEJMe2409080)

Global Health

• A treaty on plastics is necessary, but getting there will take time. 400 million tons of plastic are produced every year and the figure is expected to double by 2050. Plastics would be responsible for 15% of carbon emissions in 2050. There have been recent failed attempts at an international treaty on the subject (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03932-y)
• The suffering from the Bhopal disaster continues in India, 40 years later. In this city in 1984, a highly poisonous gas was released. Although the number of deaths is not known, according to Amnesty International, 10,000 died in the first three days and another 12,000 afterwards. More than half a million people still have after-effects. Union Carbide was the company responsible for the disaster (https://www.economist.com/asia/2024/12/01/suffering-from-the-bhopal-disaster-in-india-continues-40-years-on)
• Mpox: efforts are beginning to bear fruit, despite 60,000 cases recorded in Africa (https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2024/12/03/mpox-les-efforts-commencent-a-porter-leurs-fruits-malgre-pres-de-60-000-cas-enregistres-en-afrique_6427001_3244.html)
• They are investigating a mysterious disease that has killed 79 people in the Congo, most of them teenagers, with flu-like symptoms (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2024/12/04/67507972e4d4d81a348b456d.html)

International health policy

• USA
  • According to The Lancet: Strategic imperatives for the health policy of the new American Administration. According to The Lancet, the five priorities are: 1. Improve public health and address health inequities; 2. Move towards a more equitable health system; 3. Address climate change; 4. Promote the use of AI in health and healthcare; and 5. Strengthening science and innovation in health (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)02189-5/abstract)
  • The National Health Institutes (NHI): from crown jewel to under threat. Although this Agency had enjoyed bipartisan support until now, Republicans have stepped up their criticism of the organization (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/01/health/nih-trump-kennedy-bhattacharya.html)
  • The obesity crisis in the USA: why are there no signs of a “plateau” yet? The signs are not encouraging, in some states up to 80% of the population is obese or overweight, according to the GBP 2021 US Obesity Forecasting (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)02467-X/abstract)
  • Most rural hospitals have closed their maternity wards (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/04/health/maternity-wards-closing.html)

• United Kingdom and the National Health Service
  • Parliament approves proposal to legalise “assisted dying” in England and Wales, 54% of MPs voted in favour of the law (https://www.bmj.com/content/387/bmj.q2691)
  • Implementing a 10-year plan for the NHS? What can we learn from international experience? As the UK is developing a 10-year plan for the NHS, this King’s Fund paper sets out the 6 priorities: 1. Have a clear vision and be consistent with it; 2. Think beyond healthcare; 3. Involve patients, communities and professionals; 4. Ensure that implementation is the key element; 5. Allow the plan to be adapted locally; and 6. Measure implementation and evaluate the success of the plan (https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/long-reads/10-year-health-plan-learnings-international-examples)
  • Can Parliament Recover NHS Performance?, https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/long-reads/government-recover-nhs-performance-standards-single-parliament

National health policy

• Central government initiatives
  • Government calendar: the Law on Guarantees, the Royal Decree on Price and Financing and the Strategic Plan for the Pharmaceutical Industry (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20241206/calendario-legislativo-ministerio-sanidad-ley-garantias-real-decreto-precio-financiacion/906159443_0.html)
  • The committee of 50 experts of the Government recommends 0 screens until 6 years of age (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2024-12-03/el-comite-de-50-expertos-del-gobierno-recomienda-cero-pantallas-hasta-los-seis-anos-y-etiquetado-con-los-riesgos-para-la-salud-en-los-dispositivos.html)
  • The plan of the Minister of Health’s decision on mental health involves combating the high rates of consumption of psychiatric drugs. There do not seem to be any other measures (https://www.larazon.es/sociedad/plan-monica-garcia-salud-mental-guias-combatir-altas-tasas-consumo-medicamentos-psiquiatricos_20241203674f618b1258380001f32dd6.html)
  • Health begins the process to allow organ donation between HIV-infected people (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2024/12/02/674da5a0fdddff7f198b48d8.html)
  • The Human Resources Commission approves the creation of the multidisciplinary specialty of Genetics (https://gacetamedica.com/politica/comision-rrhh-aprueba-creacion-especialidad-genetica/)

• Initiatives and news from the autonomous communities
  • The Government is committed to introducing the clinical assistant for debureaucratize the activity of doctors in Catalonia and is considering paying healthcare teams based on the number of patients (not on their activity with those patients) (https://elpais.com/espana/catalunya/2024-12-02/el-govern-apuesta-por-introducir-a-asistentes-clinicos-en-las-consultas-para-desburocratizar-a-los-medicos-en-cataluna.html)
  • The large hospital in Malaga is taking a long time: 17 years and will cost almost twice as much (https://elpais.com/espana/2024-12-03/el-gran-hospital-de-malaga-se-hace-esperar-17-anos-y-costara-casi-el-doble.html)
  • The “Basque Pact” will address the drafting of the six health strategies at the end of January. The six strategies are: health and citizen demand; quality and safety; professionals; information; the healthcare sector as a creator of value and growth; and the modernization of healthcare infrastructures (https://diariofarma.com/2024/12/04/el-pacto-vasco-abordara-a-finales-de-enero-la-redaccion-de-las-seis-estrategias-de-salud)
  • Cruces Hospital achieves Joint Commission International accreditation. Compliance with almost 1,400 quality standards has been assessed (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/pais-vasco/hospital-cruces-osakidetza-acreditacion-la-joint-commission-international_152089_102.html)

• MUFACE
  • The Government begins the process to unblock MUFACE by issuing a new tender (https://www.larazon.es/sociedad/gobierno-inicia-tramites-desbloquear-muface_202412056751e1f91258380001f55121.html)

• Smoking
  • Smoking falls sharply in Spain and is at its lowest level in 30 years (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2024-12-03/el-tabaquismo-cae-bruscamente-en-espana-y-se-situan-en-el-nivel-mas-bajo-en-30-anos.html). Access to the EDADES survey: https://pnsd.sanidad.gob.es/profesionales/sistemasInformacion/sistemaInformacion/encuestas_EDADES.htm

• Births
  • Births reach an all-time low in Europe, with Spain at the “top” (https://www.modaes.com/entorno/los-nacimientos-alcanzan-su-minimo-historico-en-europa-con-espana-en-el-top)

Companies

• International news
  • McDonalds’ E coli crisis declared over (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/03/health/ecoli-mcdonalds-onions.html)
  • UnitedHealthcare CEO’s crime brings out customer anger over health insurance abuses in the US (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2024-12-08/el-crimen-del-ceo-de-unitedhealthcare-aflora-el-malestar-de-los-clientes-por-los-abusos-de-los-seguros-de-salud-en-ee-uu.html)
  • Big Pharma reinforces its strategic investments in the Chinese pharmaceutical market (https://www.consalud.es/salud35/internacional/big-pharma-refuerzan-sus-inversiones-estrategicas-en-mercado-farmaceutico-china_151234_102.html)
  • Roche under pressure, the company falls 4.6% due to the uncertainty of its oncology pipeline (https://www.consalud.es/salud35/economia/roche-bajo-presion-empresa-cae-463-incertidumbre-su-pipeline-oncologico_151898_102.html)

• National
  • Sanitas is considering opening a large hospital in Madrid in Arganzuela: 13 floors and 110 beds (https://www.epe.es/es/sanidad/20241205/madrid-sanidad-privada-metros-cuadrados-plantas-camas-quirofanos-nuevo-hospital-sanitas-112351384)
  • PharmaMar rises 7% on the stock market, after its drug against lung cancer was approved in China (https://www.europapress.es/economia/noticia-pharmamar-sube-casi-recibir-farmaco-tratar-cancer-pulmon-aprobacion-china-20241203100059.html)
  • Almirall aims to double its size before 2030 (https://www.expansion.com/empresas/2024/12/05/6750cb78e5fdea3e1f8b45b3.html)

 

Summary

The most impactful news in health this week were, from an international point of view,

• The analysis of Trump’s victory and its consequences for health, generally valued as negative by most analysts.
• The new health reform law approved in Germany, although the call for elections in that country will surely at least slow down its implementation

From a national point of view, the most relevant:

• The debate and positions on the future of MUFACE continue

Biomedicine

• Genetic screening can reduce premature deaths by 25%, according to a study. This makes it possible to stop a quarter of deaths from common diseases, including breast cancer, diabetes and hypertension, by identifying people at risk. This will allow vulnerable groups to be offered earlier studies and treatments, according to the study published by Stanford University

Global Health

• The global incidence of diabetes doubles, while many patients are left without treatment. Diabetics are left without treatment, while the global incidence of the disease doubles (from 7% of the population to 14% between 1990 and 2022), while many middle- and low-income countries fail to provide care and access to treatment

International health policy

• Analysis of Trump’s victory in the American elections and its consequences on health. Given Trump’s precedent of leaving the WHO, this will possibly mean a weakening of international aid programs against certain diseases (malaria, HIV/AIDS, etc.). At home, it will surely lead to a decrease in the population covered by the ACA (Obamacare) and a tightening of reproductive rights. It is more doubtful how the negotiation of drug prices, already initiated by Biden, will evolve. The future of the NHI, the largest funding agency for biomedical research in the world, is worrying. The personality of the new Secretary of Health, Robert F Kennedy, is also worrying vaccine manufacturers and baby food manufacturers. 
• The US view of the NHS. The New England Journal of Medicine has published an interesting article on this topic:
• Health care reform in Germany. How to fix the problematic German health care system. The new law was approved by the lower house, the Bundestag, on October 17, 2024, and recently by the upper house, the Bundesrat. The law establishes a new system of payment for hospitals, the consideration that there are too many hospitals, and a hospital reform. Germany has a high number of hospitals, 7.7 beds per 1,000 inhabitants, compared to the EU average of 5.3. The official position is that Germany spends a lot of money on health care, for a mediocre quality. We will have to see what happens after the call for elections in Germany.

National Health Policy (Spain)

• The continuity of MUFACE is in doubt. The continuity of MUFACE remains in limbo, after the decision of ADESLAS and ASISA not to participate in the tender and the decision of the government to call for a new tender, perhaps under new rules. It has been leaked that the government is considering that those who opt for the insurance system will not be able to return to the public system, which is a fairly radical change. It would be something similar to the German model, but in a very different context. Meanwhile, there are controversial statements by doctors linked to the system who ask the government not to renew with the insurance companies. The CSIF union activates certain mobilizations.
• SESCAM starts a telephone service to avoid transfers to health centers.

Companies

• International
  • New generation of anti-obesity medication. NovoNordisk provides the results of a clinical trial on a new generation of anti-obesity medications.

• National
  • Better Care finalizes an alliance with Oracle for the management of health data.
  • The new HM Madrid Río was inaugurated, with 10,000 square metres, 40 consultation rooms, 77 beds and 10 emergency rooms.

Biomedicine

• Genes and health studies. This project “Genes & Health Study” aims to overcome the fact that most genetic studies are done on populations of European origin. The study began in 2015 and already has 63,000 participants of British, Pakistani or Bangladeshi origin. (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)02264-5/abstract)
• Genetic screening can reduce premature deaths by 25%, according to a study. This makes it possible to stop a quarter of deaths from common diseases, including breast cancer, diabetes and hypertension, by identifying people at risk. This will allow vulnerable groups to be offered earlier studies and treatments, according to the study published by Stanford University (https://www.ft.com/content/98b1804d-4b6c-4c56-84f7-e0d2dd5454cb)
• Teletracking proves that efficiency is the best medicine (https://www.ft.com/content/0d6188d8-9238-4276-92b1-33b65ac64577)
• Ozempic and Viagra, among the more than 80 drugs that hope to work against Alzheimer’s in the coming years (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2024/11/13/6732709fe9cf4ab86c8b45a3.html)

Global Health

• Diabetics are left without treatment, at the same time that the global incidence of the disease doubles (going from 7% of the population to 14% between 1990 and 2022), while many low- and middle-income countries fail to provide care and access to treatment (https://www.ft.com/content/40d098ed-129a-4116-83a1-7941c58bd9cf). Access to the original article in The Lancet: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)02317-1/fulltext
• First case of bird flu in Canada (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/13/world/canada/british-columbia-bird-flu-teenager.html)
• Dengue epidemic declared in Guadeloupe (https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2024/11/15/l-epidemie-de-dengue-est-declaree-en-guadeloupe_6394573_3244.html)
• Global CO2 emissions remain unrecorded and will rise again in 2024 (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/ciencia/2024/11/13/67339acefdddff4e048b458a.html)

International health policy

• USA
  • There are many published reactions to Trump’s victory in the USA and its impact on health, in general, very negative:
    • More mortality and more illness, according to Science. Trump had already decided to leave the WHO, in 2020, which never happened due to the year of transition period and the arrival of Biden. But now he will not have that limitation, which is why it is foreseeable that the global agenda against malaria, HIV/AIDS, and other diseases will be abandoned, as well as being an obstacle to the WHO Pandemic Treaty. This will mean “more mortality and more illness,” according to Ilona Kickbush, a global expert. The only guarantee is Trump’s unpredictability (https://www.science.org/content/article/more-mortality-more-illness-global-health-community-braces-impact-u-s-election)
    • Millions at risk of losing health insurance under Trump, according to NBC News. Subsidies to purchase insurance under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) will expire at the end of 2025. If they are not renewed, health coverage will be unaffordable for many Americans (https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/millions-risk-losing-health-insurance-trumps-victory-rcna179146)
    • The impact of Trump’s election is analyzed by Health Affairs. This magazine analyzes the possible actions around: Affordable Care Act (ACA, Obamacare), with Biden a record number of enrollees had been achieved, it is not known whether with Trump the ACA will be totally rejected or weakened; Medicaid, although during the campaign there was talk of protecting Medicare, nothing was said about Medicaid; Reproductive Health; Health Equity; and the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, a negotiation that has already concluded its first phase and will be implemented in 2026. The attitude of the new administration is not known, but there will likely be at least a delay in the application of this law (https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/impact-election-health-policy-and-courts)
    • What will Trump’s victory mean for the health system, according to JAMA. This journal analyzes possible changes in three areas: Price Transparency; Drug Prices; and, Reforms in the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama-health-forum/fullarticle/2825024)
  • Trump’s victory also worries the scientific community
    • Scientists must be united against Trump, according to Nature. This journal hopes that the new Trump presidency will not repeat the mistakes of the first, which implies respecting the scientific consensus when making regulations on public health, environmental issues, artificial intelligence and others (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03648-z)
    • Trump’s victory and the NIH. The question is whether the new president and the Republican-dominated Congress will introduce major changes to the NIH, the largest biomedical research agency in the world, with a budget of 47 billion dollars (https://www.science.org/content/article/trump-won-nih-major-shake)
  • The appointment of anti-vaccine Robert F Kennedy generates special concern
    • After his nomination as Secretary of Health, Robert F Kennedy is seen as a real danger. This appointment has been very poorly received by multiple institutions, given his past as an anti-vaccine and defender of conspiracy theories (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/14/trump-administration-rfk-criticisms)
    • Robert F Kennedy’s intentions regarding children’s nutrition may generate resistance. During the campaign he said that we are letting these companies ruin children’s health. As Secretary of Health he will be the highest authority of the FDA, which regulates 80% of foods. But this may be an attack on the Big Food lobby, one of the traditional allies of the Republicans (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/15/health/rfk-big-food-artificial-dyes-trump.html)
    • The value of the shares of vaccine producers (GSK, Sanofi and Moderna), plummet after the nomination of Robert J Kennedy (https://www.ft.com/content/401e8947-bd02-4ac8-9fb2-eab01977eb4c)
  • First case of serious mpox in the USA, in California (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/16/health/mpox-california.html)

• United Kingdom and the National Health Service
  • A view of the NHS from the USA, an article from the New England Journal of Medicine. Very interesting article, it begins by highlighting the three differences of the NHS with the American system: 1. A culture of public control and ownership; 2. A commitment to equity and access; and, 3. Weak funding. Among the lessons: 1. Underfunding can wreck any system; 2. The NHS has all the risks and benefits of centralised management; 3. A backlash from professionalism, discontent with certain reforms; and 4. A vulnerability of primary care (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMhpr2407495)
  • Why the NHS has a productivity problem. Pressures to fix the productivity problem in the NHS are greater after the budget increases. Lord Darzi’s report says that while resources have increased by 20% in the last 5 years, the number of patients treated has barely grown by 3%. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said last Wednesday that a kind of ranking of hospitals by productivity will be made and that managers who fail will be fired (https://www.ft.com/content/0dc04f38-249e-4ae0-af96-62e35e813259)

• Germany
  • How to fix Germany’s troubled healthcare system. The new law was approved by the lower house, the Bundestag, on October 17, 2024 and recently by the upper house, the Bundesrat. The law establishes a new system of payment to hospitals, the consideration that there are too many hospitals and a hospital reform. (https://www.dw.com/en/how-to-fix-germanys-ailing-health-care-system/a-69236520)
  • Germany’s recipes for avoiding bankruptcy in hospitals: closing health centres and reforming emergency departments. The government is proposing the largest hospital reform in 20 years to contain spending and improve healthcare. “Not a single country in Western Europe has a worse life expectancy than us,” said the health minister, a doctor by profession. Germany has a high number of hospitals, 7.7 beds per 1,000 inhabitants, compared to the EU average of 5.3. The official position is that Germany spends a lot of money on healthcare, for mediocre quality (https://elpais.com/internacional/2024-11-11/germany-recipes-to-avoid-hospital-bankruptcy-cerrar-centros-de-salud-y-reformar-las-urgencias.html)

• Portugal
  • Portugal investigates a dozen deaths after delays in 112 telephone service (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2024-11-12/portugal-investiga-una-decena-de-muertes-tras-demoras-en-la-atencion-telefonica-del-112.html)

• Brazil
  • Brazil considers an anti-discrimination law for obesity (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)02515-7/abstract)

• European Union
  • Europe gives the green light to a drug against early Alzheimer’s. This drug had not been approved last July (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2024/11/14/6736325ce9cf4a55268b459d.html)
  • European “pharma” in suspense before Trump’s future anti-vaccine health secretary. BioNTech, listed in Germany and the USA, fell by 9.5%. GSK, AstraZeneka, NovoNordisk and Sanofi also fell (https://www.plantadoccom/empresa/el-farma-europeo-en-vilo-ante-el-futuro-director-de-salud-antivacunas-de-trump)

National health policy

• The flood disaster in the Valencian Community
  • The Ministry of Health will launch 14 multidisciplinary mental health teams (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/dana-sanidad-pondra-marcha-intervencion-salud-mental-14-equipos-multidisciplinares.html?check_logged_in=1)
  • According to Mazón, 53 of the 57 health centres affected by DANA are fully operational (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/c-valenciana/mazon-hay-53-57-centros-salud-afectados-por-dana-en-pleno-funcionamiento_151178_102.html)

• Central government initiatives
  • Spain returns to the WHO governing body, after 20 years outside this organisation (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2024-11-14/espana-regresa-al-organo-de-gobernanza-de-la-oms-veinte-anos-despues-con-la-incorporacion-de-monica-garcia.html)
  • Health considers appealing the suspension of the aesthetic order (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/ministerio-sanidad-estudia-recurrir-suspension-orden-estetica.html)

• Initiatives and news from the autonomous communities
  • SESCAM launches a telephone service to avoid transfers to health centers (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/castilla-la-mancha/sescam-servicio-telefonico-evitar-traslados-centros-sanitarios_151177_102.html)

• MUFACE
  • The government is studying the option of civil servants choosing public or private health (https://www.plantadoce.com/publico/el-gobierno-estudia-eliminar-la-opcion-de-que-los-funcionarios-elijan-salud-publica-o-privada)
  • Mapfre and Sanitas also leave the agreement for justice officials (https://www.epe.es/es/sanidad/20241111/mapfre-sanitas-dejan-abandonan-concierto-funcionarios-justicia-111580868
  • MUFACE doctors urge the government to break with the insurance companies and arrange the service directly with hospitals and professionals (https://www.abc.es/economia/medicos-muface-instan-gobierno-romper-aseguradoras-concertar-20241118200203-nt.html)

• Possible tax on health insurance in Spain
  • The tax on health insurance premiums would affect 12.4 million people (https://www.consalud.es/industria/impuesto-primas-seguros-salud-afectaria-millones-personas_150986_102.html)
  • The PNV rejects the tax penalty for private health insurance (https://www.eleconomista.es/actualidad/noticias/13081405/11/24/el-pnv-rechaza-la-penalizacion-fiscal-a-los-seguros-sanitarios-un-modelo-extendido-en-euskadi.html)
  • Congress shelves the debate on new taxes on private healthcare (https://diariofarma.com/2024/11/14/el-congreso-aparca-el-debate-sobre-los-nuevos-impuestos-a-la-sanidad-privada)

• Private health insurance prices
  • Insurers prepare a 20% increase in the insurance policy Health in 2025 (https://theobjective.com/economia/2024-11-15/aseguradoras-preparan-incremento-poliza-seguro-salud/)

• Home hospitalization
  • Both the SEMI (Spanish Society of Internal Medicine) and the SEHAD (Spanish Society of Home Hospitalization) begin a study on home hospitalization (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/medicina-interna/interna-inicia-un-estudio-nacional-para-conocer-a-su-paciente-domiciliario-8474)

Companies

• International news
  • NovoNordisk releases results of clinical trial on new generation of anti-obesity drugs (https://www.ft.com/content/9d11fc71-6604-4924-a817-fa792ca0534d)
  • Abbie shares suffer after schizophrenia drug problems (https://www.ft.com/content/d5179b74-014b-4d5a-b7dc-f3ddd075e720)
  • AstraZeneca embarks on major US expansion (https://www.ft.com/content/ebe9d2d5-d12f-472e-a3a9-24378c41018c)
  • Bayer’s market downturn deepens (https://www.ft.com/content/981c9fe9-fe70-49e7-90b0-594bfe730277)
  • Big investors call for a Smith & Nephew split (https://www.ft.com/content/4a98e172-4f94-41cd-bacb-2627c550a6a8)
  • BioNTech spends $950 million on a deal with Chinese pharmaceutical company Biotheus (https://www.ft.com/content/36771ae1-eb36-4433-b96a-b8228e492a80)

• National
  • Better Care (spin-off of the Parc Taulí Hospital in Sabadell) finalises an alliance with Oracle for the management of health data (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/better-care-avanza-en-tecnologia-sanitaria-con-una-alianza-con-oracle)
  • Almirall, the market entrusts its potential to the new drug against dermatitis (https://cincodias.elpais.com/mercados-financieros/2024-11-16/almirall-el-mercado-fia-su-potencial-al-nuevo-farmaco-para-la-dermatitis.html)
  • Almirall will invest to grow in the USA, after several years of declining sales (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud/noticias/13079044/11/24/almirall-invertira-para-crecer-en-eeuu-tras-varios-anos-de-descenso-en-ventas.html)
  • Sanitas invests 25 million euros in a health center in Córdoba (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud/noticias/13082357/11/24/sanitas-invierte-25-millones-en-un-nuevo-centro-medico-en-cordoba-que-abrira-en-2027.html)
  • The new HM Madrid Río has been inaugurated, 10,000 square metres, 40 consultation rooms, 77 beds and 10 emergency rooms (https://www.epe.es/es/sanidad/20241114/sanidad-privada-madrid-metros-cuadrados-40-consultas-camas-urgencias-hm-111695087)