The situation in Ceuta is getting worse; 7 days in healthcare (August 24th-30th, 2026)

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Summary

News of the week:

  • The situation in Ceuta is worsening, amidst paralysis and delays in government action. Article in El Español by Juan Abarca Cidón.

The most impactful health news of the week included:

  • Biomedicine: Vaccination against cancer now seems possible.
  • Global health: Current response capabilities need to be significantly increased in the face of Ebola.
  • International health policy: An article in the Financial Times advocates for the introduction of co-payments in healthcare in the United Kingdom.
  • National health policy: Doctors in Ceuta criticize Mónica García for denying the healthcare system’s collapse.
  • Companies: Lilly, BMS, AbbVie, and GSK boost pharmaceutical deals.

Biomedicine

  • Article in The Economist: Vaccination against cancer now seems possible. The latest results are promising but not entirely conclusive.
  • The USA approves a therapy that can double survival rates for pancreatic cancer. The drug is manufactured by Revolution Medicines.

Global Health

  • The WHO Director-General says that current response capabilities need to be increased in the face of Ebola. Opinion piece in Le Monde.
  • A review of 80 studies supports the use of e-cigarettes to quit smoking over nicotine lozenges. This review concludes that they are more effective than nicotine gum or patches, behavioral support, or nicotine-free vapes.

International Health Policy

  • The UK needs a new way to pay for healthcare. An article in the Financial Times argues for introducing what has been taboo in the UK until now: co-payments for healthcare, in the same way that almost all other European countries have them.
  • More and more American families are refusing vaccines. This fall, American daycare centers will be more vulnerable than they have been in decades.
  • At least 35,000 excess deaths in Europe due to heat waves. Germany stands out in the mortality rate.

National Health Policy (Spain)

  • Should we turn Ceuta into a refugee camp? What needs to be done is to remove the thousands of people currently on the beaches, in the streets, and in the mountains, and concentrate them (and a legal framework for doing so must be found) in temporary facilities with sufficient capacity to provide them with care and vaccinations, where they can have access to basic hygiene, sanitation, and on-site healthcare.
  • Doctors in Ceuta criticize Mónica García for denying the healthcare “collapse” and consider it “unacceptable” to present as normal a situation that, they claim, has forced them to adopt extraordinary measures to maintain care.
  • Madrid breaks its record for patients awaiting surgery with 114,627 on the waiting list. Delays for surgery have skyrocketed by 64% since 2020 and now average over 57 days.
  • Feijóo pledges to “motivate doctors” and resolve the national strike. The leader of the opposition has inaugurated the political season and assured that resolving the conflict will be his priority.

Companies

  • International
    • Lilly, BMS, AbbVie, and GSK drive pharmaceutical activity. Acquisitions, takeovers, and licensing agreements have led the healthcare industry to increase its transaction volume by 70% between January and June.
  • National
    • Vithas launches its interoperable digital data space. This platform, a pioneer in Spanish private healthcare, makes its vast database available to the public sector, universities, research centers, healthcare, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical companies.

Biomedicine

  • Moderna’s cancer vaccine trial offers hope; now we must rapidly develop personalized therapies. More research is needed to bring this to the clinic (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-02680-5)
  • Article from The Economist: Vaccinating against cancer now seems possible. The latest results are promising but not entirely conclusive (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2026/08/21/it-now-seems-possible-to-vaccinate-against-cancer)
  • The US approves a therapy that can double survival rates for pancreatic cancer. The drug is manufactured by Revolution Medicines (https://www.bmj.com/content/394/bmj-2026-100698)
  • The US approves a blood test to detect Alzheimer’s. The Roche and Lilly test analyzes the p-tau217 biomarker to identify brain changes associated with the disease in people with cognitive impairment (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/empresas/industria-farmaceutica/20260825/estados-unidos-aprueba-un-analisis-de-sangre-para-detectar-el-alzheimer/349581_0.html)

Global Health

  • Biosecurity in a rapidly changing world. The Lancet condemns the shameful prosecution, encouraged by certain Republicans, of Fauci, a prestigious 85-year-old scientist and public servant who played a significant role in helping the US overcome the AIDS and COVID-19 crises (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)01758-7/fulltext)
  • A review of 80 studies supports the use of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation over nicotine lozenges. This review concludes that electronic cigarettes are more effective than nicotine gum or patches, behavioral support, or nicotine-free vapes (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20260828/revision-estudios-apoya-uso-cigarrillo-electronico-dejar-fumar-frente-chicles-nicotina/1003744365135_0.html)
  • A report says that attacks on health facilities in Ethiopia are systematic (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)01757-5/fulltext)
  • The WHO declares the end of the Ebola virus epidemic in Uganda (https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2026/08/27/l-oms-declare-la-fin-de-l-epidemie-causee-par-le-virus-ebola-en-ouganda_6758488_3212.html)
  • The WHO Director-General says that current response capacities need to be increased in the fight against Ebola. Opinion piece in Le Monde (https://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2026/08/27/face-a-ebola-il-faut-multiplier-les-capacites-actuelles-de-la-riposte-l-appel-du-directeur-de-l-oms-dans-la-lutte-contre-le-virus-bundibugyo-en-rdc_6758044_3232.html)

International Health Policy

  • USA
    • The new CDC director, a week after taking office, promises to protect vaccines and support “exhausted” scientists. Disputes with Kennedy are expected (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)01755-1/fulltext)
    • The FDA approves Lilly’s Mounjaro to reduce cardiovascular risk in patients with type 2 diabetes (https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-fda-approves-lillys-mounjaro-reduce-cardiovascular-risk-2026-08-28/)
    • Increasingly, American families are refusing vaccines. This fall, American daycare centers will be more vulnerable than they have been in decades (https://www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/08/vaccination-exemption-school-disease/688397/)
    • At least one in four former football players who died between 2016 and 2021 had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), according to a study (https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/least-one-in-four-former-players-who-died-between-2016-2021-had-cte-study-shows-2026-08-25/)
  • United Kingdom
    • The UK needs a new way to pay for healthcare. An article in the Financial Times argues for introducing what has been taboo in the UK: co-payments for healthcare, in the same way that almost all other European countries have them (https://www.ft.com/content/27f60c74-38b8-4ª76-9cdc-144ae54f45f3?syn-25ª6b1a6=1)
    • The UK cannot afford to fail on social reform, an article in the Financial Times by the leader of the Liberal Democrats (https://www.ft.com/content/435b12f7-9fee-4f33-9f07-076074b8bc3c)
    • Nurses’ prescribing in adult social care. This article from the King’s Fund analyzes the current state of this issue, which has been little studied until now (https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/blogs/nurse-prescribing-adult-social-care-making-nurse-prescribing-work-for-all)
    • Nicotine pouch sales rise in the UK as companies increase marketing pressure ahead of advertising restrictions (https://www.ft.com/content/407f90ed-fe14-4ed5-bfa8-50696b126c46?syn-25ª6b1a6=1)
    • National scandal: Heat linked to 40,000 deaths between 1988 and 2025, according to the ONS (Office of National Statistics) (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/26/deaths-england-hottest-days-extreme-weather)
    • Lilly launches the oral obesity drug Foundayo in the UK (https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/eli-lilly-launches-oral-weight-loss-pill-foundayo-uk-2026-08-23/)
  • France
    • Health insurance recognizes “chronic fatigue syndrome” for the first time, modifying its description sheet (https://www.lefigaro.fr/social/l-assurance-maladie-reconnait-officiellement-le-syndrome-de-fatigue-chronique-20260823)
  • Europe

National Health Policy

  • Central Government
    • Ceuta will receive 45,000 doses of vaccines to prevent infectious diseases following the arrival of thousands of immigrants. The solidarity mechanism between the autonomous communities and the Ministry of Health will provide doses of MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), diphtheria, tetanus, chickenpox, and polio vaccines (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2026-08-24/ceuta-recibira-25000-dosis-de-vacunas-para-prevenir-enfermedades-infecciosas-tras-la-llegada-de-miles-de-inmigrantes.html)
  • Regional Governments
    • Madrid breaks its record for patients awaiting surgery with 114,627 on the waiting list. Waiting times for surgery have skyrocketed by 64% since 2020 and now average over 57 days (https://elpais.com/espana/madrid/2026-08-27/madrid-bate-su-record-de-pacientes-pendientes-de-una-operacion-con-114627-en-lista-de-espera-no-podia-mas-fui-a-la-privada-y-pague-9000-euros.html)
    • This is how the regions manage healthcare data. A majority of the autonomous communities already have structures in place to manage health information and strengthen its protection (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/20260822/asi-gestionan-las-ccaa-el-dato-sanitario-la-ciberseguridad-de-oficinas-especificas-modelos-transversales/349378_0.html)
  • The Ceuta conflict
    • Doctors in Ceuta criticize Mónica García for denying the healthcare “collapse” and consider it “unacceptable” to present as normal a situation that, they claim, has forced them to adopt extraordinary measures to maintain care (https://www.larazon.es/sociedad/medicos-ceuta-cargan-monica-garcia-negar-colapso-sanitario-ministra-puede-negar-palabras-pero-hechos_202608286a9158832bcaf82098f2b632.html)
    • Feijóo deepens the “public health” crisis in Ceuta (https://elpais.com/espana/2026-08-23/feijoo-ahonda-en-la-crisis-de-salud-publica-en-ceuta.html)
    • Article by Juan Abarca Cidón: Should we turn Ceuta into a refugee camp? What needs to be done is to remove the thousands of people currently on the beaches, in the streets, and in the mountains, and concentrate them (and a legal mechanism for doing so must be found) in temporary facilities with sufficient capacity to provide them with care and vaccinations, where they can have access to basic hygiene, sanitation, and on-site healthcare (https://www.elespanol.com/opinion/tribunas/20260827/debemos-convertir-ceuta-campamento-refugiados/1003744362684_12.html)
  • Medical conflict
    • Doctors continue their strike against Mónica García, while agreements have already been reached in five autonomous communities: Asturias, Galicia, Valencian Community, Basque Country, and Andalusia. Two other regions, Madrid and Aragon, still need to finalize negotiations after the summer (https://www.elmundo.es/salud/2026/08/22/6a8095a3fdddffc1778b45a3.html)
    • Feijóo pledges to “motivate doctors” and resolve the national strike. The leader of the opposition has kicked off the political season and assured that resolving the conflict will be his priority (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/politica/20260829/feijoo-se-compromete-motivar-los-medicos-solucionar-la-huelga-nacional/349814_0.html)

Companies

  • International
    • Walmart will pay $50 billion to settle the opioid dispute with the Justice Department (https://www.ft.com/content/d0a485ea-af87-4834-aa9a-3611028a7b6e?syn-25a6b1a6=1)
    • Novo Nordisk seeks Chinese approval for its obesity pill, a request that has already been accepted for processing by the Chinese regulator (https://www.expansion.com/empresas/industria/2026/08/28/6a90ad02e5fdeaf1608b457e.html)
    • Lilly, BMS, AbbVie, and GSK boost pharmaceutical deals. Acquisitions, takeovers, and licensing agreements led the healthcare industry to increase its transaction volume by 70% between January and June, reaching €343.5 billion (https://www.expansion.com/empresas/industria/2026/08/28/6a91c4a3468aeb314d8b4584.html)

 

This post is also available in: Spanish