Summary

News of the week:

• The train accident—a tragedy involving victims of various ages—serves as an example of the importance of “health in all policies” and highlights the overall approach of a government that has focused not on effective administration, but rather on confrontation and propaganda.

The most significant healthcare-related news stories of the week were:

• Biomedicine: The need to improve men’s health in a changing world, given that men generally have poorer health outcomes than women.
• Global Health: 3 million heat-related deaths between 2016 and 2023, making it essential to declare a “global health emergency.”
• International Health Policy: Healthcare system costs may influence the outcome of the U.S. midterm elections.
• National Health Policy: The State Public Health Agency is reaching the end of the legislative term without statutes, a director, or a governing board.
• Business: Winners and losers in the “weight-loss economy.”

 

Biomedicine

• Improving men’s health in a changing world. Men have a lower life expectancy than women, and their global burden of disease—measured in disability-adjusted life years—is 16% higher. This can be attributed to various factors, including interpersonal violence and suicide. It appears that certain toxic aspects of masculinity may contribute to this situation, which is a growing concern for international agencies.
• How personalization and psychedelics are revitalizing psychiatry. More than a billion people live with mental health issues, which represent the leading cause of disability worldwide. Conventional pharmacological approaches have had limited success; however, the personalization of psychiatric care and the use of psychedelics may shift this landscape.
• AI could potentially predict cancer risk through a simple blood test. This is demonstrated by an international study presented at the ESMO 2026 Congress.
• Five active pharmaceutical ingredients to watch in 2027: from obesity to ulcerative colitis. According to Evaluate Pharma, 2027 could bring new developments with drug candidates in areas such as obesity, breast cancer, kidney disease, psoriasis, and ulcerative colitis.

Global Health

• 3 million deaths attributed to heat between 2016 and 2023, making it essential to declare a “global health emergency.” The problem is that the dire health consequences of global warming are advancing faster than the global response to them.
• The Ebola outbreak in the Congo has surpassed 10,000 cases, with 4,887 deaths, amid fears that it could spread to other parts of Africa.

International Health Policy

• Healthcare costs could help determine the outcome of the midterm elections. Rising healthcare costs are being leveraged by the Democrats in these elections, and polls indicate significant public concern regarding these issues.
• How Trump is dismantling the entire research sector in the U.S.
• The Trump administration is moving to treat millions of veterans with psychedelics. No regulatory body has deemed these substances safe and effective, yet officials at the Veterans Administration suggest that more than 2.1 million veterans might find them beneficial.
• In Indonesia, air pollution caused by fires led to 3,560 deaths in September—a situation exacerbated by drought and the El Niño climate phenomenon.
• 12 key measures for the IMSS (Mexican Social Security Institute): an 8% salary increase; the consolidation of 10,939 staff positions; and the hiring of 2,500 medical specialists. Acquisition of 100 pieces of high-tech medical equipment, including MRI scanners, CT scanners, and mammography machines; addition of 18,016 hospital beds and stretchers; performance of approximately 31,700 surgical procedures to reduce waiting lists; and strengthening of the medical supply chain.
• United States vaccine policy creates opportunities for Europe. mRNA technology is an area in which Europe could take the lead.

National Health Policy (Spain)

• A catastrophic train accident on the Madrid-Seville line, resulting in over 69 deaths, has cast doubt on Spain’s entire railway infrastructure, as well as the government’s overall performance.
• The State Public Health Agency is reaching the end of the legislative term without statutes, a director, or a governing board.
• Medical unions are continuing industrial action in five autonomous communities—the Canary Islands, Madrid, Valencia, Catalonia, and Andalusia—even after calling off the nationwide general strike.
• The Ministry of Defence has declared the ISFAS healthcare tender void after neither ASISA nor ADESLAS submitted a bid, leaving 530,000 mutual insurance beneficiaries without coverage as of 2027. ASISA and SegurCaixa Adeslas opted not to participate, deeming the economic terms proposed by the government insufficient.
• Farmaindustria’s limited and incomplete proposals to political parties ahead of November 29th (29-N) include a 1% of GDP increase in healthcare spending. It is surprising that an industry association as significant as Farmaindustria would put forward such meager proposals, completely overlooking broader sector issues—such as waiting lists, challenges in caring for patients with complex chronic conditions, professional dissatisfaction, and management problems. For Farmaindustria, these issues apparently do not exist.

Companies

• International
  • Winners and losers in the “weight-loss economy.” This emerging economic landscape has impacted numerous sectors, most notably the food industry.
  • Bayer’s stock surges following China’s approval of its stroke-prevention medication.

• Domestic
  • Vivanta has closed its clinics, pending either a reversal of the decision by the SEPI (Spanish State Industrial Holding Company) or the green light from Brussels for the acquisition to proceed.

Biomedicine

• Helen Hobbs (Abarca Prize laureate): “Genetics allows us to go further.” This researcher has shifted the focus: instead of asking questions centered on disease, she asks, “What can we learn from individuals who, due to their genetic makeup, appear to be protected against a specific disease?” (https://forbes.es/health/1057332/helen-hobbs-genetista/)
• Improving men’s health in a changing world. Men have a lower life expectancy than women, and their global burden of disease—measured in disability-adjusted life years—is 16% higher. This can be attributed to various factors, including interpersonal violence and suicide. It appears that masculinity possesses certain toxic characteristics that may explain this situation—a matter of concern for international agencies (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)02190-2/fulltext)
• How personalization and psychedelics are revitalizing psychiatry. More than a billion people live with mental health issues, which represent the leading global cause of disability. Conventional pharmacological approaches have had limited success. It seems that the personalization of psychiatric care and the use of psychedelics could transform this landscape (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-03402-7)
• Treatments for age-related infertility are finally being developed. Two European start-ups are working on methods to boost fertility by improving the viability of human eggs, without the need for IVF (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2026/10/26/treatments-for-age-related-infertility-are-being-developed-at-last)
• There is hope in the form of new medications for FOP, a rare genetic disorder that causes bone overgrowth (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/29/science/fop-bones-drugs.html)
• 6.3 million brain cells examined in minute detail: researchers have created an unprecedented map of the cortex to help us better understand brain diseases. • By studying the behavior of individual cell types within this region of the brain, researchers are uncovering new mechanisms underlying neurological and psychiatric disorders, ranging from Alzheimer’s to schizophrenia (https://sante.lefigaro.fr/medecine/6-3-millions-de-cellules-a-la-loupe-des-chercheurs-dressent-une-carte-inedite-du-cortex-pour-mieux-comprendre-les-maladies-cerebrales-20261028)
• AI could predict cancer risk through a blood test, according to an international study presented at the 2026 ESMO Congress (https://forbes.es/health/1054573/diagnostico-cancer-ia/ra)
• Five active pharmaceutical ingredients to watch in 2027—covering conditions from obesity to ulcerative colitis. According to Evaluate Pharma, 2027 may bring new developments in drug candidates for areas such as obesity, breast cancer, kidney disease, psoriasis, and ulcerative colitis (https://elglobalfarma.com/industria/cinco-principios-activos-medicamentos-atencion-2027-obesidad-colitis-ulcerosa/)
• Doctors report that a rare form of measles, transmitted in utero, is on the rise (https://www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/10/congenital-measles-birth-pennsylvania/689214/)

Global Health

• 3 million deaths due to heat between 2016 and 2023, making it essential to declare a “global health emergency.” The problem is that the dire health impacts of global warming are progressing faster than the global response to them (https://sante.lefigaro.fr/social/sante-publique/climat-3-millions-de-morts-de-la-chaleur-de-2016-a-2023-une-urgence-sanitaire-mondiale-doit-etre-decretee-20261028)
• Cases of severe polio are resurging in Afghanistan, where the number of cases has doubled compared to 2025, raising concerns about vaccination policies (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)02188-4/fulltext)
• Nigeria evacuates an Ebola patient to Switzerland (https://www.ft.com/content/083251a0-d5ab-48be-8295-41c9860963fd?syn-25a6b1a6=1)
• Scientists investigate the origin of an Ebola case in Nigeria (https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/ebola-scientists-probe-nigeria-case-origin-africa-cdc-says-2026-10-26/)
• Ebola cases in the Congo surpass 10,000, with 4,887 deaths, amid fears that the virus could spread to other parts of Africa (https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/congos-ebola-infections-surpass-10000-government-says-2026-10-27/)

International Health Policy

• USA

o              How Trump is dismantling the entire research sector in the USA (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/31/science/how-trump-is-dismantling-americas-scientific-research-machine.html)

o              Healthcare costs may help determine the outcome of the midterm elections. Rising healthcare costs are being leveraged by the Democrats in these elections, and polls indicate significant concern regarding these issues (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)02187-2/fulltext)

o              In the clash between Democrats and Republicans over healthcare ahead of the midterm elections, the former are focusing on costs, while the latter are focusing on fraud (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/30/us/politics/midterms-health-care-affordability-fraud.html)

o              Secretary of Health Kennedy opens up access to certain unapproved peptides (https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/us-health-department-allow-temporary-sale-some-unapproved-peptides-2026-10-28/)

o              The Trump administration moves to treat millions of veterans with psychedelics. No regulatory body has declared these substances safe and effective, yet officials at the Veterans Administration suggest that more than 2.1 million veterans could find them beneficial (https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/25/trump-psychedelics-veterans-ptsd-01134515)

o              The surge in measles cases exposes the vulnerability of Republicans regarding vaccines (https://www.ft.com/content/86e2ad4c-4a19-4221-8043-1c26e3354936?syn-25a6b1a6=1)

• France

o              In 2025, 2,000 full-inpatient hospital beds were cut in France, continuing a trend that has persisted for 20 years (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2026/10/28/en-2025-2-000-lits-d-hospitalisation-complete-supprimes-dans-les-hopitaux-et-les-cliniques-en-france_6801623_3224.html)

• Poland

o              The government is pushing to authorize abortion—placing it at odds with the country’s conservative president—after the parliament passed two bills that lift certain restrictions on the procedure (https://www.politico.eu/article/poland-parliament-eases-abortion-laws-ichallenge-conservative-president/)

• Indonesia

o              Air pollution caused by fires resulted in 3,560 deaths in September, a situation exacerbated by drought and the El Niño climate phenomenon (https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2026/10/30/en-indonesie-les-incendies-ont-cause-3-560-morts-liees-a-la-pollution-de-l-air-en-septembre_6802919_3244.html)

• Liechtenstein

o              The Prince vetoes an abortion bill, even though the legislation had been supported by a quarter of registered voters (https://www.politico.eu/article/liechtenstein-prince-vetoes-abortion-bill/)

• Belgium

o              Belgium postpones a ban on smoking on outdoor terraces. The delay is intended to give restaurants time to adapt to the new rules (https://www.politico.eu/article/belgium-postpones-terrace-smoking-ban/)

• Mexico

o              12 key measures for the IMSS (Mexican Social Security Institute): An 8% salary increase; the consolidation of 10,939 staff positions; the hiring of 2,500 medical specialists; the acquisition of 100 pieces of high-tech medical equipment, including MRI scanners, CT scanners, and mammography machines; the addition of 18,016 hospital beds and stretchers; and the performance of approximately 31,700 surgical procedures to reduce waiting lists. Strengthening the supply of medicines (https://elpais.com/mexico/2026-10-27/las-claves-de-las-12-medidas-del-imss-para-mejorar-sus-condiciones-laborales-y-servicios-de-salud.html)

• Peru

o              Dengue cases exceed 80,000, with 78 deaths nationwide (https://elcomercio.pe/peru/dengue-cifra-de-contagios-supera-los-80-mil-casos-y-78-fallecidos-a-nivel-nacional-ultimas-noticia/)

• European Union

o              The tobacco lobby is active in Brussels as the EU rewrites its regulations; the number of meetings during this parliamentary term has quadrupled (https://www.politico.eu/article/tobacco-lobby-steps-up-brussels-push-as-eu-rewrites-rules/)

o              The EU prepares for the future with a new climate-proofing law (https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-prepare-future-new-climate-proofing-law/)

o              Europe’s “pharma-suicide” (“farmacosuicidio”), an article by Pedro Irigoyen, former Deputy Minister for the Community of Madrid (https://medicinaresponsable.com/opinion/farmacosuicidio-europa)

o              U.S. vaccine policy creates opportunities for Europe; mRNA technology is an area where Europe could take the lead (https://www.politico.eu/article/us-vaccine-policy-creates-huge-opportunity-for-europe/)

National Health Policy

• Health in All Policies

o              A catastrophic train accident on the Madrid-Seville line, resulting in over 69 deaths, has cast doubt on Spain’s entire railway infrastructure (https://www.economist.com/europe/2026/10/28/another-deadly-train-crash-puts-spanish-infrastructure-in-question)

o              The health toll in Adamuz and Toledo: more than one hundred deaths in nine months, with long-lasting consequences—beyond the fatalities, the events will leave significant physical and psychological aftereffects for hundreds of those affected and their families (https://www.consalud.es/politica/la-factura-sanitaria-de-adamuz-y-toledo-mas-de-cien-muertos-y-secuelas-que-duraran-anos.html)

• Central Administration

o              Nurses specializing in critical and emergency care will have their own distinct professional specialty. During their two-year residency, professionals will rotate through intensive care units, hospital emergency departments, mobile medical units, and health coordination centers (https://www.abc.es/sociedad/enfermeras-criticos-urgencias-propia-especialidad-20261026160903-nt.html)

o              The State Public Health Agency (AESAP) nears the end of the legislative term: it still lacks statutes, a director, and a governing board (https://www.consalud.es/politica/la-aesap-apura-la-legislatura-estatutos-consejo-rector-y-director-siguen-pendientes-de-aprobacion.html)

• Medical sector conflict

o              Medical unions are maintaining work stoppages in five autonomous communities—the Canary Islands, Madrid, Valencia, Catalonia, and Andalusia—following the cancellation of the nationwide general strike (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2026-10-26/los-sindicatos-medicos-mantienen-paros-en-cinco-comunidades-autonomas-tras-desconvocar-la-huelga-general-en-toda-espana.html)

o              Doctors in Madrid have suspended their strike “due to the scale of the train accident” in Toledo. Unions have called off protests scheduled for the 29th and 30th in solidarity with “the victims and their families” affected by the incident, and are encouraging the public to donate blood (https://elpais.com/espana/madrid/2026-10-28/los-medicos-de-madrid-suspenden-la-huelga-por-el-accidente-ferroviario-en-toledo.html)

• ISFAS

o              The Ministry of Defence has declared the ISFAS healthcare tender void after neither ASISA nor ADESLAS submitted a bid, leaving 530,000 mutual insurance members without coverage as of 2027. ASISA and SegurCaixa Adeslas decided not to participate, deeming the economic terms proposed by the Government to be insufficient (https://www.vozpopuli.com/sanitatem/defensa-declara-desierto-el-concurso-sanitario-del-isfas-y-530000-mutualistas-quedan-desamparados-a-partir-de-2027.html)

o              Unions point to age-based premium tiers as the “stumbling block” for the renewal of the MUFACE scheme for the Armed Forces (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/politica/muface/20261028/los-sindicatos-miran-las-primas-por-tramos-de-edad-como-el-freno-la-renovacion-del-muface-fuerzas-armadas/363529_0.html)

• Farmaindustria

o              Farmaindustria’s proposals to political parties ahead of November 29th (29-N) include a 1% increase in healthcare spending as a percentage of GDP (https://elglobalfarma.com/industria/propuestas-farmaindustria-partidos-politicos-29-n/)

• Pricing of medicines
• Healthcare advisors propose setting the price of medicines based on the years of life and quality of life they provide. Regarding the criteria for pricing and funding, the document proposes an evaluation system in which economic negotiation is closely linked to incremental clinical benefit and cost-effectiveness (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/empresas/industria-farmaceutica/20261026/los-asesores-de-sanidad-plantean-fijar-el-precio-los-medicamentos-segun-anos-la-calidad-vida-que-aporten/363329_0.html)

Companies

• International

o              Winners and losers in the weight-loss economy. This new economy has affected a number of sectors, particularly the food industry (https://www.ft.com/content/2f1667a8-ef1b-46a0-bc95-6061ec85fb8e?syn-25a6b1a6=1)

o              GSK aims to double clinical trials for cancer drugs next year (https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/gsk-nearly-double-cancer-drugs-trials-wsj-reports-2026-10-27/)

o              Generic drugmaker Sandoz lowers its sales outlook but raises its profit forecast (https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/generic-drugmaker-sandoz-lowers-sales-outlook-lifts-profit-forecast-2026-10-28/)

o              Lilly’s profits rise, driven by demand for weight-loss drugs (https://www.ft.com/content/5a3eaa0a-c903-4d41-bc7c-c3e5b8ef773c?syn-25a6b1a6=1)

o              Centene (a U.S. insurer specializing in Medicaid) raises its profit forecasts for 2026 (https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/centene-lifts-annual-profit-forecast-reports-upbeat-third-quarter-results-2026-10-27/)

o              AstraZeneca’s stomach cancer drug extends overall survival, according to late-stage clinical trials (https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/astrazenecas-stomach-cancer-drug-clears-bar-extending-overall-survival-late-2026-10-25/)

o              Bayer Shares surge following China’s green light for its stroke-prevention drug (https://cincodias.elpais.com/companias/2026-10-26/bayer-sube-con-fuerza-en-bolsa-tras-la-luz-verde-de-china-a-su-medicamento-para-prevenir-el-ictus.html)

o              Can Belén Garijo revitalize Sanofi’s portfolio? She faces the challenge of identifying new, successful drugs (https://www.expansion.com/economia/financial-times/2026/10/30/podra-belen-garijo-revitalizar-cartera-productos-desarrollo-sanofi.html)

• Domestic

o              Sanitas expects to launch its first clinical trials for CAR-T therapies for multiple myeloma in 2027. This is a new area for Sanitas; in fact, the Hospital de Valdebebas began this type of activity this year (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20261027/sanitas-espera-arrancar-primeros-ensayos-clinicos-terapias-car-t-mieloma-multiple/1003744435265_0.html)

o              PharmaMar’s sales rose by 12% to 147 million during the first nine months of 2026 (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20261029/ventas-pharmamar-aumentan-septiembre-millones/1003744440378_0.html)

 

 

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