AGP Executive Report

HIV & stigma: Trans woman Erika Castellanos says reaching age 50 after an HIV diagnosis in 1995 is “a success story,” describing how early treatment was only possible through donations and community support. Health tech leadership: Armenia appoints Tatev Aslanyan as Deputy Minister of High-Tech Industry; he previously led SeleneX, a healthcare AI company focused on early ovarian cancer diagnosis and personalized care. Cell therapy expansion: Gilead is weighing South Korea, Japan and Taiwan for its first Asian CAR-T manufacturing site, while pushing to expand insurance coverage for Yescarta to second-line use in Korea. Dutch healthcare & investment: Dutch health services report financial decline has slowed, but an investment slump is clouding the outlook. Medical research & practice: A Dutch injunction blocks Novo Nordisk’s compounded semaglutide spray; meanwhile, a new clinical focus piece highlights “10 pearls” for diabetic vitrectomy. Public health & climate: Western Europe’s June–July heat was the hottest on record, with heatwaves driving drought and heat-related deaths, including impacts in the Netherlands. Community care: Rotary clubs in Arcata raised $22,750 to feed 65 children facing weekend hunger. Healthcare access & travel: A new UK regional flight link to Wick (with Dutch carrier AIS Airlines as partner) is framed as supporting business and healthcare access.

Caregiver Safety in Focus: A Dutch family doctor in Rhoon (Zuid-Holland) was ordered to stop practicing after the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate found her alcohol addiction put about 3,500 patients in “acute danger,” including a July incident that derailed a scheduled euthanasia. Medicines & Weight-Loss Watch: Novo Nordisk won a Dutch injunction over compounded semaglutide spray, adding pressure on unlicensed GLP-1 products. Nutrition Debate: A six-month Wageningen University-linked trial suggests cutting sweet-tasting foods doesn’t change how sweet people enjoy food or meaningfully shift heart disease/diabetes risk—fueling a rethink of public advice. Public Health & Heat: Dutch health services say daycare heat protocols fall short in protecting children, as Europe continues to face heat-linked mortality concerns. Infectious Disease Angle: Scientists at Radboud University Medical Center tested what makes people more attractive to mosquitoes, tying everyday exposure to disease risk. Refugee Rights & Safety: An American transgender refugee who sought asylum in Ter Apel says she returned to the US after fearing harm in the Netherlands camp, where the Red Cross previously flagged unsafe conditions.

Health & Safety in Childcare: Dutch public health services (GGDs) say day care heat protocols often fall short because they’re too generic; they urge facilities to create heat plans tailored per building and even per room, with staff watching for warning signs like listlessness and faster heartbeats and acting immediately to cool and hydrate children. Medical Accountability: A family doctor in Rhoon, Zuid-Holland, was ordered to stop practicing after the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate found her alcohol addiction put about 3,500 patients in “acute danger,” including an incident where she was intoxicated and euthanasia could not proceed. Patent Enforcement in Obesity Care: Novo Nordisk won a Dutch court injunction blocking an unapproved compounded semaglutide nasal spray, tightening access to non-approved versions of its Wegovy/Ozempic/Rybelsus medicines. Food Safety Alert: Moroccan pitted green olives were flagged in the Netherlands and Germany after lead levels exceeded EU limits, with no reported consumer harm but renewed scrutiny on imports. Public Health & Nutrition Research: A Wageningen University study suggests cutting sweet-tasting foods doesn’t change people’s enjoyment of sweetness, challenging advice to reduce sweetness overall and pointing instead to sugar intake and energy-dense foods. Community Health & Violence: Police arrested a 26-year-old suspect after two men were injured in apparently random stabbing attacks in Rotterdam, raising concerns about safety in public spaces.

Childcare Heat Safety: Dutch public health services (GGDs) warn that day care heat protocols are often too generic and not tailored per building or even per room, urging staff to watch for warning signs in young children and act fast by moving them out of heat, cooling them down and giving fluids. Violence & Public Safety: Rotterdam police arrested a 26-year-old suspect after two men were injured in what authorities describe as random stabbing attacks, with a third attempted stabbing reported shortly after. Mental Health & Justice: A Dutch court sentenced a Gouda man to six years in prison and ordered compulsory psychiatric treatment (TBS) after he killed his brother in a highly violent attack, with experts citing a delusional disorder. Extreme Heat Mortality: Europe’s heatwaves are driving excess deaths, with provisional EuroMOMO figures showing a sharp rise across multiple countries in late June, and older people hit hardest. Food & Nutrition Research: Wageningen University researchers report that changing how much sweet-tasting food people eat doesn’t meaningfully change their preference for sweetness or key health risk measures, challenging advice focused on reducing sweetness alone.

Heat & Health: Europe’s heatwaves are driving a sharp rise in deaths, with EuroMOMO reporting 14,260 excess deaths across participating countries in late June and Luxembourg recording 91 additional deaths over a five-week period, mostly among people over 85. Agriculture & Nutrition: Dutch sugar beet farmers warn drought and extreme heat could sharply cut yields, with some fields barely growing as groundwater drops; LTO Netherlands says beets can only tolerate heat up to a point before plants die. Healthcare Systems & Safety: A new global survey flags cyber risk as a growing threat to hospitals, placing several European countries—including the Netherlands’ neighbors—into high-pressure tiers as ransomware, supplier concentration and slow recovery strain care delivery. Public Health Research: A study on fetal fibronectin testing evaluates cost-effectiveness for women at risk of preterm birth, adding to the evidence base used in Dutch and European prenatal care decisions. Space Medicine: A European Space Agency isolation study (SOLIS100) ended after 100 days, including participants from the Netherlands, to test how long missions affect health and performance.

Cybersecurity in Care: A new Europe-30 healthcare cyber-risk report flags Poland, the UK, France and Germany in the highest-pressure band as ransomware, supplier concentration and slow recovery threaten hospitals through 2027. Heat & Public Health: Extreme heat deaths in Europe have surpassed 25,000, with Germany hit hardest and major Italian cities on high alert. Antibiotic Stewardship: A global study using the WHO AWaRe system finds most regions use more antibiotics than optimal, with higher use in high-resistance areas. Local Safety & Care Access: Dutch PM Rob Jetten says more must be done to defend transgender people, while Amsterdam WorldPride spotlights LGBTQ+ safety funding. Infection Control: A report says Legionella was found at New York’s High Line Hotel, with staff alleging management delayed remediation. Dutch Justice Link: A Dutchman arrested in Ghana for cocaine trafficking was also wanted in the Netherlands over a hospital shooting. Cardiology Genetics: New data suggest heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia is far more common among South Asians and may raise cardiovascular risk and death.

Dutch healthcare research & policy: A JAMA Network Open analysis from Erasmus MC Cancer Institute (Netherlands) finds active surveillance can be cost-effective versus standard surgery for some esophageal cancer patients who achieve complete clinical response after chemoradiotherapy, with similar quality-adjusted life-years but lower costs over 5 years. Healthcare system & care delivery: Dutch hospitals are reported to have halted financial decline, but an investment slump is clouding the outlook for the sector. Medical innovation & trials: A study on CCR after nCRT adds to the growing push for less invasive follow-up strategies, while other research coverage highlights new approaches in patient monitoring and clinical decision-making. Public health & safety: Europe’s extreme heat is linked to more than 25,000 excess deaths this year, with the Netherlands among countries reporting heat-related tolls—raising pressure on heat preparedness in care settings. Regulation & transparency: The Netherlands’ RDW has released more detail on its assessment of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Supervised approval, after scrutiny over what regulators do and don’t publish.

Heat & Public Health: New data compiled from European health agencies estimates heat has killed 25,000+ people this year, with Germany alone at ~11,900 excess deaths; the report points to a lack of air conditioning in many nursing homes and buildings, leaving older residents especially exposed. Alzheimer’s Access Barrier: A study warns that a common cognitive screening test (MMSE) blocks 70–85% of people with atypical Alzheimer’s variants from qualifying for new anti-amyloid drugs, even when amyloid pathology is confirmed. Netherlands MS Trend: Research using Dutch MS-center referrals finds pediatric MS incidence rose from 0.26 to 0.40 per 100,000 person-years after 2017, with a modest uptick in 2025. Cardiology Imaging Finding: A Netherlands-and-Spain study reports left ventricular hypertrabeculation is common in dilated cardiomyopathy (~30%) but not linked to higher embolic, advanced heart failure, or arrhythmia risk. Healthcare Tech/Monitoring: Philips is expanding an open patient monitoring ecosystem aimed at helping health systems track patients beyond the bedside.

Hospital Finance Watch: Dutch hospitals say they’ve halted years of financial decline, but a new report warns investment is stalling—raising doubts about whether care, buildings and tech upgrades can keep up. Public Health & Research: A major international effort has released nearly 700 patient-derived cancer tissue models to speed up targeted drug development, including rare cancer types. Kidney Drug Pipeline: Mironid secured €46M Series B to move a kidney treatment for ADPKD into human testing, aiming to compete with tolvaptan. Asthma Real-World Outcomes: New global data links easier access to biologics with remission and other better outcomes in severe asthma. Cancer Prevention Talk: Doctors discuss why removing fallopian tubes during other surgery may cut ovarian cancer risk—based on recent research. Digital Rights: A watchdog reports a sharp rise in verified Meta account removals and restrictions, with concerns about who regulates modern “public infrastructure.” Netherlands Context: Low Rhine water levels are leaving some Dutch houseboats tilted and stuck above dry land, with knock-on risks for power, pipes and waste drainage. Tobacco Use: Greece remains far above EU averages for daily tobacco/nicotine use, though rates are slowly falling.

Animal Health Watch: Britain reports a sharp rise in bluetongue, with the BTV-3 strain now confirmed on 130 farms across England and spreading into livestock-dense southwest areas; cases are also reported in Wales, while Northern Ireland is expected to follow as the virus establishes in local midge populations. Digital Health & Regulation: A new “Vital Signs” update spotlights how AI and digital health regulation are converging, warning about AI-washing risks in health tech deals and summarizing major EU/UK and US digital health policy moves. Public Health Research: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam research suggests some micro- and nanoplastics can cross a human placental model and shift hormone activity, raising concerns about pregnancy exposure pathways. LGBTQ+ Safety: Dutch PM Rob Jetten announces €7.5m per year for three years to improve LGBTQ+ safety, tackle discrimination, and counter anti-LGBTQ+ misinformation, as WorldPride Amsterdam 2026 continues. Assisted Dying Debate: A call grows for stronger oversight of MAiD after reported provincial safeguard failures, with a critic urging an independent national watchdog with power to investigate and pause cases. Cancer Tools: An international team unveils nearly 700 patient-derived cancer tissue models to speed drug target validation and treatment testing.

ADHD Tech in the Netherlands: BlinkLab says a European smartphone-based ADHD study (ages 6–17) hit 82% sensitivity and 83% specificity, using data from 375 children recruited via Mental Care Group centres in the Netherlands; the company will now plan a US regulatory study for its Dx2 tool. Cancer & Cardio-oncology (Netherlands): A new meta-analysis presented at ESC 2026 by researchers at Erasmus MC (Rotterdam) looks at whether guideline heart-failure therapies can protect cardiac function during anticancer treatment. Pancreatic Cancer Pain (Netherlands): A Dutch nationwide cohort study from Maastricht UMC found chemotherapy was linked to lower odds of severe pain and pain interference in locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. Public Health Policy: New York lawmakers have introduced a bill to lift HIV-era restrictions and legalize gay bathhouses again, arguing prevention and treatment have advanced since the 1980s. Safety at Dutch beaches: A swimmer missing off Callantsoog was found dead; two women drowned while trying to rescue a child, and one other adult was taken to hospital. Ethics & Health: A fur-industry report raises concerns about disease spread from mink farming, including zoonotic risk.

Digital Sovereignty Push: European governments are quietly trying to reduce reliance on Palantir, with France and Germany exploring alternatives and Spain directing state-linked firms to exclude Palantir from future public contracts—raising big questions about how fast Europe can swap out entrenched health, security and intelligence systems. Public Health Tech in Practice: A Dutch study reports a wrist-worn device that detected cardiac arrest with very high sensitivity during end-of-life withdrawal in an ICU setting, using continuous reference monitoring. Care Capacity Gap: Indonesia’s TB drive shows the same lesson: portable chest X-ray scanners can reach remote areas, but some hospitals refused them because they lacked trained radiographers to operate the equipment. Women’s Health Update: A personal account highlights the growing push to remove fallopian tubes to reduce ovarian cancer risk, pointing to uneven adoption of the approach. Healthcare Sector Partnerships: Nicolab and Carahsoft are teaming up to bring AI-powered stroke workflow tools to the U.S. public sector via reseller contracts. Infection Resistance Watch: A global analysis finds invasive E. coli is increasingly multidrug-resistant, with the Netherlands among the lowest-rate countries. Netherlands Refugee Care: Dutch asylum shelters are set to limit access to youth healthcare for eight months, spotlighting strain in local capacity.

Wearables & Healthspan: WHOOP’s new CMO, DJ van Hameren, says the next phase of fitness tech is helping people improve healthspan (health and independence), not just track steps and workouts. Primary Care Access: Dutch family doctors’ home visits have fallen by 50% in 15 years, raising questions about how care reaches older and vulnerable patients. Infection Control Alarm: Scientists warn of a lethal fungal infection spreading through hospitals, with claims it kills up to one in three patients. Heat & Public Health: Europe’s heatwave impacts keep mounting, with heat-related deaths reported and electricity strain highlighted as temperatures stay extreme. Food & Nutrition: A new liposomal vitamin C product from JOA Pharm hit major sales in its first week, while Oatly reports a widening climate-impact gap versus chilled dairy in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands. Animal Health: Switzerland identified a new virus in sick cattle; officials say it’s not highly contagious and not expected to pose a major human risk. Tech & Misinformation Risk: Google rolled back an AI Earth satellite image feature within 24 hours after researchers showed it could be used to create convincing fake disaster and conflict scenes. Care Workforce Model (NL-relevant): Ireland’s worker-owned care co-op highlights how individualized care planning and worker training can improve support for dementia and blind clients.

Late-term abortion access: The Dutch association of gynaecologists (NVOG) and the healthcare inspectorate IGJ are urging more hospitals to offer late-term abortions (22–24 weeks), saying access is still not assured for all women; some patients reportedly travel abroad when care isn’t available locally. Wearables check: Dutch “quantified scientist” Rob ter Horst’s early tests of Garmin’s CIRQA smart band suggest solid heart-rate tracking for cycling and steady running, mixed sleep results, and weaker performance for rapid intervals and weightlifting. Health & nutrition: A registered dietitian shares back-to-school lunch and snack ideas, while another piece warns that very high-protein diets without added exercise may worsen insulin resistance and increase body fat. Public health threat: Researchers warn a lethal fungal infection is spreading through hospitals, with about one in three patients who contract invasive mould disease dying. Healthcare policy & system pressure: With rising numbers of uninsured people, hospitals are raising alarms about growing strain. Research/industry in Amsterdam: Immunology firm argenx schedules an Extraordinary General Meeting in September in Amsterdam.

Heat & Care Planning: The national heat plan has been extended nationwide from Monday as KNMI issues a code yellow through Tuesday, with temperatures up to 36°C in the south; RIVM is using the warning to prompt care organisations and family carers to adjust support for elderly and vulnerable people. Hospital Superbug Alert: New research warns that invasive mould infections in hospitals can be deadly, with about one in three patients dying in hospital and many needing intensive care, urging clinicians to stay vigilant. Public Health Tech & Cancer Surgery: Sirius Medical says it’s partnering with Menges Medical to expand access to its Pintuition navigation system for breast cancer surgery in Switzerland. Sexual Health at Pride: Madonna headlined World Pride in Amsterdam during a set organised by MISTR, a telehealth platform offering free PrEP, STI testing and long-term HIV care. Medical Policy Debate: The Netherlands is mentioned in a wider assisted-dying discussion, as governments face pressure over whether and how to introduce legislation. Research Collaboration: A Dutch oncologist says China-Europe scientific cooperation has shifted to a “partnership of equals,” citing progress in precision therapies.

Heat Plan rollout: The Netherlands’ National Heat Plan starts nationwide Monday, with RIVM warning that heat can hit older adults and people with health problems hardest; KNMI issued a code yellow for Monday and Tuesday and the advice is to drink enough, keep homes cool, and plan activities before noon or after 6 p.m. Public health—scabies: Scabies cases in the Netherlands remain stubbornly high at 6.8 per 1,000 residents, far above 15 years ago, and treatment is still difficult; public health services plan stronger education during student intake weeks and a new guidance app. Research integrity probe (Utrecht): Utrecht University is investigating conflicts of interest after reporting linked professor Joris Verster to personal payments and shares tied to Red Bull and Sen-Jam, raising questions about research culture and quality policies. Maternal and newborn health crisis: New data points to a sharp rise in newborn deaths in sub-Saharan Africa amid aid cuts, with neonatal mortality up 81% from 2025 to 2026 in the most vulnerable communities. HIV prevention at World Pride (Amsterdam): Madonna headlined World Pride Music Festival’s final night in Amsterdam, with a telehealth partner (MISTR) promoting free PrEP, STI testing and long-term HIV care. Safety—attempted strangulation case (Rotterdam): A man in Rozenburg was convicted of attempted manslaughter after neighbors intervened; the ruling used a new Rotterdam forensic method to detect hidden neck injuries.