AGP Executive Report

Tobacco Control: A new WHO report says five billion people now live under strong tobacco-control measures, but many countries still need to improve help for people trying to quit. Pomurje Healthcare: EU funding will help modernize Murska Sobota General Hospital with a new catheterisation lab, aiming to improve cardiovascular care and access for regional patients. Medicine Safety: A counterfeit batch of the liver medicine Defitelio was flagged in India. Slovenia was among the markets supplied with the genuine batch, but there is no report that the counterfeit product reached Slovenia. Health Cooperation: Slovenia and Armenia signed an agreement to expand dialogue, with Armenia highlighting Slovenia’s health-insurance experience as a model for cooperation.

Health Cooperation: Slovenia and Armenia signed a new political dialogue agreement, with talks highlighting Slovenia’s health-insurance expertise as Armenia pursues reforms. Pomurje Healthcare: EU funding will support a €6.38 million upgrade at Murska Sobota General Hospital, including a modern catheterisation lab to improve timely cardiovascular care in the region. Medicine Safety: A WHO alert flagged counterfeit Defitelio, a rare-liver-disease treatment. The genuine batch with matching numbers was distributed in Slovenia and other countries, but the reported counterfeit was identified in India; the alert cited packaging discrepancies. Antibiotic Supply: Sandoz has warned that Europe’s reliance on imported antibiotic ingredients—86% of EU penicillin imports came from China last year—could threaten the resilience of medicine supplies.

Heart Care in Pomurje: A €6.38 million project will modernize Murska Sobota General Hospital with a new catheterisation lab and angiography system, aiming to improve timely access to cardiovascular care. The EU’s regional development fund is contributing €4.66 million. Hospital Research: A study at University Medical Centre Ljubljana found that five days of oseltamivir prevented flu in exposed hospital patients as effectively as a 10-day course. Antibiotic Supply: Sandoz’s CEO warned that Europe’s reliance on China for antibiotic ingredients poses a risk to public health; 86% of EU penicillin imports came from China last year.

Pomurje Hospital Upgrade: EU funding will help renovate Murska Sobota General Hospital and install a modern catheterisation lab, improving cardiovascular care and access to specialist services in the region. The €6.38 million project includes €4.66 million from the European Regional Development Fund. Antibiotic Supply: Sandoz warns that Europe’s reliance on China for penicillin ingredients has grown sharply, raising concerns about reliable access to vital medicines. Ljubljana Infection Study: An interim trial at University Medical Center Ljubljana found that stopping antibiotics early for patients with neutropenic fever did not increase severe events, while giving patients more antibiotic-free days; final analyses are still pending.

Medicine Supply: Sandoz warns that Europe’s dependence on Chinese antibiotic ingredients is growing: China supplied 86% of EU penicillin imports last year, up from 44% in 2019, putting pressure on the continent’s last fully integrated penicillin plant. Hospital Care: At University Medical Center Ljubljana, a study of 166 hospitalized adults found five days of oseltamivir prevented influenza after exposure as effectively as 10 days. Animal Health: Shamonda virus has been detected in livestock in Slovenia and other European countries. France has reported the first human case; authorities describe it as exceptional and say there is no sign of spread among people.

Hospital Infection Prevention: A study at University Medical Center Ljubljana found that five days of oseltamivir prevented influenza in exposed hospitalized adults as effectively as 10 days, supporting a shorter prophylaxis course for patients who cannot be separated from infected people. Livestock Virus Watch: Shamonda virus has been detected in animals in Slovenia and several other European countries. France has reported the first known human case, in a seriously ill patient who later died; health authorities say it appears isolated and poses no risk to the general population at this stage.

Hospital Care: An interim trial analysis found that stopping empiric antibiotics early for neutropenic fever did not increase deaths, septic shock or ICU transfers, while giving patients more antibiotic-free days. Separately, a University Medical Center Ljubljana study found five days of oseltamivir preventive treatment worked as well as ten days for exposed hospital patients. Animal Health: Shamonda virus has been detected in livestock in Slovenia and other European countries. France has reported the first known human case, in a severely ill patient who died; authorities say no risk to the general public has been identified.

Cancer Research: A phase 3 trial of icosapent ethyl alongside standard care for colorectal cancer that has spread to the liver missed its primary progression-free-survival target, but reported improved overall survival; researchers estimated a 32% lower risk of death at five years. Hospital Care: Interim results suggest stopping antibiotics early for neutropenic fever did not increase severe complications. A separate study at University Medical Center Ljubljana found five days of oseltamivir prevented influenza after hospital exposure as effectively as 10 days. Animal Health: Shamonda virus has been detected in livestock in Slovenia and other European countries. France has reported the first known human case, in a seriously ill patient who died; authorities say no risk to the general public has been identified, and investigations continue.

Hospital Infection Prevention: An interim cancer-center trial found that stopping empiric antibiotics early for fever in patients with low white-cell counts did not increase deaths, septic shock or ICU transfers, while roughly tripling antibiotic-free days. Researchers say results from the completed trial are needed for a firmer assessment. At University Medical Center Ljubljana, a separate trial in 166 hospitalized adults found five days of oseltamivir prevented influenza as effectively as 10 days after exposure. Animal Health Watch: Shamonda virus has been detected in livestock in Slovenia and other European countries. France has reported the first known human infection, in a seriously ill patient who died; authorities say no risk to the general public has been identified, and investigations continue.

Clinical Research: An interim trial found that stopping empiric antibiotics early for neutropenic fever did not raise deaths, septic shock or ICU transfers, while giving patients more antibiotic-free days. At University Medical Center Ljubljana, a study of 166 hospital patients found five days of oseltamivir prevented influenza after exposure as effectively as 10 days. Infectious Disease: France reported the first known human Shamonda virus infection; the patient, who had a serious underlying illness, died. Authorities say no risk to the wider public has been identified. The livestock virus has also been detected in Slovenia. Medicine Supply: Europe’s last major penicillin plant faces pressure from cheaper Chinese drugs, raising concerns about the continent’s antibiotic supply.

Animal Health: Shamonda virus has been detected in livestock in Slovenia and other European countries. France’s first reported human case involved a seriously ill patient who died; authorities say there is no identified risk to the wider public, and investigations continue. Medicine Supply: Europe’s last major penicillin plant faces pressure from cheaper Chinese antibiotics, raising concerns about reliance on imported medicines. Slovenian Research: A cost study says spent fuel from the TRIGA II research reactor—which produces isotopes for medical research and training—could be disposed of more economically alongside waste from the Krško plant than in a separate deep-borehole facility. Healthy Environment: Slovenia’s ombudsman is leading a European inquiry into how public administrations uphold the right to a healthy environment.

Shamonda Watch: The livestock virus has been detected in Slovenia and 13 other European countries. France has reported the first known human infection, in a severely ill patient who later died; authorities say no risk to the general public has been identified, and investigations continue. Medical Research Waste: A study for Slovenia’s radioactive-waste agency found it may cost little extra to dispose of spent fuel from the TRIGA II research reactor alongside Krško plant fuel, rather than build a separate facility. TRIGA II produces isotopes for medical research and training.

Shamonda Watch: France has reported the first known human infection with the livestock virus after a severely ill patient died; investigators are still assessing whether the virus contributed. It spreads via biting midges and has been found in livestock in Slovenia and other European countries, but health authorities say the French case appears isolated and poses no identified risk to the public. Antibiotic Supply: Europe’s last fully integrated penicillin plant, in Austria, faces pressure from cheaper Chinese imports. Its closure could leave Europe more dependent on China for a key antibiotic, with potential consequences for healthcare supply across the region.

Emerging Infection: France has reported the first known human Shamonda virus infection, in a man who later died after a serious illness. The virus spreads among livestock via biting midges; French authorities and the WHO say no risk to the wider public has been identified, while investigations continue. Medicine Supply: Austria’s Sandoz plant, Europe’s last facility making penicillin from start to finish, faces pressure from cheaper Chinese imports. Its potential closure could leave Europe more dependent on overseas supplies of essential antibiotics. Cancer: Slovenia is among the European countries with the sharpest rises in breast cancer diagnoses among women under 50, according to new OECD and European Commission data. Across the EU, incidence in this age group rose 16% from 2000 to 2022.

Emerging Infection: France has reported the first known human case of Shamonda virus, usually found in livestock. The patient died, but officials say no risk to the general public has been identified; investigations continue, with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control monitoring the case. Cancer Trends: New European data show breast cancer diagnoses among women aged 15–49 rose across the EU from 2000 to 2022; Slovenia was among the countries with the sharpest increases. Medicine Supply: Europe’s last fully integrated penicillin plant, in Austria, faces pressure from cheaper Chinese imports. Its closure could leave Europe dependent on China for a key antibiotic and its ingredients. Food Safety: Austrian authorities warned against eating raw cherry tomatoes from two Sicilian regions after Salmonella outbreaks; 29 confirmed or probable cases have been reported in Austria.

Antibiotic Supply: Europe’s only fully integrated penicillin plant, in Austria, faces pressure from cheaper Chinese imports. Its possible closure could leave European health systems more reliant on China for essential antibiotics. Regional Pollution: Croatia’s parliament rejected a no-confidence motion over 37,000 tonnes of illegally dumped waste in Gospić; an initial report said some waste came from Slovenia, and tests found heavy metals and “forever chemicals” downstream. Cancer Trends: Slovenia is among European countries reporting one of the sharpest rises in breast cancer among women under 50, according to new OECD and European Commission data. Obesity Treatment: A European procedure has backed extending QSIVA to adolescents aged 12 and older with obesity. Slovenia is among the countries where national approval decisions are now expected.