124 countries adopt WHO pandemic agreement, US opts out, and other health stories

World Health Organization (WHO) Member States have formally adopted a global pandemic agreement, aiming to strengthen international cooperation and make the world safer from future pandemics.

Adopted by 124 countries at the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA) on 20 May, following three years of negotiations, the accord commits nations to stronger pandemic prevention, improved preparedness, and fairer access to vaccines, treatments and health data.

However, the United States - traditionally the WHO’s largest donor - did not participate in the final stages and will not be part of the agreement, raising questions about the pact’s global reach and effectiveness, according to Reuters.

Next steps include creating a system for sharing pathogens and benefits, and establishing a global supply chain network. Pharmaceutical companies will provide 20% of their pandemic-related production to the WHO for rapid distribution, prioritizing developing countries.

The World Economic Forum hosted its first Health Roundtable on the sidelines of the WHA to promote multi-stakeholder collaboration for global health security. In parallel, its Regionalized Vaccine Manufacturing Collaborative is working to strengthen regional vaccine supply chains and ensure equitable access during future health emergencies.

Speaking at the event, UNAIDS warned that recent funding cuts have already forced many community HIV organizations to scale back or shut down, putting vulnerable populations at greater risk. The agency called for the new WHO Pandemic Agreement to embed equity, innovation and community leadership at the heart of future health responses.

“The world is safer today thanks to the leadership, collaboration and commitment of our Member States to adopt the historic WHO Pandemic Agreement,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, calling it “a victory for public health, science and multilateral action”.

The Forum has held its first Annual Health Roundtable in Geneva, bringing together high-level leaders from government, the private sector, academia, and civil society to reimagine the future of global health.

Discussions spanned the promise of AI in healthcare, China’s biotech transformation, and the rising threat of antimicrobial resistance, with a strong call for localized implementation strategies.

Neurotechnology, brain health, and preventative care featured prominently, as did the urgent need to adapt health systems to climate-related risks and opportunities. Participants emphasized the need to shift from reactive to proactive models of care and to build resilience through innovation.

The Roundtable also addressed critical health access issues, including closing gaps in women’s health and non-communicable diseases, and advancing health data ecosystems for smarter, more inclusive care.

Leaders explored sustainable financing, regional vaccine manufacturing, and workforce wellbeing, stressing that collaboration across sectors is vital for lasting impact. As sessions on biosecurity and preparedness concluded, the message was clear: dialogue must now give way to coordinated, tangible action to build healthier, more resilient societies.

The Annual Health Roundtable has shown that the future of global health depends on our ability to act collectively, with urgency, innovation, and health for all at the core. While we must focus on advancing technology and policy, we must also build trust and partnerships that can deliver real change where it’s needed most.

The second Lancet Commission report on adolescent health warns that the world is failing its young people, with mounting threats from climate change, conflict, digital risks and deep funding cuts undermining hard-won gains in global health.

Despite some progress since the first Commission nine years ago, it describes the outlook for youth "in the post-SDG era" as increasingly "bleak" unless urgent, coordinated action is taken.

Key findings from the report include:

Despite these challenges, the Commission highlights a source of hope: young people themselves. Youth were deeply involved in shaping the report’s recommendations, it says, emphasizing that adolescence is a time for new ideas and bold solutions. The report urges governments and partners to take action now, with a focus on youth-led initiatives and international cooperation.

A new “ultra-rapid” genetic test developed by the University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust can diagnose brain tumour types in hours instead of weeks, researchers say. Described by surgeons as a “game changer” the method has been used successfully in 50 operations with a 100% accuracy rate, reports the BBC. The breakthrough could improve treatment for thousands of patients, with other NHS hospitals beginning to adopt the test.

A new generative AI model is being trained on anonymised NHS data from 57 million people in England, aiming to predict health outcomes such as hospitalization and heart attacks. Operating within the NHS England Secure Data Environment, 'Foresight' could transform patient care by enabling earlier interventions and advancing preventative healthcare at scale, researchers say.

An international study of 1,215 children across eight countries, published in Child Development, found that parental warmth during childhood strongly shapes young adults’ views of the world as good, safe and inviting. Factors like socioeconomic status, neighbourhood safety and harsh parenting had little impact on these core beliefs.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will require new clinical trials to approve annual COVID-19 boosters for healthy adults under 65, effectively limiting boosters to older and high-risk groups, reports Reuters. Officials noted in the New England Journal of Medicine that the benefits of repeated yearly shots for healthy adults remain uncertain.

Research published in the American Journal of Psychiatry found that a single dose of synthetic psilocybin - a psychedelic compound found in certain mushrooms - significantly reduced symptoms in people with severe, treatment-resistant depression, with effects lasting at least 12 weeks. Stronger psychedelic experiences were linked to greater improvement, though patients with PTSD benefited less.

Global health has improved in recent years, but progress is slowing and faces serious risks from climate change, ageing populations, rising diseases and widening healthcare disparities. Declining cross-border funding and geopolitical tensions add to the challenges, while stagnating health regulations threaten preparedness. New funding models, collaboration and long-term strategies are urgently needed to protect and advance hard-won health gains.

Climate change threatens 3.6 billion people and could cost global healthcare systems $1.1 trillion by 2050. How are key sectors measuring resilience and what steps are being taken to protect public health? Watch the full panel discussion from the 2025 Annual Meeting to find out: