7 days in healthcare (October 17th-23rd, 2022)

 

Summary

From the point of view of biomedicine, the announced “vaccine against cancer” should be highlighted, which could be prepared before 2030. Although not strictly a vaccine, it represents a promising treatment against this disease based on mRNA technology, the same used for covid vaccine.

Regarding Global Health, an important announcement by the WHO about the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle, which could produce 500 million chronic patients in 2030. The WHO dedicates 2,600 million in its next strategy 2022-2026 for the eradication of polio .

Regarding international health policy, an important debate introduced by The Economist on the massive use of antidepressants, when only in 15% of cases do they have an effect other than placebo. Opioids in the United States and antidepressants worldwide are examples of the misuse of medications, which can lead to, and in many cases lead to, health problems. The post-pandemic horizon has generalized a hybrid work model (face-to-face and online) for office professionals.

If we talk about national health policy (Spain), the pressure on hospitals due to covid remains low, despite a slight rise in this disease. Intense debate on the flight of Spanish doctors to other countries, attracted by better salary and professional conditions. No matter how much the number of MIR vacancies and Faculties of Medicine increases, the problem will not be solved if working conditions are not acted upon. Teleconsultations seem to consolidate in Primary Care, already being more than 50% of the visits. The Trans law is the subject of great controversy. Most psychiatrists and psychologists, against. Obviously, we are in favor of the position of the WHO by removing from the list of diseases already in 2018 these cases of having a gender identity other than biological sex and wanting to change the morphology of their body. We welcome that there is a law on the subject as in most Western civilized countries. But one thing is that and another that 14-year-olds can choose sex without a psychological evaluation carried out by experts, who can rule out cases. Irreversible problems may occur. There is a certain consensus that the current wording of the law does not sufficiently protect minors.

In the field of companies, at the international level, we must welcome the first agreement with a pharmaceutical company (Novartis) to produce an anticancer drug as a generic that is still protected by patent, for its production in developing countries. As far as Spain is concerned, the continuous growth of health insurance should be highlighted, which in 2022 until September grows considerably more than the insurance as a whole.

Biomedicine

• Scientists develop more accurate predictive test for cervical cancer (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/oct/19/scientists-develop-more-accurate-predictive-test-for-cervical-cancer)
• The “cancer vaccine” could be developed before 2030, according to the Turkish-born German scientists who founded BioNTech, Ugur Sahin and Özlem Türeci. Actually, despite its name, it is a treatment based on mRNA technology (https://www.elespanol.com/ciencia/salud/20221017/vacuna-cancer-podria-lista-cientificos-fundadores-biontech/711179051_0. html)
• Biomedical R&D advances after the pandemic, the pharmaceutical industry has 8,000 drugs under investigation (https://www.farmaindustria.es/web/otra-noticia/la-id-biomedica-avanza-tras-la-pandemia- the-pharmaceutical-industry-has-8,000-drugs-under-investigation-10-of-them-for-rare-diseases/)
• The five signs that herald Alzheimer’s (data published in The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association) (https://www.elespanol.com/ciencia/salud/20221020/alzheimer-signos-anuncian-anos-sufrirlo-neurologos-cambridge/ 711678968_0.html)

Global Health

• The COP27 conference on climate change. Urgent action is needed for Africa and the world (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2213503)
• The WHO warns of the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle: 500 million new chronic patients in 2030 (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2022/10/19/634fd00321efa01c328b45cc.html)
• The WHO Strategy to eradicate polio, plans to invest 2,600 million dollars in the 2022-2026 Strategy (https://www.who.int/es/news/item/18-10-2022-global-leaders- commit-usd-2.6-billion-at-world-health-summit-to-end-polio)
• The need for early warning systems for disasters. A United Nations report says that less than half of underdeveloped countries have disaster warning systems. Between 2015 and 2021 there were 300,000 deaths from disasters and more than 1 billion people affected (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)02027-X/fulltext?rss=yes)

International health policy

• COVID-19
  • In Europe, covid has meant an unprecedented drop in life expectancy for 70 years (https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2022/10/23/en-europe-le-covid- 19-a-entraine-une-baisse-de-l-esperance-de-vie-sans-precedent-depuis-soixante-dix-ans_6146978_3244.html)
  • Europe: COVID variants will increase cases this fall (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2022/10/21/6352cdf8fdddff82b88b45a3.html)
  • More than 2 million people in the UK had covid in early October, as the flu rises (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/21/more-than-2m-people-in-uk -had-covid-in-early-october-as-flu-cases-rise)
  • Lingering covid is said to mostly affect middle-aged women, but the data doesn’t say that (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/oct/14/long-covid-care-access)
  • In America and Eastern European countries, covid 19 behaved worse in 2021 than in 2020 (https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/10/20/in-america-and- eastern-europe-covid-19-got-worse-in-2021)

• The debate on the use of antidepressants
  • The Economist criticizes in an editorial and in a long article the abusive use of antidepressants. Only 15% of new generation antidepressants have an effect other than placebo. Medication is recommended to be reserved for severe depression only (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2022/10/19/most-people-on-antidepressants-dont-need-them) (https://www.economist .com/science-and-technology/2022/10/19/how-to-make-better-use-of-antidepressants)

• Other themes
  • Thousands of pharmacies in the United Kingdom at risk of closing due to inflation, according to a report by the NPA (National Association of British Pharmacies) (https://elglobal.es/farmacia/miles-de-farmacias-britanicas-en- risk-of-closure-due-to-inflation/)
  • The British NHS on the verge of collapse due to the exodus of hospital doctors, warns the British Medical Association, since in a survey 4 out of 10 are considering leaving the NHS or taking a break (https://www.bmj.com /content/379/bmj.o2465)
  • Medical teleconsultation booths: a novelty in France with uncertain success (https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2022/10/21/les-cabines-de-teleconsultation-medicale-une-nouveaute-au -success-uncertain_6146734_3234.html)
  • Post-pandemic horizon: it is generalized as a norm for office professionals hybrid work model: face-to-face and online (https://www.ft.com/content/91899837-0fc7-4fe8-9581-60517d85399b)

National health policy

• COVID
  • Experts warn of a rise in covid in the next 3-4 weeks (https://www.lavanguardia.com/vida/20221022/8577209/expertos-avisan-subida-covid-proximas-3-4-semanas. html)
  • Hospital pressure due to covid remains low: 2.78% of beds occupied by covid nationwide and 1.99% of ICU beds (https://www.sanidad.gob.es/profesionales/saludPublica/ccayes /alertasActual/nCov/documentos/informe_covid_es_publico_2022-10-21.pdf)
  • Spain eliminates health control for travelers from outside the EU and Schengen (https://www.epe.es/es/sanidad/20221020/espana-elimina-control-sanitario-viajeros-paises-externos-ue-77474332)

• Flu
  • The flu is already an epidemic in Spain, three months earlier than usual. The incidence exceeds 50 cases per 1,000 inhabitants (https://www.elindependiente.com/vida-sana/salud/2022/10/18/la-gripe-ya-es-epidemia-en-espana-tres-meses- earlier-than-usual/)

• Health professions
  • The flight of at least 18,000 doctors in 10 years aggravates the shortage of specialists in Spain. There is an Association of Spanish Doctors in Europe (https://elpais.com/educacion/universidad/2022-10-17/la-fuga-de-al-menos-18000-licenciados-en-medicina-en-diez-anos -aggravates-the-deficit-of-specialists-in-spain.html)
  • Editorial of El País: Flight of doctors. “If working conditions are not acted upon, it will be difficult to stop the bleeding”, it is not enough to only increase the number of MIR positions and the number of Faculties (https://elpais.com/opinion/2022-10-17/fuga-de -doctors.html)
  • The fever to open Medicine degrees: from 28 to 50 titles in just 15 years (https://elpais.com/educacion/2022-10-22/la-fiebre-por-abrir-grados-de-medicina-de -28-to-50-titles-in-15-years.html)
  • Article by the President of the Collegiate Medical Organization: “The complex problem of the lack of doctors in Spain”. It asks to advance in the analysis of medical demography in Spain through the registration of professionals and to take into account that although many leave, others enter from abroad (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/opinion/tomas-cobo- 4576/the-complex-problem-of-the-lack-of-doctors-in-spain-3518)
  • Oncology will need 110 new specialists a year to cover retirements (https://gacetamedica.com/investigacion/la-oncologia-necesitara-110-especialistas-nuevos-al-ano-para-cover-las-jubilaciones/)

• Public health system
  • Teleconsultation in Primary Care, is it here to stay?: 53% of consultations in 2021 were online, according to the SIAP, published by the Ministry of Health (https://www.consalud.es/profesionales/teleconsulta -has-arrived-to-stay-exceed-50-medical-appointments-in-primary_121506_102.html)

• Controversy over caesarean sections
  • Possible abuse of caesarean sections, the map in Spain. 28 public and private hospital centers exceed the 45% rate of caesarean sections over total deliveries. Although there is no ideal cesarean rate, the WHO recommended around 15% of deliveries (https://www.eldiario.es/sociedad/mapa-tasa-cesareas-espana-hospitales-abusan-partos-quirurgicos_1_9545161.html )

• Regulatory changes
  • Most psychiatrists and psychologists against the Trans law, arguing that it withdraws psychological evaluations carried out by experts, who in many cases can rule out cases. The rule would allow minors to request a change of sex from the age of 14 (https://www.elmundo.es/papel/historias/2022/10/17/634d620ffc6c832b568b45b4.html)

• Other themes
  • 63% of the clinical trials carried out in Europe are carried out in Spain (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud/noticias/11990709/10/22/El-63-de-los-ensayos- clinics-that-are-developed-in-Europe-are-carried-out-in-Spain.html)
  • Sant Pau de Barcelona will remodel a pavilion to house digital health companies (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/sant-pau-de-barcelona-remodelara-un-pabellon-para-albergar-empresas-de-salud -digital.html)

Companies

• International News
  • Covid Vaccine Manufacturers Suffer Drop in Revenue as Demand Falls (https://www.ft.com/content/e4cea6be-2e96-4458-a441-56fa79c7203e)
  • First agreement to produce generics of a cancer drug (nilotinib), between the Medicine Patent Pool (MPP), a public health organization supported by the UN, and Novartis. The novelty is that it is a medicine still protected by patent and the generic may be produced in developing countries. It is believed that it is a path that other companies will follow (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2022/10/22/63525b40fc6c835a688b45dd.html)
  • The EU accuses the pharmaceutical company TEVA of illegal practices to curb competition from a generic (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2022-10-19/la-ue-accusa-a-la-farmaceutica-teva-de -illegal-practices-to-stop-the-competition-from-generics-to-its-star-drug.html)
  • The pharmaceutical company Novartis, with 14 approved medicines, leads the approval of medicines in the last 5 years, behind it is MSD (11), Roche (10), Sanofi (9), Pfizer (8) and Lilly (8) (https: //www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20221019/farmaceutica-novartis-lidera-aprobaciones-medicamentos-ultimos-anos/711679115_0.html)

• National News
  • Health insurance billing grew by 7.5% until September, while insurance as a whole rose by 5.7%, according to data from UNESPA (https://www.actasanitaria.com/breves/facturacion-seguro- health-grows-73-until-september_2003874_102.html)
  • Elliott Investment, a fund, acquires a minority stake in Fresenius and Eugin (https://www.plantadoce.com/company/elliott-acquires-a-minority-stake-in-fresenius-and-eugin.html)
  • Novartis puts its historic headquarters in Barcelona up for sale due to teleworking (https://cincodias.elpais.com/cincodias/2022/10/18/companias/1666115353_987889.html)
  • Grifols faces a million-dollar demand from 54,000 donors in the USA and falls on the Stock Market (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud/noticias/12000697/10/22/Grifols-se-enfrenta-a-una-demanda- millionaire-of-54000-donors-in-USA-.html)
  • Vodafone will enter the health business hand in hand with CASER (https://www.elindependiente.com/economia/2022/10/20/vodafone-se-adentrara-de-la-mano-de-caser-en -the-health-business/)