7 days in healthcare (August 21st-28th, 2022)

 

Summary

From the point of view of biomedicine, the very encouraging results of the polypill published by a Spanish group led by Valentin Fuster should be highlighted. The Economist underlines the great future of gene therapies in medicine, with a list of diseases for which there is a therapy or is in advanced study.

Regarding Global Health, The Lancet publishes a report with some conclusions and lessons regarding future pandemics.

As for International Health Policy, both monkeypox and covid are plummeting in Europe. The controversial annulment of the Roe v Wade ruling in the United States, which leaves the right to abortion to the criteria and regulation of the states, continues to be talked about. American companies, including Walmart, the largest American employer, introduce this benefit for women, regardless of the state where they work.

If we talk about National Health Policy (Spain), covid continues to drop and especially the number of cases in the ICU. The Government approves the bill that creates the Public Health Agency, probably the largest, if not the only, far-reaching measure after the pandemic. The text of the law is not yet public, and therefore important aspects such as governance and functions are not known. The location is not known either, although the Government has advanced that it would not be in Madrid, which is not without controversy either. Next week the government will approve the abortion law, according to a text promoted by Podemos.

In the field of companies, Moderna’s lawsuit against Pfizer and BioNTech has been shocked, which it accuses of plagiarism of its mRNA technology in the covid vaccine. Amazon closes its telecare service, which once again demonstrates the difficulties of the large technology platforms in finding an adequate strategy for health, a sector in which they want to be above all else. In Spain, the export of drugs manufactured in Spain grows by 60% in one year.

Biomedicine

• A Spanish group, led by Valentín Fuster, publishes in the NEJM the first results of a polypill (aspirin, angiotensin enzyme inhibitor and statin), useful in secondary cardiovascular prevention, reducing mortality after a heart attack by 33% (https ://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2208275)
• The Economist highlights how gene therapy is the new horizon of therapies in medicine (https://www.economist.com/briefing/2022/08/25/gene-therapies-must-become-miracles-of-medicine)

Global Health

• Fragmentation of information about outbreaks will lead to new pandemics (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-02268-9)
• The impact on the health system 6 months after the invasion of Ukraine (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)01635-X/fulltext)
• Perspectives of global pandemics, from the point of view of Public Health, mental health and lessons for the future (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)01328- 9/full text)
• Great contrast between the health systems of Nigeria and Ghana, in favor of the second country, with a much more holistic approach (https://www.ft.com/content/88ecd9f7-3bb5-45cc-9521-2cb6279ae04d)
• Tomato flu, the new infection that has appeared in India (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/enfermedades-infecciosas/gripe-del-tomate-la-nueva-infeccion-que-ha-aparecido-en -india.html)
• From drug prohibition to regulation: a public health issue (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)01060-1/fulltext)

International health policy

• Monkeypox
  • The number of monkeypox cases decreases in Europe (https://www.lemonde.fr/sante/article/2022/08/25/variole-du-singe-le-nombre-de-cas-baisse-en -europe_6139029_1651302.html
  • NEJM report on clinical aspects of monkeypox in 16 countries (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2207323

• COVID-19
  • Twice as many deaths from covid this summer as in 2021 in the UK (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/23/twice-as-many-people-died-with -covid-in-uk-this-summer-compared-with-2021)
  • Covid cases plummet in Europe (https://www.larazon.es/sociedad/20220826/kuic56svszbxleg6stmfjkvoxe.html)

• Controversial ruling in the USA: annulment Roe v Wade
  • Large US companies provide their employees with abortion coverage, regardless of state of residence. Among these companies is Walmart, the largest employer in the US, as well as Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Netflix, Disney, Citigroup, JP Morgan, Bank of America, Tesla, Uber, J&J, etc. (https://www.lavanguardia.com/internacional/20220822/8477059/gran-empresa-combate-fallo-aborto-estados-unidos.html)
  • Google will mark the facilities that perform abortions in the USA (https://www.consalud.es/pacientes/google-marcara-instalaciones-sanitarias-estados-unidos-efectuan-abortos_119461_102.html)

National health policy

• Monkeypox
  • Spain registers 6,284 cases of monkeypox (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2022/08/23/63050d13e4d4d8a1758b4576.html)
  • An article on sexual behavior and monkeypox in Spain was published in The Lancet (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)01497-0/fulltext)

• COVID
  • The incidence of covid drops to 162 (https://www.consalud.es/pacientes/especial-coronavirus/covid-19-espana-suma-9192-nuevos-casos-208-muertes-ia-baja-hasta-162_119469_102 .html)
  • The occupation of ICUs by covid, the lowest since the pandemic began (only 241 patients) (https://www.elespanol.com/ciencia/salud/20220826/espana-pacientes-covid-uci-cifra-empezo -pandemic/698430474_0.html)

• Regulatory announcements
  • The government approves the bill for the creation of the Public Health Agency. Contrary to what the 2011 Public Health Law says, the new body will not be a Center, but an Agency, with more autonomy, as requested by SESPAS and many other experts. The text of the bill has not been made public (https://diariofarma.com/2022/08/24/nace-la-agencia-estatal-de-salud-publica)
  • There are several candidate communities to have the headquarters of the new Public Health Agency (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/sanidad-hoy/agencia-estatal-de-salud-publica-una-sola-sede-y -six-nominations-5949)
  • War between Moncloa and Madrid over the headquarters of the new Agency (https://www.elmundo.es/espana/2022/08/23/6303d049e4d4d8f2418b45c9.html)
  • The government will approve the abortion law next Tuesday in an urgent and extraordinary way, to skip the report of the General Council of the Judiciary (https://www.elespanol.com/espana/tribunales/20220828/igualdad-convierte-aborto- urgent-extraordinary-skip-cgpj/698180565_0.html)

• Other themes
  • End to MIR vacancies with conformity of private hospitals (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/privada/la-privada-acepta-eliminar-el-model-en-el-que-el-hospital-elige-al-mir –1402)
  • Madrid seeks to become a world benchmark in neurotechnology (https://www.epe.es/es/sanidad/20220825/madrid-referente-mundial-neurotecnologia-14339033)

Companies

• International News
  • Moderna sues Pfizer and BionNTech for copying mRNA technology (https://www.ft.com/content/da808535-56b4-444e-b5a1-dd2f61b44a35)
  • Amazon closes its telecare service, changing its orientation towards healthcare. It seems that American companies had not shown much interest in this activity (https://www.ft.com/content/9b7cccf1-6f36-47fc-ba05-b37693a84219)
  • Amazon, among those interested in acquiring Signify Health (https://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-among-bidders-for-signify-health-11661123042)
  • Novartis will spin off generics company Sandoz, which will be the world’s largest generics company (https://www.ft.com/content/00a14f97-fa94-4d0b-a17e-9d7e5b876f4b)
  • Mergers and purchases in the pharmaceutical industry moved 25,000 million dollars in the second quarter of 2022, a great growth over the previous quarter (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20220827/fusiones-compras -pharmaceutical-industry-moved-millions-quarter/698430297_0.html)
  • Pfizer-BioNTech request authorization to distribute their vaccine for omicron in the EU and USA (https://cincodias.elpais.com/cincodias/2022/08/22/companias/1661183366_560210.html)

• National News
  • The export of Spanish drugs grows 60% in one year (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/industria/las-exportaciones-de-medicamentos-made-in-spain-crecen-mas-de-un- 9–9599)
  • PharmaMar antitumor sales grew by 15.7% (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud/noticias/11917751/08/22/Las-ventas-del-antitumoral-de-PharmaMar-crecen-un- 157.html)