7 days in healthcare (August 29th-September 4th, 2022)

 

Summary

From the point of view of Biomedicine, the great impact of the study by scientists from the University of Oviedo, who have studied the genes of a species of jellyfish, which incorporates rejuvenation elements in its life cycle, should be highlighted.

With regard to Global Health, historical decline in life expectancy in the United States, which went to 76 years in 2021, compared to 79 in 2019. The covid, the main responsible, although not the only one. Presumably we will see a similar phenomenon in Europe and in Spain.

Regarding International health policy, both the FDA and the EMA approve the covid vaccine boosters, despite some questions that have been pointed out by the journal Science. In the UK, long waiting lists in the public sector are leading to a boom in direct payment systems for healthcare.

If we talk about national health policy (Spain), the two most relevant issues are the approval of the bill that creates the Spanish Public Health Agency, subject to hearing and public information; and the draft Law on Abortion, which has very controversial elements, such as abortion in women aged 16-18 without information or parental consent; conscientious objection for doctors (on whose regulation the WTO has ruled negatively); the obligation to carry out this practice in public centers; and the dispensing of the morning after pill. Surprising statements by the President of the Community of Madrid, who attributes the shortage of doctors to the lack of Faculties of Medicine, contrary to what had been the opinion of the State Confederation of Medical Students and the Conference of Deans of Faculties of Medicine, with the support of the Forum of the Medical Profession. And the fact that only South Korea surpasses Spain in the ratio of Faculties of Medicine per million inhabitants.

In the field of companies, health has jumped into the metaverse with a business of 5,060 million dollars, although we will have to be very attentive to what we call metatarsus. HIPRA starts a trial to study its covid vaccine as a fourth dose.

Biomedicine

• The genes of a jellyfish show clues to rejuvenation. Important study by scientists from the University of Oviedo, cited by The Economist. These jellyfish are not immortal, they also die, but their life cycle has elements of rejuvenation (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2022/08/31/the-genes-of-a-jellyfish- show-how-to-live-forever

Global Health

• Heatwaves kill more Americans than hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods (https://www.economist.com/united-states/2022/09/01/heatwaves-kill-more-americans-than-hurricanes-tornadoes -and-floods)
• New center for therapies against pandemics in Australia. It is confirmed that it is more difficult to advance in treatments than in vaccines. While 21 covid vaccines have been licensed, treatments have been slower to develop. The center is made after a donation of 147 million pounds (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)01665-8/fulltext)
• Life expectancy in the United States: a historic setback. In 2021, life expectancy: 76 years; while in 2019 it was 79 years old. Covid, the main cause, but also deaths from accidents and overdoses (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/31/health/life-expectancy-covid-pandemic.html)
• The decline in life expectancy in the United States is especially pronounced among indigenous communities (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/31/health/life-expectancy-covid-native-americans-alaskans.html )

International health policy

• Monkeypox
  • More than 50,000 cases of monkeypox registered in the world, according to the WHO (https://www.lemonde.fr/sante/article/2022/08/31/plus-de-50-000-cas-de- variole-du-singe-enregistres-dans-le-monde-selon-l-oms_6139716_1651302.html)
  • The WHO believes that monkeypox can be eliminated in Europe, according to the Director General of the WHO office for Europe (https://www.abc.es/sociedad/cree-poder-eliminar-viruela-monkey -europe-after-20220830112651-nt.html)

• COVID-19
  • Paxlovid decreases deaths among older covid patients, an Israeli study reveals (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/30/health/paxlovid-efficacy-seniors.html)
  • Boosters for the omicron arrive, despite many questions, according to Science magazine, since there are no human trials for the BA.4/BA.5 variants, only on animals (https://www.science.org /content/article/omicron-booster-shots-are-coming-lots-questions)
  • The United States approves the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech omicron vaccine (https://www.ft.com/content/41937336-48b0-4a9a-bb20-6a91e6e91d0b)
  • The European Medicines Agency recommends the approval of boosters against omicron, also from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech (https://www.ft.com/content/73bd5c96-3576-4030-99a7-5ebe9865abb4)

• Controversial ruling in the USA: annulment Roe v Wade
  • Problems for pregnant patients in breast cancer and other cancers in the United States, according to the NEJM. 4% of breast cancers in women under the age of 45 are diagnosed in pregnant women (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2209249)
  • The Roe v Wade decision makes abortion pill providers want easier access (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/03/health/abortion-pill-access-roe-v-wade.html)

• Other themes
  • Waiting lists in the British NHS activate direct payment services in the UK (https://www.ft.com/content/81058c84-9b79-4e4d-927a-a85417b665de)
  • Italy recruits 497 Cuban doctors due to the shortage of health professionals. The agreement is between the region of Calabria and the Cuban government (https://www.eldiario.es/internacional/italia-recluta-500-medicos-cubanos-escasez-profesionales-sanitarios-sur-pais_1_9268242.html)
  • The telemedicine boom is opening access to treatment for mental illness (https://www.economist.com/united-states/2022/08/29/booming-telehealth-medicine-is-opening-access-to-treatment -for-mental-health)
  • Cybersecurity is becoming more and more of a concern in healthcare. According to a federal report, 40,099,751 medical records were stolen in the United States in 2021 (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2205144)

National health policy

• Monkeypox
  • Spain adds 6,459 cases of monkeypox with 3.4% of hospitalizations (https://www.lavanguardia.com/vida/20220826/8486041/espana-suma-6-459-casos-viruela-mono-3- 4-hospitalizations.html)
  • Experts are committed to mass screening to maximize the detection of monkeypox cases (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2022/08/31/630e463ffc6c83c37f8b45dc.html)

• COVID
  • September begins with the lowest number of admissions for covid (3,023 hospitalized), compared to 10,249 at the beginning of July (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2022/09/02/ 63120ff7fdddffc65f8b4581.html)
  • The Intensive Care Units are at a minimum number of patients admitted for covid during the pandemic: 210 throughout Spain (https://www.lavanguardia.com/vida/20220903/8500016/ucis-encuentran-minimos-toda-pandemia-210-pacientes -covid-spain.html)
  • The Ministry of Health will inoculate the fourth dose of the covid vaccine to the vulnerable at the end of September (https://www.elespanol.com/espana/politica/20220903/sanidad-inoculara-cuarta-covid-vulnerables-finales-septiembre/700430020_0. html)

• Spanish Public Health Agency
  • The text of the draft Law of the Spanish Public Health Agency is released for public hearing and information, the term is until September 9 (https://www.sanidad.gob.es/normativa/audiencia/home.htm)
  • The text of the bill appears (https://www.sanidad.gob.es/normativa/audiencia/docs/Anteproyecto_Agencia_Estatal_de_Salud_Publica.pdf)
  • Private healthcare wants to join the new Public Health Agency (https://www.epe.es/es/sanidad/20220830/sanidad-privada-agencia-estatal-salud-publica-14377082)

• New Abortion Law
  • The new Abortion Law begins its processing: the abortion of women aged 16-18 without the need for information or parental consent; conscientious objection for doctors; the obligation to carry out this practice in all public centers; and, the dispensing of the morning after pill, the most controversial issues (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/ley-del-aborto-aprobado-el-anteproyecto-que-inicia-su-tramite- parliamentary.html)
  • Doctors against the lists of objectors to abortion, propose that it be done the other way around, that lists of those willing to collaborate with this practice be made. Statements by Tomás Cobo, president of the Collegiate Medical Organization (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2022/09/02/630f536b21efa0a92c8b45bf.html)

• Other themes
  • Excess mortality in Spain triples the European average in August, according to the MOMO monitoring system (https://theobjective.com/sociedad/2022-09-01/exceso-mortalidad-agosto/)
  • The call for the MIR exam comes out: 11,171 places for specialized health training and exam on January 21 (https://www.consalud.es/especial-mir/mir-2023-sanidad-fija-examen-21-enero-oferta -11171-squares-fse_119704_102.html)
  • Statements by the President of the Community of Madrid: there are no doctors because there are no Faculties of Medicine (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/madrid/ayuso-no-hay-medicos-porque-faltan-facultades-de- medicine–2091)
  • Spain will lose 80,000 doctors due to retirement in the next decade (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20220828/espana-perdera-medicos-proximos-no-podra-reponer/698430453_0.html)
  • Extremadura bets on oppositions every two years (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/extremadura/ope-cada-dos-anos-para-potentiar-la-estabilidad-laboral-en-el-ses-7346)

Companies

• International News
  • BioNTech ensures that its vaccine is original and will vigorously defend itself (https://www.expansion.com/empresas/industria/2022/08/30/630db413e5fdea7e428b4623.html)
  • Takeda enters the global vaccine market, after the approval of the dengue vaccine (https://www.ft.com/content/e3bf8740-e239-4839-9dc5-0d01b49a67d5)
  • Health makes the leap in the metaverse with a business of 5,060 million dollars. This subsector is expected to reach 71,970 million in 2030, with an average annual growth rate of 34.8% (https://www.plantadoce.com/entorno/la-salud-da-el-salto-en-el- metaverse-with-a-5060-million-dollar-business.html)

• National News
  • HIPRA starts a trial to study its covid vaccine as a fourth dose (https://www.expansion.com/empresas/industria/2022/09/02/63104d2e468aeb6d788b457b.html)
  • Corus dental laboratories buy the Scandinavian company Nordentic, behind which they have the support of the Careventures fund (https://www.lavanguardia.com/economia/20220830/8491012/corus-integra-nordentic-llegara-180-millones.html)
  • Dorsia (a group specializing in plastic and aesthetic surgery, sexual health, psychology and psychiatry) speeds up after its sale to Peninsula Capital, expecting to end the year with a turnover of 165 million and twenty centers (https://www.plantadoce.com/ company/dorsia-accelerates-after-its-sale-to-grow-by-18-in-2022.html)