7 days in healthcare (December 5th-11th, 2022)

 

Summary

From the point of view of Biomedicine, an emotional farewell in the New York Times of the “young” (81 years old), Anthony Fauci, who had such a presence in our homes throughout the years of the pandemic. Without a doubt, his scientific contributions are notable, but it is not a minor merit that he has contradicted President Trump on several occasions in the honest exercise of his office, something unusual in our environment. A new type of biomarkers seems to open the doors to the possible diagnosis of different types of cancer at an early stage with a simple blood test.

With regard to Global Health, to highlight the serious problems of diabetes, which continues to grow; and suicide, which is increasing markedly among young Americans, although, as the WHO says, it is in Africa where there are the highest suicide rates in the world.

Regarding International Health Policy, China continues to distance itself from the covid-zero policy, although we will see the increasing consequences of covid mortality. Labor problems continue in the NHS, with several strikes announced. Macron promises free condoms for minors and young people up to 25 years of age. Several initiatives in the field of health of the European Union, which makes health more and more a European Union policy, without prejudice to the fact that the management of national health services is the responsibility of the Member States.

If we talk about National Health Policy (Spain), in terms of covid, the incidence continues to decrease, what has not completely decreased is mortality (314 deaths in the last week). The strikes continue in the Primary Care of Madrid, without it seeming that the negotiations are progressing. The results of the Third Wave (2022) of the Health Barometer appear, which well deserves a careful analysis. Spain is the European Union country that performs the most instrumental deliveries, according to the “European Perinatal Health Report” (2015-2019).

In the field of Companies, at the international level, an important initiative by Pfizer to increase production in Europe, something necessary as seen during the pandemic and the difficulties for Europe to fully depend on production in Asia. Spin off of GE Healthcare from General Electric. Regarding national news, it should be noted that Blackrock increases its stake in Grifols.

Biomedicine

• Anthony Fauci writes in the NYT a message for the next generation of scientists. 81 years, 5 decades at the National Institutes of Health, he advised 7 American presidents. A long and productive career (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/10/opinion/anthony-fauci-retirement.html)
• A test detects 14 types of cancer in early stages with a simple blood test, potential for a new type of markers (https://elpais.com/salud-y-bienestar/2022-12-05/una-prueba- detect-14-types-of-cancer-in-early-stages-with-a-blood-test.html). Original study in Ann Oncol journal: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33506766/
• A study reveals genetic variants that predispose to the consumption of alcohol or tobacco (https://elpais.com/salud-y-bienestar/2022-12-07/un-estudio-desvela-variantes-geneticas-que-predisponen-al -consumption-of-alcohol-or-tobacco.html). original study in the journal Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05477-4
• Psychedelics open a new path in the treatment of mental pathologies (https://www.lavanguardia.com/vida/20221210/8635926/psicodelicos-abren-nueva-tratamiento-patologias-mentales.html)

Global Health

• Diabetes skyrockets among the youngest, there are twice as many as thirty years ago (https://www.elespanol.com/ciencia/salud/20221209/diabetes-dispara-jovenes-doble-enfermos-hace-anos/724427645_0 .html). Original article from the British Medical Journal: https://www.bmj.com/content/379/bmj-2022-072385
• Africa has the highest suicide rate on the planet, according to data published by the WHO (https://www.consalud.es/pacientes/tasa-suicidio-africa_123266_102.html)
• Suicide is increasing among young Americans, being the second leading cause of death between the ages of 10 and 18, after accidents (https://www.economist.com/united-states/2022/12/03/young-americans -increasingly-end-their-own-lives)
• Health crisis in Sri Lanka, including shortages of essential medicines (https://www.bmj.com/content/379/bmj-2022-073475)
• HIV is growing in Pakistan, one of the few countries in the Asia Pacific region where the incidence of HIV is increasing (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22) 02530-2/fulltext)

International Health Policy

• COVID19
  • Gavi (the non-profit entity that provides immunization to developing countries) has discontinued its collaboration with COVAX to distribute the vaccine in those countries. The reason given is that the demand for vaccines has plummeted (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/08/health/covid-vaccines-covax-gavi.html)

• mpox (monkey pox)
  • USA considers ending mpox alert in two months (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/02/us/politics/monkeypox-public-health-emergency.html)

• The crisis of the covid-zero policy in China
  • China is loosening its covid-zero restrictions, at high risk, The Economist editorial (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2022/12/07/china-is-loosening-its-covid-restrictions -at-great-risk)
  • China lifts covid restrictions on transportation, in an attempt to revitalize the economy (https://www.ft.com/content/990fff39-7f76-4cf5-b6aa-dc5c4517c8b1)

• United Kingdom
  • UK ministers refuse to negotiate pay terms, despite healthcare unions having offered to stop announced strikes in the NHS on the condition of pay negotiations (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/dec/ 11/nhs-strikes-nurses-pay)
  • Covid infections increase in England, just before Christmas (https://www.ft.com/content/502f9379-0137-4add-bb8e-ed24edb2adf5)
  • The NHS offers a pension scheme, in an effort to prevent worker flight (https://www.ft.com/content/bb25954f-3847-4d71-91b0-5f115ffd79e0)
  • Flu and other viruses put NHS waiting list in record numbers (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/dec/08/nhs-england-waiting-lists-flu-rsv-norovirus)

• France
  • Macron announces free condoms for young people between 18-25 years old (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2022/12/08/les-preservatifs-seront-gratuits-pour-les-18-25- ans-en-pharmacie-a-partir-du-1er-janvier-annonce-emmanuel-macron_6153538_3224.html) and then extends it to minors (https://www.lemonde.fr/sante/article/2022/12/ 09/les-preservatifs-seront-egalement-gratuits-pour-les-mineurs-a-partir-du-1er-janvier-annonce-emmanuel-macron_6153747_1651302.html)
  • Citizen convention for a calm debate on the end of life (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2022/12/09/fin-de-vie-la-convention-citoyenne-debute-ses- travaux-pour-permettre-d-apaiser-le-debat_6153606_3224.html)

• European Union
  • The European Union is armed to respond to the challenges beyond 2023, among other initiatives, the HERA, Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (https://elglobal.es/politica/la-union-europea-de- health-is-armed-to-respond-to-the-challenges-set-beyond-2023/). Access to the full report: https://health.ec.europa.eu/publications/state-health-preparedness-report_en
  • The EU recommends expanding cancer screening, until now screening was for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer. The extension affects lung, prostate and gastric cancers (https://www.europapress.es/eseuropa/noticia-ue-27-amplian-recomendacion-cribado-cancer-pulmon-prostata-gastrico-20221209133334.html)
  • The ECDC and the EMA join forces to reinforce the efficacy and safety of vaccines in Europe, through the Vaccine Surveillance Platform (VMP), an initiative of both agencies (https://elglobal.es/politica/el -ecdc-and-ema-join-alliance-to-strengthen-the-safety-and-efficacy-of-vaccines-in-europe/)

National health policy

• COVID
  • The incidence of the pandemic continues to drop, to 158 (14-day cumulative incidence per 100,000 inhabitants, among those over 60 years of age). 314 dead in a week. 4,167 patients admitted for covid, of which 243 are in ICU beds (https://www.consalud.es/pacientes/especial-coronavirus/datos-covid-espana-diciembre_123754_102.html)
  • The Ministry of Health maintains the mandatory mask in public transport (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2022/12/10/63947bfbfdddff403d8b45c1.html)

• Tensions in the public healthcare system in Madrid
  • Madrid Primary Care will maintain strikes until there is a real commitment to improve (https://www.elindependiente.com/espana/madrid/2022/12/10/la-atencion-primaria-madrilena-mantendra-los-paros -until-there-is-a-real-commitment-to-improvements/)

• Public healthcare
  • Dissatisfaction with public health is growing and half of Spaniards urge changes, according to the results of the Health Barometer (https://www.eldiario.es/sociedad/crece-insatisfaccion-sanidad-publica-mitad-espanoles-urge- changes_1_9770703.html). Access to the Health Barometer: https://www.sanidad.gob.es/estadEstudios/estadisticas/BarometroSanitario/Barom_Sanit_2022/TerceraOleada/cru3385creencias_terc_oleada_2022.pdf
  • According to the budgets for 2023, the increase in health spending in the autonomous regions remains below the growth of the CPI, in the midst of the Primary Care crisis (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2022-12-06/ the-increase-in-health-expenditure-of-the-autonomies-stays-below-the-cpi-during-the-primary-crisis.html)

• Health professions
  • Spain will have an excess of 31,700 doctors within 14 years, since more will be trained than those who retire (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20221211/espana-exceso-medicos-dentro- years-form-retire/715928495_0.html)
  • Aneca will accredit only 25% of the necessary teachers in 2022. The deans estimate that Spain needs to accredit some 319 associated professors every year and this year, at most, there will be 80 (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/medico-joven/grado/aneca-acreditara-en-2022 -only-a-25-of-clinical-teachers-who-need-medicine.html)

• Pharmaceutical news
  • The Government comes to the rescue of more than 2,000 rural pharmacies at risk of disappearing (https://www.epe.es/es/sanidad/20221202/gobierno-farmacias-rurales-riesgo-desaparecer-79395670)
  • The Ministry of Health lowers the price of 1,000 drugs and puts the supply of some essential drugs at risk (https://theobjective.com/sociedad/2022-12-05/riesgo-suministro-medicamentos/)
  • Shock plan of the Ministry of Health to curb spending on medicines (https://www.larazon.es/sociedad/20221206/mbr57cx5hzafjilvaxxvt5nmaa.html)

• Other themes
  • Spain is the country in Europe that performs the most instrumental deliveries, double the EU average (https://www.eldiario.es/nidos/espana-pais-europa-partos-instrumentales-practica-doble-media- european_1_9764621.html). To access the original document: https://www.europeristat.com/images/Euro-Peristat_Fact_sheets_2022_for_upload.pdf

Companies

• International News
  • Pfizer and BioNTech counter-sue Moderna over covid vaccine patents (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/pfizer-y-biontech-counter-sue-moderna-por-las-patentes-en-la-vacuna -of-covid-19.html)
  • Pfizer will invest 2,500 million dollars in expanding its manufacturing in Europe (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/pfizer-invertira-2500-millones-de-dolares-en-expandir-su-fabricacion-en-europe. html)
  • AstraZeneca closes the purchase of the biotech Biogene for 320 million dollars (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/astrazeneca-cierra-la-compra-de-la-biotecnologica-neogene-therapeutics-por-320-millones -of-dollars.html)
  • Pfizer and GSK develop antibiotics due to the loss of current efficacy (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud/noticias/12072249/12/22/Pfizer-y-GSK-desarrollan-antibioticos-ante-la-perdida- of-current-efficiency.html)
  • The General Electric board of directors authorizes the spin-off of GE Healthcare (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud/noticias/12070864/12/22/La-junta-directiva-de-General-Electric-autoriza-la- spin-off-from-GE-Healthcare.html)

• National News
  • Viamed changes its laboratory provider and entrusts its management to Synlab (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/viamed-cambia-de-proveedor-para-sus-laboratorios-y-confia-la-gestion-a- synlab.html)
  • HM Hospitales starts up the works at the Sant Jordi Clinic (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/hm-hospitales-pone-en-marcha-las-obras-de-la-clinica-sant-jordi. html)
  • Blackrock increases its stake in Grifols by 4% (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/blackrock-incrementa-a-un-4-su-participacion-en-grifols.html)
  • Ribera invoiced 30% more in 2021 and comes out of losses (https://cincodias.elpais.com/cincodias/2022/12/06/companias/1670334972_578441.html)

This post is also available in: Spanish