7 days in healthcare (December 9th-15th, 2024)

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Summary

The most impactful news in health this week were:

  • Biomedicine: In the United Kingdom, cancer vaccines produced by BioNTech are being tested in 30 NHS hospitals.
  • Global health: The incidence of colon cancer is increasing among young people in Western countries, although not in Spain.
  • International health policy: The Institut Pasteur presents a report on Covid-19 mortality in 30 Western countries.
  • National health policy: The government presents the Strategic Plan for the Pharmaceutical Industry. Its appearance is celebrated by the three pharmaceutical industry associations: Farmaindustria, AESEG and BIOSIM.
  • Companies: KKR puts a price on its fertility empire: 3.6 billion euros.

Biomedicine

  • mRNA vaccines against cancer are already being tested. The rapid evolution of cancer vaccines in the United Kingdom. In the UK, 30 NHS hospitals are already testing mRNA vaccines, produced by the German company BioNTech

Global Health

  • The incidence of colon cancer is increasing among young people. The incidence of colon cancer is increasing among young people in Western countries, although not in Spain.

International health policy

  • More than 75 Nobel Prize winners (in medicine, chemistry, economics and physics) address the Senate to ask that Robert Kennedy (RFK) not be ratified as health secretary, who they present as a follower of conspiracy theories.
  • Robert Kennedy’s (RFK) lawyer addresses the FDA to revoke approval of the polio vaccine, which for decades has protected millions of people from a disease that can cause paralysis or death.
  • NHS spending on new drugs not the best use of money, says a report, which believes that it would have been better to have spent this money on existing services. The problem is spending on new drugs, which forces resources to be redirected.
  • Covid-19 at five years, data from European countries that have performed best in terms of mortality. This work by the Institut Pasteur analyses excess mortality in 30 Western European countries between January 2020 and June 2022. The countries with the highest mortality in relation to the population are: Italy, Belgium, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.

National Health Policy (Spain)

  • The government presents the Strategic Plan for the pharmaceutical industry. The most surprising thing is that it is welcomed positively by the three employers’ associations of the pharmaceutical industry: Farmaindustria, AESEG and BIOSIM, although we know that there are differences between them.
  • The Health Ministry will send the pending chapters of the Framework Statute to the unions this week. Surprisingly (or not), it is not sent to the professional and patient representation, as if it were not their business. It is known that it is easier to negotiate with the union representation.
  • Catalonia will design its new pharmaceutical policy. The new Comprehensive Plan for Drug Policy (Pipmed), which seeks to address future challenges in the field of medicine. A participatory process is currently underway to involve health professionals.
  • Co-payment in health will be decided at the great assembly of the PNV. This will be decided at the IX General Assembly of the PNV. It seems positive that the issue of co-payment in the system is being reconsidered in a rational way, but the presentation to an Assembly almost prejudges the negative result of the consultation.
  • 212 professionals are left without a permanent position due to their level of Catalan. According to El Mundo, the Generalitat refuses to stabilise these interim professionals by declaring them linguistically unfit. If this were the case, it is serious. It is happening at a time when complaints are being made by the Catalan Administration itself about the lack of professionals and the authorisation of non-EU doctors is being urged. Incredible.
  • The government is committed to presenting a new MUFACE tender before the end of the year.

Companies

  • International
    • KKR puts a price tag on its fertility empire: 3.6 billion euros.
  • National
    • Hospitén has plans to continue growing in Spain and Latin America.
    • Sanitas launches health insurance for disabled people for between 25 and 57 euros.

Biomedicine

Global Health

International health policy

National health policy

Companies

 

This post is also available in: Spanish