7 days in healthcare (February 20th-26th, 2023)

Summary

From the point of view of Biomedicine, perhaps the most striking thing is that it is the 90th anniversary of the first transplant in humans, which took place in Kherson (Ukraine), a city that is so topical today due to the Russian invasion. It was a kidney transplant to a 26-year-old woman.

As regards Global Health, an important report on maternal mortality published by the United Nations. There is no decrease in frequency in recent years. Globally, 800 maternal deaths occur every day, a staggering figure. Cholera emerges globally, with outbreaks already in 30 countries, which indicates serious problems in water management and in the sanitary and hygienic conditions of the population.

Regarding International Health Policy, it seems that, despite the large outbreak of covid that occurred in China, after the abandonment of the covid-zero policy, this has not generated new variants of the virus. In the United Kingdom, conflicts persist in the NHS, with junior doctors joining the strikes. Important division in Colombia before the new health reform promoted by President Petro.

If we talk about National Health Policy (Spain), the cumulative incidence of covid continues to rise slightly, although mortality is decreasing. The medical conflict continues, both in Madrid and in other communities. The cost of putting a personal assistant to each Primary Care doctor is evaluated: 505 million euros. It’s a lot of money, but it’s possibly part of the solution. The pharmaceutical sector, with a large rise in 2022, consolidates as a large export sector in Spain.

At the Business level, internationally, Apple about to develop a smart watch that can detect blood glucose level, which can change diabetes management. Big Pharma is resisting at the international level that patents are expiring and giving way to generics, as reported by the Financial Times. It seems that Fresenius is going to concentrate on the area of hospitals and generics. In principle, the rumors of the possible sale of Quirón and the preparation of several private equity companies for this operation are dissipated. In Spain, significant increase in sales of Korian, Quirón and Asisa. BUPA and Mapfre alliance to sell certain insurance in some Latin American countries.

Biomedicine

• 90 years have passed since the first organ transplant (in Ukraine). On April 3, 1933, the first human transplant was performed in Kherson. It was a kidney transplant in a 26-year-old woman (https://www.alimente.elconfidencial.com/bienestar/2023-02-20/historia-primer-trasplante-urss-ucrania_3577955/)
• The Spanish drug that is activated by light and can be used against cancer. Initial work of the Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (CSIC) (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2023/02/23/63f647e9e4d4d83c148b4591.html)
• Symposium in Madrid at the Ramón Areces Foundation on experimental therapies with CAR-T. Some treatments against tumors with a very poor prognosis could be available in a few years (https://elpais.com/ciencia/2023-02-26/asesinas-naturales-la-nueva-arma-experimental-contra-el-cancer.html)

Global Health

• WHO funding and conflicts of interest. Problems with a donation from the Nestlé company. Only 16% of the WHO budget is covered by regular contributions from Member States. The rest by voluntary donations from Member States, United Nations agencies and private philanthropic organizations (https://www.bmj.com/content/380/bmj.p392)
• The Russian invasion in the Ukraine: an attack on health. After the invasion 7,155 civilians died and 11,662 wounded in Ukraine, although the real figures may be higher; 200,000 dead soldiers on both sides; million displaced persons and refugees (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)00387-2/fulltext)
• Health emergency in the indigenous Yanomani people in Brazil, with hundreds of preventable deaths, in many cases due to malnutrition (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)00384-7/fulltext)
• Maternal mortality is stagnating, according to a United Nations report published on February 23, 2023. 287,000 maternal deaths globally in 2020, which means 800 maternal deaths every day (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)00385-9/fulltext). To access the original report: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240068759
• Cholera emerges globally. There are cases in 30 countries. The occurrence of an outbreak indicates that something has gone wrong in the area with water management and basic sanitation (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)00386-0/fulltext)
• Mpox leads to severe, even fatal illness in people with advanced HIV (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/21/health/mpox-hiv.html)
• The cases of transmission of avian influenza to humans worry the WHO (https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2023/02/25/les-cas-de-transmissions-de-la-grippe-aviaire-aux-humains-concerned-l-oms_6163291_3244.html)

International Health Policy

• COVID
  • Why the rehabilitation of persistent covid must be very slow. It is estimated that 3% of the population suffers from this disease (https://www.ft.com/content/fb77b3ef-0ad6-4bc6-a44b-fd6e0bdfe846)

• USA
  • 12 States Sue FDA, Calling for Abortion Pill Restrictions to Be Lifted (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/24/health/abortion-pills-fda-lawsuit.html)

• China
  • Apparently, there are no new variants of covid in China, after the large growth of cases derived from the abandonment of the covid-zero policy (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)00268-4/fulltext)

• Serious NHS crisis in the UK
  • UK nurses stop strike to enter pay talks (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/feb/21/nurses-in-england-pause-strike-action-to-enter-intensive-pay-talks)
  • Junior doctors in England will go on strike for 72 hours in March (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/feb/20/junior-doctors-in-england-to-strike-72-hours-march-emergency-care-nhs)
  • A report says more funding is needed to alt the decline of public services (https://www.ft.com/content/c3aa192f-4b48-4d0f-b231-c7211128d038)

• France
  • Citizen convention on the end of life (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2023/02/26/convention-citoyenne-sur-la-fin-de-vie-les-doutes-par-dela-les-votes_6163348_3224.html)
  • Doctors warn about the disturbing progression of pancreatic cancer (https://www.lemonde.fr/sciences/article/2023/02/22/les-medecins-alertent-sur-l-inquietante-progression-du-cancer-du-pancreas_6162794_1650684.html)

• Colombia
  • Colombia, divided on the health reform. President Petro’s new bill (https://www.bmj.com/content/380/bmj.p411)

National health policy

• COVID
  • The cumulative incidence at 14 days rises to 56.30 points, but mortality decreases with 48 deaths in one week. There are currently 1,888 hospitalized for covid, of which only 95 are in ICU beds (https://www.consalud.es/industria/especial-empresas-covid-19/covid-espana-notifica-7038-casos-210-muertes-ia-go-up-to-5358-points_126517_102.html)

• Regulatory framework
  • New medical specialties in Emergencies, Genetics and Infectious diseases are announced by the Ministry (https://www.consalud.es/politica/darias-adelanta-se-crearan-especialidades-mir-urgencias-genetica-infeccosas_126628_102.html)

• Medical conflict in Madrid
  •  Three months of strike in Madrid (https://www.epe.es/es/sanidad/20230221/tres-meses-huelga-medicos-madrid-83315038)

• The medical conflict in other communities
  • A white tide of thousands of people cries out against the dismantling of Osakidetza (https://cronicavasca.elespanol.com/politica/marea-blanca-miles-personas-clama-contra-desmantelamiento-osakidetza_776360_102.html)
  • Some 4,000 Asturian healthcare workers  take to the streets demanding more contracts (https://www.lne.es/asturias/2023/02/26/sanitarios-asturianos-salen-calle-reclamar-83749266.html)

• Public healthcare
  • SERGAS is consolidated as a benchmark in digital innovation (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/galicia/sergas-se-consolida-como-referente-en-innivacion-digital-con-proyectos-como-ianus5-telea_126683_102.html)
  • The cost of implementing the clinical assistant in Primary Care: 505 million euros (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/medicina-familiar-y-comunitaria/dotar-de-un-asistente-a-cada-medico-of-family-cost-505-million-to-sns-1928)

• Health professions
  • Doctors request a specific framework in the Public Employee Statute (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20230220/medicos-especifico-statuto-empleado-publico-formacion-responsabilidad/742175921_0.html)

• Pharmaceutical policy
  • The export of medicines increases by 55% in 2022 and exceeds 27,400 million euros (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20230224/exportacion-medicamentos-aumenta-supera-millones-euros/743675934_0 .html)

Companies

• International News
  • Milestone in Apple: your smart watch will be able to detect blood glucose (https://www.eleconomista.es/tecnologia/noticias/12160930/02/23/Hito-en-Apple-contra-la-diabetes-su-reloj-intelligent-will-be-able-to-detect-glucose-in-blood-.html)
  • Smith & Nephew warns that the shortage of microchips still affects the medical industry (https://www.ft.com/content/54a4f238-b4ea-40d4-b6d6-ec0a60b27485)
  • The high price of Humira is considered a mistake, since it excludes many patients (https://www.ft.com/content/a8685c8d-60da-4fe8-9bba-ec1ba3bf62cc)
  • Big Pharma fights against the release of patents for the arrival of generics (https://www.ft.com/content/c5498e67-a48f-4adc-b85f-7bf1a0d400f6)
  • 3D printing of medical devices will be an industry worth almost 3,800 million euros in 2026 (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20230225/impresion-dispositivos-medicos-industria-millones/743925741_0.html )
  • Fresenius simplifies its structure and focuses on the area of hospitals and generics (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/fresenius-simplifica-su-estructura-y-se-focaliza-en-el-area-hospitalaria-and-of-generics.html)

• National News
  • Korian increases its sales in Spain by 50% until 2022, up to 98 million euros (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/korian-eleva-un-50-sus-ventas-en-espana-en-2022-upto-98-million-euros.html)
  • The ASISA Group continued to grow in 2022, increasing its premiums by 7% and its care activity by 10% (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/asisa-incrementa-sus-primas-un-7-en-2022-upto-1426-million-euros.html)
  • Bupa and Mapfre join forces to offer health insurance in Latin America (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/bupa-y-mapfre-se-alian-para-ofrecer-seguros-de-salud-en-latinoamerica.html)
  • Quirónsalud increases its revenue by 10% in 2022, up to 4,441 million euros (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/quironsalud-eleva-un-10-sus-ingresos-en-2022-hasta-4441-millones-de-euros.html)
  • Ribera grows in the Middle East with the second public-private hospital in Kuwait (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/ribera-crece-en-oriente-proximo-con-el-segundo-hospital-publico-privado-en-kuwait.html)
  • Valencian executives keep 25% of the Ribera group, which will be chaired by Alberto de Rosa (https://valenciaplaza.com/directivos-valencianos-se-quedan-un-25-del-grupo-ribera-que-presidira-alberto-of-pink)
  • Grifols changes president again and falls 6% on the stock market (https://elpais.com/economia/2023-02-22/grifols-cae-mas-de-un-6-en-bolsa-tras-la-replacement-of-its-executive-president.html)
  • Grifols pays 16 million to its American donors to withdraw the class action lawsuit (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud/noticias/12157199/02/23/Grifols-paga-16-millones-a-sus-donantes-Americans-to-drop-the-class-action-suit-.html)
  • DKV launches Activa, a new app to manage insurance (https://www.consalud.es/ecsalud/ehealth/dkv-lanza-activa-nueva-app-gestionar-tu-propio-seguro_126651_102.html)
  • Teladoc Health opens its first European R&D center in Barcelona (https://www.expansion.com/catalunya/2023/02/23/63f78941e5fdea273e8b4598.html)
  • Cosentino signs an agreement with those affected by silicosis to provide financial aid and avoid further lawsuits (https://www.eleconomista.es/industria/noticias/12158866/02/23/Cosentino-firma-un-acuerdo-con-los-affected-by-silicosis-to-give-financial-aid-and-avoid-more-lawsuits.html)