7 days in healthcare (July 11th-17th, 2022)

 

Summary

From the point of view of biomedicine, the finding that there are plans to produce vaccines in cases of pandemic in 100 days should be highlighted. If it is confirmed, it will be a positive consequence of the terrible covid pandemic, in the same way that wars sometimes produce technological advances.

With regard to Global Health, the efforts of the WHO to create a hub for the production of vaccines with mRNA technology in poor countries should be noted, given the failure of other initiatives, based more on goodwill than on realistic approaches.

As for International Health Policy, there is already evidence of the vaccines that have saved the most lives in the world. The first was that of AstraZeneca-Oxford, followed by that of Pfizer-BioNTech.

If we talk about National Health Policy (Spain), the wave of covid continues to grow, with an increased impact on hospitals, although it seems that we are already close to the “peak” of this wave. Plans for a new dose of the vaccine for those over 60 years of age. Important changes are announced in Madrid’s healthcare, given the seriousness of the problems in waiting lists, primary care and emergencies. Let’s hope that the plan is effective and does not remain in one more advertisement, to which we are so accustomed. It seems that the State Public Health Center will be created immediately, which is great news, if it is done well. The fact that it will not be an independent Agency (AIREF model) may lead to skepticism.

In the field of companies, it seems that a new pill is in sight, announced as almost miraculous, against obesity.

Biomedicine

• Published “World Population Prospects 2022”, by the United Nations (https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/sites/www.un.org.development.desa.pd/files/wpp2022_summary_of_results.pdf ). World population will reach 8 billion on Nov-22; 9.7 billion in 2050; and with a peak of 10.4 billion around 2080, remaining at that level until the end of the century. More than half of this growth will occur in 8 low-income countries, while in 61 countries the population will decline by 1%. (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)01323-X/fulltext)
• Long covid and apheresis, a more than debatable practice, without trials, only hypotheses. There is no evidence of benefits, just anecdotal reports. We all need hope, but sometimes hope can be dangerous (https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj.o1733)
• Producing pandemic vaccines in 100 days. This NEJM article explains how to go from the traditional vaccine production system (10 years), to what happened during covid (1 year) and how to achieve the 100-day deadline (https://www.nejm.org /doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2202669)
• Alcohol is never good for people under 40, according to a study by the Global Burden of Diseases (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jul/14/alcohol-is-never-good-for-people -under-40-global-study-finds)
• Adding salt to food can shorten years of life, according to a study of 500,000 Britons (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jul/11/adding-salt-table-food-linked-earlier -death-study)

Global health

• Nature: A vaccine hub for low-income countries. WHO initiative to produce mRNA vaccines in low-income countries, given the failure of “charity”. Issues over the global vaccine market, global trade rules, and intellectual property (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01895-6)
• The war in Ukraine. the devastation of health and human rights. Between February-24 and June-24, the WHO reported 323 attacks on health facilities, with 76 deaths and 59 injuries (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2207415)

International health policy

• Monkeypox
  • Demand for monkeypox vaccines exceeds supply, CDC says (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/15/health/monkeypox-vaccine-supply.html)

• COVID-19
  • The vaccines that saved the most lives. 1st: AstraZeneca-Oxford; 2nd Pfizer-BioNTech; 3rd Sinovac; 4th Moderna (https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/07/13/which-covid-19-vaccine-saved-the-most-lives-in-2021)
  • The covid pandemic is far from over, warns the WHO (https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2022/07/12/la-pandemie-de-covid-19-est-loin- d-etre-finie-avertit-l-oms_6134537_3244.html)
  • Variants of the “ómicron” drive up hospitalization for covid in Europe and the USA (https://www.ft.com/content/f4794ae3-70ec-436d-bf76-d89c114e93af)
  • The Centaurus variant spreads across India and part of Europe (https://www.ft.com/content/e45c2b0d-5c7f-4ae4-ac26-64cf8819b58a)
  • European health agencies support a second “booster” for those over 60 (https://www.ft.com/content/147f973a-cecb-4a3e-a82d-c53c894fda1b)
  • The “booster” will be extended to those over 50 in the UK (https://www.ft.com/content/83a3d181-8573-4d28-a2c9-24442ab0da0b)
  • The USA authorizes the Novavax vaccine, which uses a more classic technique than mRNA (https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2022/07/14/covid-19-les-etats-unis-autorisent-le -vaccin-novavax-qui-utilise-une-technique-plus-classique-que-l-arn-messager_6134696_3244.html)
  • The Novavax vaccine could cause severe allergic reactions, according to the EMA (https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2022/07/15/le-vaccin-de-novavax-pourrait-provoquer-des-reactions- allergiques-severes_6134897_3244.html)
  • Study shows vaccines can temporarily change menstrual cycle (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/15/well/live/covid-vaccines-periods.html)
  • China’s covid monitoring systems encounter public resistance (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/14/business/china-data-privacy.html)
  • Alert on the health of children, after the drop in vaccinations (https://www.ft.com/content/8d2e800a-1495-4bd1-9721-3ef656d25c79)

• Controversial ruling in the USA: annulment Roe v Wade
  • The American government warns pharmacies not to delay medication that can cause abortions (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/13/health/abortion-pills-pharmacies.html)

• Heat wave
  • Extreme heat suffocates Spain, France, Greece and Portugal and soon the United Kingdom (https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2022/07/15/des-chaleurs-extremes-font-suffoquer-l-espagne -la-france-la-grece-le-portugal-et-bientot-le-royaume-uni_6134937_3210.html)

• Other themes
  • NEJM magazine presents a new model of Value Based Healthcare, given that initiatives so far have not improved care; from “regressive” to “progressive”, they say (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2204749)
  • The EU presents a list of threats against health (https://diariofarma.com/2022/07/12/la-ue-prioriza-su-lista-de-amenazas-contra-la-salud)
  • New HIV law in Argentina (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)01324-1/fulltext)
  • The United Kingdom, behind the EU in the authorization of new medicines after Brexit (https://www.ft.com/content/75679552-8dba-4993-9b4d-ce0c5302928d)
  • Doctors strike is inevitable in UK, says new BMA chief (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jul/15/nhs-doctors-strike-is-inevitable-says-new- bma-chair)

National health policy

• Monkeypox
  • 388 more cases of monkeypox in three days, the country with the most cases worldwide (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2022/07/15/62d1928521efa0673b8b456f.html)

• COVID
  • Spain has three times more patients hospitalized with covid than a year ago, due to the seventh wave (https://www.elespanol.com/ciencia/salud/20220713/espana-veces-hospitalizados-covid-hace-roza-contagios/687181691_0 .html)
  • Latest incidence of COVID: 1,158.5 per 1,000 inhabitants (continues to rise, although possibly close to the peak) and 428 deaths in the last seven days (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/directo/coronavirus-ultimas-noticias/ 20220716)
  • The Ministry of Health gives an undated green light to the fourth dose of the vaccine, for those over 60 years of age (https://www.epe.es/es/sanidad/20220712/sanidad-cuarta-dosis-covid-mayores- 60-years-date-14060697)

• Heat wave
  • Deaths from the heat wave rise to 360, with 123 on Friday alone (https://theobjective.com/sociedad/2022-07-16/ola-calor-muertos/)

• Regulatory announcements
  • The Congress of Deputies validates the reform of the Framework Statute (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/el-congreso-de-los-diputados-convalida-la-reforma-del-estatuto-marco.html )
  • Public consultation of the amendments to the Guarantee Law, until July 31 (https://www.sanidad.gob.es/normativa/consultas/home.htm)

• Other themes
  • Madrid: primary care and emergencies, to the limit (https://elpais.com/espana/madrid/2022-07-14/radiografia-de-la-sanidad-en-madrid-atencion-primaria-al-limite-urgencies -about-to-collapse-and-59-of-private-hospitals.html)
  • Ayuso proposes a reform of the Madrid health system, based on primary care, emergencies and telemedicine (https://elpais.com/espana/madrid/2022-07-13/ayuso-plana-una-reforma-severa-y-profunda -of-the-health-system-madrilene.html)
  • The health PERTE begins with a tender of 81.5 million euros for personalized medicine (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20220714/perte-sanitario-comienza-convocatoria-millones-medicina-personalizada /687431443_0.html)
  • Sánchez announces the creation of the State Public Health Center for this month, although it is not yet known where, although Madrid has been ruled out (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/sanchez-anuncia-para-este- month-the-creation-of-the-state-center-of-public-health.html)
  • 72 MIR leave their Family place before starting the residency (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/medicina-familiar/profesion/72-mir-renuncian-su-plaza-de-familia-antes-incluso- start-residence.html)
  • The PP manages to introduce an increase in the number of positions for family doctors in the conclusions of the State of the Nation debate (https://www.eldiario.es/politica/debata-nacion-directo-14-de-julio_6_9169991_1092315. html)
  • Waiting lists in Spain trigger obesity operations in Turkey (https://theobjective.com/sociedad/2022-07-17/operacion-obesidad-turquia/)
  • Disappointment in Barcelona after the departure of Neurotech to Madrid (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/bisturi/-deception-en-barcelona-tras-la-marcha-de-neurotech-a-madrid-2824)

Companies

• International News
  • Merck MSD negotiates the purchase of the biotech company Seagen for 40 billion dollars (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/merck-msd-negocia-la-compra-de-la-biotech-seagen-por-40000- million-dollars.html)
  • GSK split will help overcome “perennial underperformance”, says boss (https://www.ft.com/content/77e0a8de-bbf6-4a2d-9918-a199c398626e)
  • A new pill, apparently miraculous, against obesity (https://www.ft.com/content/96a61dc0-249a-4e4e-96a2-2b6a382b7a3b)

• National News
  • Lilly increases its investment in research in 2021, with more than 56 million euros (https://elglobal.es/industria/lilly-espana-aumenta-inversion-investigacion-2021-millones-euros/)
  • Shared management of Adeslas and IMQ Seguros in the Basque Country (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/privada/gestion-compartida-adeslas-podra-adquirir-hasta-el-50-de-imq-2378)
  •  The pharmaceutical company Lácer receives binding offers for 500 million euros (https://www.eleconomista.es/capital-riesgo/noticias/11866132/07/22/Lacer-recibe-ofertas-vinculantes-de-compra-por-500 -millions.html)
  • Fundación La Caixa promotes 15 new biomedical projects to bring them closer to patients (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud/noticias/11861877/07/22/Fundacion-la-Caixa-impulsa-15-nuevos-proyectos-biomedicos -to-bring-them-to-the-patients.html)