7 days in healthcare (July 17th-23rd, 2023)

 

Summary

From the point of view of Biomedicine, important editorial and several articles in The Economist on the problems of reproduction and in vitro fertilization. Since this technique began, 45 years ago, more than 12 million children have been born thanks to it. The issue is extremely important considering that one in six people suffer from infertility. IVF is experiencing an extraordinary “boom”. Important article from The New York Times on the demographic changes that will give rise to a whole new world in terms of population distribution. Some skepticism about the effects of Donamebad on the evolution of Alzheimer’s.

When it comes to Global Health, The Economist looks at why the malaria vaccine has taken so long to develop. This is apparently due to cycle changes of the Plasmodium parasite. Singapore is a world leader in the marketing of cultured meat, which is possibly called to change many things in our eating habits.

Regarding International Health Policy, the WHO in its weekly covid monitoring newsletter on covid warns that, although the number of new cases and mortality are falling, this disease continues to be a threat, which requires maintenance of surveillance systems and periodic reports. The National Health Service, despite its deep crisis, continues to be a benchmark in terms of reflections on health and health systems. This time the King’s Fund is publishing a report on the kind of participatory leadership needed in the healthcare system.

If we talk about National Health Policy (Spain), we want to highlight the interesting book “Conversations for better health”, which consists of deep and nuanced reflections on many topics, carried out by two consolidated values in Spanish healthcare arena (Jesús María Fernández Díaz and José Martínez Olmos): the importance of Public Health, the need for the Public Health Agency, the opacity of our system in terms of information on results and quality, financing, co-payment, the challenges of Primary Care, the necessary new care model, the contributions of digital health, etc. When improvisations and light comments abound, often made from advertising or simple communication, this conversation between two experienced experts, who treasure experience and knowledge, is a must read. It can be purchased on Amazon.

In the field of Companies, internationally, there are two great opportunities for the pharmaceutical industry, one in the short term, such as all medications against obesity and Alzheimer’s, and another in the longer term, such as anti-aging therapies.

Biomedicine

• New horizons for fertility
  • Improving the way children are made. In vitro fertilization began 45 years ago, through which 12 million children have been born. Children conceived by IVF are as healthy as the others. The issue is critical when one person in six suffers from infertility (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/07/20/making-babymaking-better)
  • The lack of basic research has hampered the development of assisted reproduction (https://www.economist.com/technology-quarterly/2023/07/17/lack-of-basic-research-has-hampered-assisted-reproduction)
  • The fertility sector is growing rapidly (https://www.economist.com/technology-quarterly/2023/07/17/the-fertility-sector-is-booming)
  • New ways of making babies are on the horizon (https://www.economist.com/technology-quarterly/2023/07/17/new-ways-of-making-babies-are-on-the-horizon)
  • In vitro fertilization is struggling to keep up with demand (https://www.economist.com/technology-quarterly/2023/07/17/in-vitro-fertilization-is-struggling-to-keep-up-with-demand)
  • Not all types of families have access to IVF (https://www.economist.com/technology-quarterly/2023/07/17/not-all-types-of-families-can-access-ivf#)

• Other themes
  • How a broad demographic shift will reshape the world (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/07/16/world/world-demographics.html)
  • Editorial de The Lancet: Genomic screening of newborns. 60 years ago this possibility began with the diagnosis of phenylketonuria. Now there are many more possibilities, but the topic requires development (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)01513-1/fulltext)
  • Donamemab leads to modest slowdowns in the evolution of Alzheimer’s (https://www.bmj.com/content/382/bmj.p1659#:~:text=Overall%2C%20people%20treated%20with%20donanemab,experienced%20a%2013%20point%20decline.)
  • Biologics enter COPD (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe2305752)
  • Half of the new medicines put on the market do not add value over existing therapies (https://www.lemonde.fr/sante/article/2023/07/21/la-moitie-des-nouveaux-medicaments-mis-sur-le-marche-n-ont-pas-de-valeur-therapeutique-ajoutee_6182838_1651302.html)
  • The pill from Harvard University and MIT that can reverse the effects of age (https://www.elconfidencial.com/tecnologia/novaceno/2023-07-18/pastilla-antienvejecimiento-mit-harvard_3702228/). Original article: https://www.aging-us.com/article/204896/text

Global Health

• The reasons why malaria vaccine development has taken so long. This is due to the multiple cycles of the Plasmodium parasite. Malaria kills about 500,000 children under the age of five each year (https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2023/07/18/why-developing-the-worlds-first-malaria-vaccine-has-taken-so-long)
• Singapore is the world leader in selling cultured meat (https://www.economist.com/asia/2023/07/20/singapore-is-the-world-leader-in-selling-cultivated-meat#)
• The WHO reports new cases of avian influenza in mammals in Poland (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2023/07/17/64b51756fdddffd89e8b4593.html#)

International Health Policy

• COVID19
  • Weekly covid report published by the WHO, July 20, 2023. While the five regions have shown a decrease in cases and deaths, the Western Pacific region has shown an increase in deaths, with a decrease in cases. Covid remains a major threat. Maintaining surveillance and reporting is critical (https://reliefweb.int/report/world/covid-19-weekly-epidemiological-update-edition-151-published-13-july-2023)

• China
  • A clue to know the covid mortality ratio in China (https://www.economist.com/china/2023/07/20/a-clue-to-chinas-true-covid-19-death-toll)

• United Kingdom and National Health Service
  • Consultants (Heads of Hospital Departments) in England ready to go on strike in August (https://www.bmj.com/content/382/bmj.p1650)
  • King’s Fund Major Publication: The Practice of Collaborative Leadership (https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/practice-collaborative-leadership)
  • Conservative promise to build 40 hospitals (made by Boris Johnson), will fail (https://www.ft.com/content/c8c75537-b32d-4113-91c2-e9e2fa86ccd5)

National health policy

• Conversations for better healing
  • Two consolidated figures in Spanish healthcare (Jesús María Fernández Díaz and José Martínez Olmos) published a book “Conversations for better healthcare”. Key issues are dealt with rigor and depth (https://www.amazon.es/Conversaciones-para-una-sanidad-mejor-ebook/dp/B0C9SHBK5K)

• Public healthcare
  • The new Valencian government announces a fast and rigorous audit to decide on reversions (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/c-valenciana/carlos-mazon-reversiones_132599_102.html)

• Pharmaceutical policy
  • Justice tombs REvalMed by annulling the plan for the consolidation of the IPT (https://diariofarma.com/2023/07/22/la-justicia-tumba-revalmed-al-anular-el-plan-para-la-consolidacion-del-ipt#:~:text=La%20Audiencia%20Nacional%20(AN)%20ha,un%20recurso%20interpuesta%20por%20Farmindustry.)

• Self-care in prevalent pathologies
  • The SEMI (Spanish Society of Internal Medicine) publishes a report on self-care in prevalent pathologies (https://www.diariomedico.com/farmacia/comunitaria/difundir-pautas-de-autocuidado-en-patologias-prevalentes-responsabilidad-de-medicos-y-farmaceuticos.html?check_logged_in=1)

Companies

• International News
  • Live 120 years, the coming economic hit (https://elpais.com/economia/negocios/2023-07-15/vivir-120-anos-y-con-buena-salud-el-pelotazo-economico-que-viene.html#)
  • Novo Nordisk entered 8 billion in 2022 for Ozempic, the weight loss drug investigated by the EMA (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20230717/novo-nordisk-ingreso-millones-ozempic-farmaco-perder-peso-investiga-ema/778672322_0.html#:~:text=Of%20made%2C%20in%202022%20were,more%20famous%20sold%20in%20Spain.)
  • Novartis earns 17.8% more in the first semester, up to 4,6 billion dollars (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/novartis-gana-un-178-mas-el-primer-semestre-hasta-4600-millones-dolares.html)
  • Lilly boosts its portfolio of drugs against obesity with the acquisition of Versanis (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/lilly-impulsa-su-cartera-de-medicamentos-contra-la-obesidad-con-la-acquisicion-de-versanis.html)
  • Gilead, accused of slowing down a promising therapy against HIV (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/22/business/gilead-hiv-drug-tenofovir.html)

• National News
  • Donte Group increases its turnover by 21% in 2022, up to 338.5 million euros (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/donte-group-aumenta-un-21-su-facturacion-en-2022-hasta-3385-millones-de-euros.html)
  • Viamed Aragón plans to increase its sales by 7% in 2023, to more than 25 million euros (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/viamed-aragon-preve-eleva-un-7-sus-ventas-en-2023-hasta-mas-de-25-millones-de-euros.html)
  • The European Parliament supports the plasma regulation that favors Grifols (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud/noticias/12374837/07/23/la-eurocamara-respalda-la-normativa-del-plasma-que-favorece-a-grifols.html)