7 days in healthcare (July 18th-24th, 2022)

 

Summary

From the point of view of Biomedicine, it is worth highlighting the finding published by “Science” that in covid the continuous appearance of variants is the new normality, but the appearance of a totally new variant cannot be ruled out. We must also highlight the very promising advances published in the treatment of the most aggressive form of breast cancer (the triple negative form) by a group of Spanish scientists, led by Javier Cortés.

As far as Global Health is concerned, it is worth noting the efforts of the WHO to establish 2030 as the year of elimination of viral hepatitis, which produces more cases and deaths per year than HIV. The covid pandemic has produced a global decrease in vaccination in children.

Regarding international health policy, the WHO declares monkeypox an international public health emergency. New waves of extreme heat are expected.

If we talk about national health policy (Spain), with 3,125 cases, Spain leads the cases of monkeypox in the world. As for covid, there is a peak in admissions to the ICU and deaths already exceed those of June. It is estimated that 510 deaths from the heat wave in the last week. Published in the BOE the new Royal Decree on Specialties in Health Sciences. Publication of the Health Barometer (2nd wave, 2022), which shows that the average time to see a primary care physician is 8.88 days.

In the field of companies, it should be noted that Amazon buys One Medical, entering more and more into the core of the health activity. Important Farmaindustria manifestos, to favor the rapid incorporation of innovations; and AESEG, to promote greater use of generics.

Biomedicine

• Nature: about the legacy of Gregorio Mendel, the monk who laid the foundations of genetics, with some experiments carried out in the garden of his convent, and all this before he knew about genes, chromosomes or genomes (https:// www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01953-z)
• The evolution of the covid virus is unpredictable. While the continual appearance of subvariants is the new normal, an entirely new variant may emerge (https://www.science.org/content/article/omicron-rages-scientists-have-no-idea-what-comes-next )
• Some Spanish scientists discover a promising treatment against triple negative breast cancer (a subtype of very aggressive tumors, which represents 15% of cases). The work was led by Javier Cortés, director of the International Breast Cancer Center and published by the New England Journal of Medicine. The drug has already been approved by the FDA and the EMA. In 16% of patients the tumor disappears (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2202809?query=featured_home)
• Characteristics of monkeypox infection in humans. Report on 528 cases in 16 countries (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2207323)

Global health

• The elimination of viral hepatitis: an achievable challenge. Viral hepatitis causes 890,000 cases a year and 1.1 million deaths; while the data for HIV is 720,000 cases per year and 0.7 million deaths. The appearance of antivirals for hepatitis has completely changed the landscape. WHO sets elimination target for 2030 (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)01377-0/fulltext)
• The covid pandemic produces a decrease in child vaccination globally, to the lowest level since 2008, UNICEF and WHO denounce. This affects diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus vaccines (https://www.science.org/content/article/news-glance-declining-childhood-vaccinations-superbug-infections-brazilian-fossil)
• How extreme heat kills. The biggest victims can be the elderly, the chronically ill, those who take daily medication and also pregnant women. People living in areas of extreme heat are 68 million, a rise in temperature of 2º C would take that figure to 1,000 million (https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj.o1741/rr-0)

International health policy

• Monkeypox
  • The WHO declares monkeypox an international public health emergency, putting this disease at the level of covid-19, Ebola and polio. Overall, the global risk from monkeypox is low, except in Europe. More than 16,000 cases have been registered so far, mostly in men who have sex with men (https://www.ft.com/content/562fc24e-1b34-4ac6-a32a-42172a5f82b6)

• COVID-19
  • The EU considers rescheduling the distribution of covid vaccines until 2024 (https://www.ft.com/content/f2765c69-9e82-4b64-9654-3f95f6c4b2ec)
  • China tackles new lockdowns, as wave of omicron sub-variants grows (https://www.ft.com/content/d12159d4-8d94-44ae-92fe-d4ad0b731006)

• Controversial ruling in the USA: annulment Roe v Wade
  • The US House of Representatives approves a law to ensure contraceptive rights after the Dobbs sentence, although it will certainly not be approved in the Senate (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/21/us/politics /house-contraception.html)

• Heat wave
  • New extreme heatwaves are forecast, according to “The Economist” (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2022/07/20/todays-heatwaves-are-a-warning-of-worse-to-come)

• Other themes
  • The United Kingdom (Genomics England) is considering sequencing the genome of newborns (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)01378-2/fulltext)
  • The United States plans to monitor non-fatal medication accidents (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2794022)
  • Satisfaction with Primary Care physicians falls sharply in the latest survey in England, mainly due to difficulties in obtaining an appointment (https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj.o1764)
  • The British Medical Journal sets out the health priorities for the new British Prime Minister: addressing the shortage of professionals; waiting lists; and reduce inequities. This may be at odds with the Conservative Party’s attempts to cut taxes (https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj.o1726)

National health policy

• Monkeypox
  • Spain, with 3,125 cases as of July 19, 22, leads the cases of monkeypox, an international emergency for the WHO (https://www.elindependiente.com/vida-sana/salud/2022/07/23/espana -heads-the-cases-of-monkeypox-after-two-months-of-sanitary-alert/)

• COVID
  • ICUs reach their peak in the seventh wave and deaths already exceed those of June, 839 deaths in the last seven days (https://www.elespanol.com/ciencia/salud/20220720/uci-covid-alcanzan-septima -deaths-exceed-june/688931398_0.html)
  • Those over 80 years of age will begin to receive the 4th dose from September 15 (https://www.lavanguardia.com/vida/20220720/8421954/mayores-80-empezaran-recipient-4a-dosis-partir-15 -September.html)

• Heat wave
  • Health estimates 510 deaths due to the heat wave in the last week (https://www.eldiario.es/sociedad/sanidad-estima-510-muertes-atribuibles-ola-calor_1_9180967.html)

• Regulatory announcements
  • Published in the BOE the new Royal Decree on Specialties in Health Sciences (https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2022/07/20/pdfs/BOE-A-2022-12015.pdf)
  • The government approves the Royal Decree on Specialties in Health Sciences, emergencies, infectious, genetics, could be new specialties (https://www.consalud.es/profesionales/medicina/especialidades-pronto-podrian-ser-realidad_118215_102. html)
  • Nursing rejects the new Royal Decree on Specialties, “because it ignores the shortcomings and needs of nursing specialization” (https://www.lavanguardia.com/vida/20220720/8421094/enfermeras-rechazan-nuevo-real-decreto-especialidades -health-sciences.html

• Other themes
  • The Ministry of Health announces a record offer of MIR places, 8,503 places, 73 more in family medicine (2,409 in family medicine in total) (https://www.consalud.es/especial-mir/sanidad-convoca-11112-plazas -fse-2023-8511-vacancies-mir-cuales-73-son-mfyc_118245_102.html)
  • The number of collegiate dentists in Spain exceeds 40,000. This means 85 dentists per 100,000 inhabitants, when the average in the EU is 76. Report of the Council of Dentists (https://www.actasanitaria.com/politica-y-sociedad/numero-dentistas-colegiados-en-espana- 1-january-en-40417_2003246_102.html)
  • Publication of the Health Barometer (2nd wave, 2022), which shows that the average wait to see a primary care doctor is 8.88 days (https://www.cis.es/cis/export /sites/default/-Files/Marginal/3360_3379/3369/es3369mar.pdf)

Companies

• International News
  • Amazon acquires One Medical for 3.9 billion dollars. One Medical is a company that offers a subscription model with a monthly fee to obtain medical services both virtually and physically (https://www.ft.com/content/e81b6b94-8c95-44ff-9012-cf20b2073e4b)

• National News
  • Farmaindustria proposes 20 measures to improve access to innovative drugs, including a reform of the Reference Price System and a system of early access to drugs that provide greater clinical benefit, with the participation of doctors and patients (https:// www.consalud.es/ecsalud/nacional/estas-son-20-medidas-sector-farma-mejorar-acceso-pacientes-nuevos-farmaco_118284_102.html)
  • AESEG transfers to the Ministry of Health  its proposal to encourage the use of generic medicines, among other things, to recover the differentiation measures between generic medicines and brands, since Spain is the only country in the EU where there is no difference in price between the generic medicine and the brand out of patent; as well as promoting prescription by active ingredient (https://www.consalud.es/ecsalud/nacional/aeseg-traslada-sanidad-propuestas-fomentar-uso-medicamentos-genericos_118178_102.html)
  • Italfármaco purchases 100% of Lácer, subject to the approval of the competition authorities (https://cincodias.elpais.com/cincodias/2022/07/23/companias/1658593463_557829.html)
  • Valdeluz (Arpada and HM) acquires the neurorehabilitation company Neuron (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/valdeluz-adquiere-la-empresa-de-neurorrehabilitacion-neuron.html)