7 days in healthcare (July 4th-10th, 2022)

Summary

From the point of view of biomedicine, to highlight the finding that cancer drugs significantly reduce the mortality of patients hospitalized for covid.

With regard to Global Health, an important WHO report on mental health, the last of said organization on the same subject dates back to 2001. The Lancet publishes an interesting article on road safety: no less than 1.35 million deaths a year and 50 million injuries depend on that security. Compared to what was usual in the years before covid and the war in Ukraine, hunger has grown in the world, moving us away from the Sustainable Development Goals. The development of health systems in Africa collides with the shortage of professionals.

Regarding international health policy, it should be noted that the USA has just bought 2.5 million vaccines against monkeypox. The WHO and the EMA warn of the new wave of covid. New “centaurus” subvariant of covid, originating in India, but already widely disseminated. Biden signs an executive order, in order to protect abortion rights. The United States doubles the use of telehealth since the outbreak of the pandemic.

If we talk about national health policy (Spain), the wave of covid continues to grow, with an increased impact on hospitals. New approved version of the Framework Statute of Health Personnel, which tries to avoid prolonged temporary periods, which was necessary, but consolidating the statutory regime, which we believe is not good news and in line with what the public health system needs , although perhaps the unions. First regulation in relation to nursing prescription, long awaited. Important report from the Platform of Patient Organizations, showing how chronic patients suspend the health care they receive. Javier Murillo, the undisputed leader in the health insurance sector, warns about the risk of disappearance of administrative mutualism (MUFACE model), since it continuously produces losses. The CAPFF, chaired by the prestigious economist Félix Lobo, releases his report, demanding changes in the regulation of the price of medicines in the SNS, to reinforce “legal certainty.”

In the field of companies, FEFE gives us the news that the pharmaceutical industry already sells more in hospitals than in primary care, a great change. The ASEBIO Report highlights the growth of the sector both in business volume and in investments. It seems that HIPRA, the Spanish vaccine against covid, is getting closer to being approved by the EMA.

Biomedicine

• The future of transplantation, genetic and biological engineering is changing perspectives on animal organ transplants (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe22071059)
• Cancer drugs significantly reduce mortality in patients hospitalized for covid (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/06/health/covid-drug-cancer-sabizabulin.html)

Global health

• Road traffic safety: a major public health problem (1.35 million deaths and 50 million injuries per year) (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736( 22)00917-5/fulltext)
• Important report on mental health from the WHO. The previous report had been published in 2001 (https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240049338)
• WHO report on suicide in the world: 703,000 people die each year (https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240026643)
• Hunger does not stop growing, 828 million people did not have enough food last year (https://elpais.com/planeta-futuro/2022-07-06/el-hambre-no-para-de-crecer- 828-million-people-did-not-have-enough-food-last-year.html)
• The shortage of health professionals in Africa undermines health systems (https://www.consalud.es/profesionales/profesionales-sanitarios-africa_117574_102.html)
• Better delivery care would prevent 40% of the nearly two million current stillbirths (who die after 28 weeks of gestation) (https://www.consalud.es/pacientes/causas-muerte-fetal_117664_102.html)

International health policy

• Monkeypox
  • The United States may be losing the war against monkeypox (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/08/health/monkeypox-vaccine-treatment.html)
  • The United States buys 2.5 million vaccines against monkeypox (https://www.plantadoce.com/entorno/estados-unidos-compra-25-millones-mas-de-vacunas-contra-la-viruela- del-monkey.html)

• COVID-19
  • The WHO and the EMA warn of a new wave of covid worldwide (https://www.larazon.es/sociedad/20220707/k7z6pcvluvfzjidwcogf67nwfe.html)
  • New variants of covid threaten China’s hopes with mRNA vaccine (https://www.ft.com/content/1ce91ee9-5e74-40db-80ec-fc2cbe97533d)
  • Covid rises almost 20% in a week in the UK (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/08/covid-hospitalisations-in-england-may-be-topping-off- says-expert)
  • What is known about “centaurus”, an atypical subvariant of the second generation (https://informalia.eleconomista.es/estilo-de-vida/noticias/11858597/07/22/Asi-es-Centaurus-la-nueva -subvariant-of-omicron-up-to-five-times-more-contagious.html)

• Controversial ruling in the USA: annulment Roe v Wade
  • Biden signs an executive order regarding abortion (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/08/us/politics/biden-abortion-executive-order.html)
  • The European Parliament asks to include the right to abortion in the Charter of Fundamental Rights (https://www.consalud.es/politica/parlamentos/parlamento-europeo-pide-incluir-aborto-en-carta-liberties-fundamentales_117632_102.html)

• Other themes
  • People on summer vacations warned about possible European destinations and covid (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/06/holidaymakers-warned-of-rising-coronavirus-cases-at-european -destinations)
  • The United States doubles the use of telehealth since the outbreak of the pandemic (https://www.plantadoce.com/entorno/estados-unidos-duplica-el-uso-de-telesalud-desde-el-estallido-de-la -pandemic.html)

National health policy

• Monkeypox
  • Monkeypox already affects more than 2,034 cases in Spain, 778 more than last Tuesday (https://www.consalud.es/pacientes/infecciosas/viruela-mono-sanidad-confirma-2034-casos-positivos- 778-more-tuesday_117712_102.html)

• COVID
  • The incidence of covid rises to 1,135.30 per 100,000 inhabitants over 60 years of age, although its growth seems to be slowing down a bit (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/directo/coronavirus-ultimas-noticias/20220709)
  • Those hospitalized for covid grow 13% since last week (https://elpais.com/sociedad/crisis-del-coronavirus/2022-07-05/los-hospitalizados-con-covid-crecen-un-13- since-last-week.html)
  • Health rules out going back to masks indoors due to the increase in contacts (https://www.epe.es/es/sanidad/20220705/sanidad-descarta-volver-mascarillas-interiores-14010084
  • Darias appeals to “prudence” (https://diariofarma.com/2022/07/07/darias-no-preve-el-incremento-de-medidas-pero-apela-a-la-prudencia-ciudadana)

• Regulatory announcements
  • The new Framework Statute of Health Personnel, in force since last Thursday, the new law will prohibit a health worker from working for more than three years without being a civil servant (https://www.consalud.es/profesionales/nuevo-estatuto- health-personnel-framework-will-come-into-force-this-thursday_117528_102.html)
  • Prescription nurses, guidelines on diabetes and hypertension (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/enfermeria/sanidad-publica-guias-de-prescripcion-enfermera-en-diabetes-e-hipertension-9729). The regulations published in the BOE (https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2022/07/05/pdfs/BOE-A-2022-11127.pdf)
  • Congress will regulate aesthetic clinics with a law (https://www.elespanol.com/reportajes/20220708/congreso-regulara-clinicas-estetica-futura-ley-sara/686181668_0.html)
  • The Council of State requests that the “Trans law” require a medical certificate for the change of sex (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/el-consejo-de-estado-pidio-en-vain-que -the-trans-law-maintained-the-requirement-of-medical-certificate.html)
  • A new nursing home model is underway (https://www.consalud.es/pacientes/nuevo-model-residencias-personas-mayores-estas-son-claves-sanitarias_117558_102.html)

• Other themes
  • Chronic patients suspend health care, an important publication of the Platform of Patient Organizations (https://www.consalud.es/pacientes/pacientes-cronicos-suspenden-atencion-sanitaria_117488_102.html)
  • Generics: why they have been stagnant in Spain for seven years: the absence of specific regulations that differentiate them from the brand in price and dispensing (https://www.diariomedico.com/farmacia/industria/politica/genericos-por-que-llevan -seven-years-stagnant-in-spain.html)
  • New research strategy in Euskadi (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/autonomias/pais-vasco/osakidetza-presenta-la-estrategia-de-investigacion-en-salud-2022-2025-4161)
  • The rich wait less to have surgery, also in public hospitals (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2022-07-08/los-ricos-esperan-menos-para-operarse-tambien-en-los-hospitales- public.html)
  • MUFACE, at risk for its losses (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/privada/la-mayor-aseguradora-del-programa-muface-activa-la-alerta-genera-perdidas–2115
  • BOT PLUS Lite, the drug database for citizens, launched by the Council of Pharmacists (https://www.actasanitaria.com/politica-y-sociedad/bot-plus-lite_2003109_102.html)
  • The CAPPF (Advisory Committee for the financing of the pharmaceutical benefit of the SNS, chaired by Félix Lobo) asks Health for detailed criteria for public financing of medicines, to gain “legal certainty” (https://diariofarma.com/2022/07 /06/the-capf-asks-to-health-care-detailed-criteria-of-public-financing-to-gain-legal-certainty)

Companies

• International News
  • GSK closes the acquisition of Sierra Oncology for 1,900 million dollars (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/gsk-closes-the-acquisition-of-sierra-oncology-for-1,900-million-dollars. html)

• National News
  • The pharmaceutical industry already sells more in hospitals than in primary care (https://www.interempresas.net/Farmacia/Articulos/394272-La-industria-farmaceutica-ya-vende-mas-en-hospitales-que-en- primary-care.html)
  • More investment and greater economic impact of Spanish “biotech” in 2021, private investment in biotechnology companies grew by 20%, reaching 183 million in 41 operations carried out (https://www.plantadoce.com/entorno/mas- investment-greater-economic-impact-and-integrating-capacity-the-biotech-espanol-in-2021.html). Publication of the ASEBIO 2021 Report (https://www.asebio.com/conoce-el-sector/informe-asebio)
  • HM increases its income by 23% in 2021, to 573.3 million euros (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/hm-hospitales-incrementa-un-23-sus-ingresos-en-2021-hasta -5737-million-euros.html)
  • HM shoots up its investment by 63.2% in 2021, particularly in Madrid (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/hm-hospitales-dispara-un-632-su-inversion-en-2021-tras-su -offensive-in-madrid.html)
  • Quirónsalud increases its research activity in 2021, with 1,283 clinical trials underway and more than 2,200 scientific publications (https://www.infosalus.com/farmacia/noticia-quironsalud-incrementa-investigacion-1283-essayos-clinicos-marcha- 2200-scientific-publications-20220701140834.html)
  • Los Madroños hospital signs a strategic agreement and positions itself as a benchmark in neurological rehabilitation (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/el-hospital-los-madronos-firma-un-acuerdo-estrategico-y-se- positions-as-a-national-reference-in-neurological-rehabilitation.html)
  • HIPRA approaches the verdict of the first Spanish vaccine against covid (https://cincodias.elpais.com/cincodias/2022/07/07/companias/1657215334_397809.html)
  • The drop in the Grifols stock market (43% since the first days of the pandemic) puts pressure on the family and other shareholders (https://cincodias.elpais.com/cincodias/2022/07/05/companias/1657045947_507001. html)
  • Cantabria Labs, a cosmetics and dermatological medicine laboratory, seeks to double its income in 2027, up to 500 million (https://cincodias.elpais.com/cincodias/2022/06/30/companias/1656611085_310509.html)