7 days in healthcare (June 13th-20th, 2022)

 

Summary

From the point of view of biomedicine, to highlight the new therapy against a disease as terrible as ALS tested in Canada. Unfortunately there are doubts as to its effectiveness.

As far as Global Health is concerned, it is verified that it is the vaccine nationalism of the States that has led to the failure of COVAX, which failed to extend covid vaccination to poor countries in significant percentages.

Regarding international health policy, the approval in the United States of the covid vaccination for children under five years of age should be highlighted. Also the agreement of the World Trade Organization regarding the temporary suspension of patents on covid vaccines, something he was discussing for two years. We will see if this agreement translates into relevant measures. For now, the IFPMA (World Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers) has already spoken out against it. Hospitalizations for covid increase in Europe, specifically in France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

If we talk about national health policy (Spain), we must mention the controversial announcement by the Minister of Health of the fourth dose of covid for the entire population, something partially rectified by the Ministry itself and which has been rejected by many experts. Also the approval by the Government of the preliminary draft of the Equity Law. Great controversy with the private sector, since it tries to minimize and declare exceptional the collaboration of the private sector in the public service of the National Health System. But by declaring “direct management” as preferable in the SNS, it also positions itself against the more entrepreneurial development of public management, despite the fact that the benefits of legal personality and the labor regime are known in terms of greater efficiency than direct management. On the other hand, the draft may undermine the powers of the autonomous communities, since health management (and therefore the way of carrying it out) is a transferred matter. It is not surprising that very important Catalan institutions (such as UCH, CSC, ACES and Círculo de Sanidad) have taken a position against it. Important demonstration by nurses in the center of Madrid, highlighting the importance of the abandoned professional policy in the National System of Health.

In the field of companies, it is worth noting the birth of the largest pediatric oncology center in Spain and one of the largest in Europe: the one located in the Sant Joan de Deu Hospital in Barcelona. Expansión highlights that the remarkable growth of health insurance is compatible with a loss of its operating profitability.

Biomedicine

• New experimental therapy against ALS approved in Canada. A review by the FDA this year concludes that the drug is safe but there are questions about its effectiveness (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/13/health/als-treatment-albrioza.html)
• The Lancet article: investigating monkeypox, although this virus has been known since 1958, what is surprising is its rapid and global expansion (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736( 22)01096-0/fulltext)
• Article in Science: Keys to “long covid” (https://www.science.org/content/article/what-causes-long-covid-three-leading-theories)

Global health

• It is the vaccine nationalism of the different countries and not COVAX that is to blame for the disparity in vaccination figures between developed countries (80% of the population) and poor countries (10%) (https://www. healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/forefront.20220609.695589/)

International health policy

• Monkeypox
  • Monkeypox, the WHO wants to change its name, to avoid stigma (https://www.bmj.com/content/377/bmj.o1489)
  • The WHO will assess whether monkeypox represents an international public health emergency. So far there are more than 1,600 confirmed cases, in 39 countries, of which 32 are not endemic. No deaths have been reported in these countries, unlike in endemic countries (https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2022/06/14/l-oms-va-evaluer-si-la-variole -du-singe-represente-une-urgency-de-sante-publique-internationale_6130310_3244.html)
  • Europe acquires 110,000 doses of vaccines against monkeypox (https://www.plantadoce.com/entorno/europa-se-arma-y-adquiere-110000-dosis-de-la-vacuna-contra-la- monkeypox.html)

• COVID-19
  • COVID hospitalizations rise in Europe, as subvariants drive a new wave. Hospitalizations have grown in France, the UK and Germany (https://www.ft.com/content/8c871596-d3c0-438c-b54c-f47b26aa4b7a)
  • The American CDC recommends the covid vaccine for children under 5 years of age. The USA will be the first country to vaccinate these children with Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. 20 million children can be vaccinated (https://www.ft.com/content/c8b71940-5750-4b9c-9430-31d9f35c1488)
  • China turns Winter Olympics venues into COVID-quarantine fields (https://www.ft.com/content/55fc566a-beb0-4dd8-8117-b212d4effc5e)
  • Beijing and Shanghai, still trying to control covid-19 (https://www.economist.com/china/2022/06/14/beijing-and-shanghai-are-still-trying-to-get-a- flu-on-covid-19)
  • North Korea: covid continues to grow, while the unvaccinated population continues to work and the country remains without accepting the offer of vaccines from South Korea (https://www.wsj.com/articles/north-korea-covid -surge-accelerates-as-unvaccinated-population-keeps-working-11652710861)

• Other themes
  • The WTO (World Trade Organization), which groups 164 countries, supports, after two years of discussion, the temporary suspension of covid vaccine patents. The president assures that this decision “will change the lives of people around the world” (https://www.diariofarma.com/2022/06/17/la-omc-respalda-la-suspension-temporal-de-las -vaccines-covid-19)
  • The IFPMA (World Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers, to which Farmaindustria belongs) describes the WTO decision as harmful and unnecessary. She says that patents are not an obstacle and provide solutions safely and quickly (https://www.diariofarma.com/2022/06/17/la-ifpma-califica-de-danina-e-innecesaria-la- wto-decision)
  • WHO willing to support variant-specific covid vaccines as third dose (https://www.ft.com/content/a7cca391-0976-44a6-ac0e-b614395dea02)
  • A report supports that key tobacco control should target children (https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/377/bmj.o1457.full.pdf)
  • EU-USA cooperation agreement on cross-border healthcare. The agreement does not affect assistance and is in relation to collaboration in the face of public health threats (https://www.consalud.es/politica/acuerdo-ue-eeuu-sobre-sanidad-transfronteriza-frente-desinformacion_116271_102.html)

National health policy

• Monkeypox

• • The Ministry of Health confirms 313 confirmed cases, in 11 autonomous communities. Of the 313 cases, 308 are men, with a median age of 36 years (https://www.consalud.es/pacientes/infecciosas/viruela-mono-sanidad-confirma-313-casos-positivos_116388_102.html)

• COVID

• • The incidence of covid rises after more than 20 days of decreases (https://www.larazon.es/sociedad/20220614/wozsmrb7xzf4flsj2ub2nxzque.html)
  • The Minister of Health affirms that there will be a fourth dose of vaccine for the entire population (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2022-06-16/sanidad-confirma-que-habra-cuarta-dosis-de-la-vacuna -against-covid-for-the-whole-population.html)
  • Experts recommend not to vaccinate the entire population with a fourth dose, only those over 60 (https://www.elespanol.com/ciencia/salud/20220617/medicos-piden-no-vacunar-poblacion-dosis-mayores/ 680682343_0.html)
  • The president of the vaccinologists says that it is not necessary to give a fourth dose to the general population (https://www.epe.es/es/sanidad/20220617/presidente-vacunologos-necesario-dar-cuarta-13873533)

• Regulatory announcements

• • The government approves the equity law, which tries to limit collaboration between the public and private sectors (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2022/06/14/62a8758221efa0363d8b45e7.html )
  • The Catalan health sector shouts to the heavens before the equity law (https://www.diariomedico.com/politica/el-sector-sanitario-catalan-pone-el-grito-en-el-cielo-ante -the-equity-law.html)

• Other themes

• • An important demonstration of nurses, organized by the Nursing Unit, denounces a structural and chronic deficit in the workforce, with a ratio of 5.6 nurses per 1,000 inhabitants, when the European average is almost 9. They also complain about job insecurity and want to be included in group A. They denounce that the Ratio law is blocked (https://www.consalud.es/profesionales/manifestacion-enfermeria-sanidad_116651_102.html)
  • Oral health plan, the Interterritorial Council does not approve the general plan, only for people over 65 and cancer patients (https://www.consalud.es/politica/ministerio-sanidad/cisns-descarto-ampliar-salud-bucodental- older-65-years-limited-oncology_116398_102.html)
  • The mileurismo appears in the mythical career of dentist. In the year 2000 there were 17,000 collegiate dentists in Spain, now there are 39,000 and their number will double in 20 years. 1,700 university graduates a year. (https://elpais.com/educacion/2022-06-17/el-mileurismo-se-asoma-a-la-mythified-carrera-de-dentista-never-imagine-una-situacion-asi.html)
  • Five-year cancer survival increases in Spain (https://www.lne.es/salud/guia/2022/06/17/aumenta-supervivencia-cinco-anos-cancer-67373582.html)
  • Farmaindustria formulates a decalogue of keys for industry as a strategic sector in Spain (https://www.actasanitaria.com/politica-y-sociedad/farmaindustria-formula-decalogo-con-claves-industria-farmaceutica_2002897_102.html)
  • The Madrid health system calls for the opening of Primary Care services (https://www.epe.es/es/sanidad/20220616/sanidad-madrid-apertura-servicios-urgencias-atencion-primaria-13866016)

Companies

• International News
  • Dan Staner (Moderna): We hope that from 2025 our vaccines will arrive to cure cancer (https://cincodias.elpais.com/cincodias/2022/06/14/companias/1655233359_143550.html)
  • The FDA approves a drug that restores hair in less than a year (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud/noticias/11822087/06/22/Adios-a-la-calvicie-la-FDA-aprove- a-drug-that-restores-hair-in-less-than-a-year.html)
  • AbbVie will become the pharmaceutical company with the highest sales in 2028 (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20220616/abbvie-conviertera-farmaceutica-mayores-ventas/680432205_0.html)
  • The Apple Watch, with FDA approval, will be able to detect symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (https://cincodias.elpais.com/cincodias/2022/06/14/gadgets/1655219285_479769.html)

• National News
  • The Sant Joan de Deu Hospital in Barcelona invests 37 million in its new pediatric oncology centre. It is the largest pediatric oncology center in Spain and one of the largest in Europe (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/el-hospital-sant-joan-de-deu-invierte-37-millones- of-euros-in-its-new-pediatric-oncology-center.html)
  • Quirón presents Olympia, a new center for personalized health care services, located next to the Cuatro Torres Business Area complex (https://www.consalud.es/ecsalud/nacional/quironsalud-presenta-olympia-nuevo-centro- personalized-health-care-services_116436_102.html)
  • Quirónsalud launches a new preventive medicine project (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/quironsalud-lanza-un-nuevo-proyecto-de-medicina-preventiva.html)
  • Atrys Health acquires Bienzobas for more than 90 million euros (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/atrys-health-volve-a-irse-de-compras-y-acquire-bienzobas-por-mas-de -90-million-euros.html)
  • Vitaldent incorporates 72 Smysecret cabinets and doubles the space for dental aesthetics (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/vitaldent-incorpora-72-gabinetes-de-smysecret-y-duplica-el-espacio-destinado- a-aesthetics-dental.html)
  • Vithas launches a new center in Gibraltar (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/vithas-pone-en-marcha-su-nuevo-centro-de-gibraltar-tras-inversión-un-millon-de -euros.html)
  • Health, the insurance with the greatest potential, on the verge of losing the level of operating profitability (https://www.expansion.com/empresas/2022/06/18/62ac76ef468aeb343f8b45f9.html)
  • BBVA and Sanitas launch health insurance for people over 75 for 50 euros a month (https://www.lavanguardia.com/economia/20220617/8347112/bbva-lanza-seguro-salud-mayores-75-anos. html)
  • Moderna will invest 500 million in Spain in 2022 in its alliance with Rovi to manufacture the covid vaccine (https://cincodias.elpais.com/cincodias/2022/06/14/companias/1655230453_644262.html)

This post is also available in: Spanish