7 days in healthcare (June 26th-July 2nd, 2023)

Summary

From the point of view of Biomedicine, clinical trials in humans begin with drugs developed by artificial intelligence, such as one for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Álvaro Pascual-Leone, a prestigious Spanish neuroscientist based in the United States, announces that in about ten years the brain will be able to be manipulated . Surely at that time the manipulation of the brain will be something as normal as today the replacement of the crystalline lens for the cataract. A new world is coming.

In Global Health, two charities (the Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Foundation) set to fund a TB vaccine, which could save 8.5 million lives over the next quarter century. Gavi, the organization that provides vaccines to developing countries, approves a vaccine that protects against polio and five other diseases.

Regarding International Health Policy, the editor of the American Journal Medicine publishes in the last issue an article with the five great challenges of the American health system in the 21st century. However, from a reporting point of view, the most interesting news comes from the UK. The King’s Fund, a major British health think tank, publishes a comparative analysis of that country’s health system, which it analyzes together with 19 health systems, including the Spanish one. The analysis is very interesting, and the conclusion is that the NHS is efficient, but with big problems, not only with waiting lists, but also with results. It seems to imply a chronic underfunding of the NHS, when compared to systems in other countries. For its part, the NHS publishes for the first time a long-term plan on personnel. It basically deals with three things: training, retention and reform. The Guardian hails the report but says it is years overdue. For their part, both The Lancet and the British Medical Journal publish editorials on the 75th anniversary of the NHS, which coincides with its deep crisis. In both positions, political consensus is claimed as a key piece to fix the serious problems of the NHS. The WHO-Europe publishes a document with architectural recommendations on the hospitals of the future.

If we talk about National Health Policy (Spain), there are several news of interest: the Audit Office of Catalonia publishes an interesting report on waiting lists. It seems that 9% of the cases on the waiting list in Catalonia were not counted on the Department of Health website, which leads some to use the word makeup. With regard to private healthcare, the IDIS is starting a very interesting project to share the patient’s clinical history among various provider and insurer entities, only an initial but very important step in what is to come. In the course of the pre-election debate, the President of the Popular Party announces a new General Health Law and a State Pact on Health if it reaches La Moncloa. Interesting announcements since, as The Lancet says for the NHS, only a certain political consensus and a new partnership, will be able to solve the problems of the health system in our country.

At the Corporate level, internationally, GSK completes the acquisition of Bellus Health. As far as national news is concerned, we must highlight Roche’s investment in Sant Cugat.

Biomedicine

Biotech start clinical trials with humans with drugs designed by artificial intelligence. Insilico Medicine Begins Trial Against Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, Fully AI Powered (https://www.ft.com/content/82071cf2-f0da-432b-b815-606d602871fc)
Three alarms about anti-obesity pills after NovoNordisk’s Wegovy. First, the medication will be expensive; second, no one knows to what extent this treatment will be safe; and third, losing weight is not the same as being healthier (https://www.ft.com/content/cb26c3df-29be-437f-b98a-d2511b212083)
They identify the first genetic marker that accelerates the severity of multiple sclerosis (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2023/06/28/649c51a8e85ece160f8b45ad.html)
Endometriosis: science begins to unveil the mystery of a disease that affects millions of women (https://elpais.com/salud-y-bienestar/2023-06-27/endometriosis-la-ciencia-empieza-a-unveil-the-mystery-of-a-disease-that-affects-millions-of-women.html)
Álvaro Pascual-Leone, Spanish neuroscientist: manipulating the brain will be commonplace in a decade (https://www.expansion.com/directivos/estilo-vida/salud/2023/06/27/64954338468aeb691e8b45de.html)

Global Health

The Gates Foundation and Wellcome have financed a new vaccine for tuberculosis for 100 years with 550 million dollars (https://www.ft.com/content/fa4eb584-e347-47b1-b380-daa7026a010f)
The new tuberculosis vaccine could save 8.5 million lives in the next quarter century (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2023/06/28/a-new-tb-vaccine-could-save-85m-lives-over-the-next-quarter-of-a-century#)
Humanitarian needs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)01356-9/fulltext)
Floods in Haiti (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)01354-5/fulltext#:~:text=The%20floods%20have%20increased%20the,devastating%20flooding%20in%20the%20country”.)
Injection that protects against polio and five other diseases approved by Gavi, the international organization that provides vaccines to-developing countries (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/30/health/polio-vaccine- gavi.html#:~:text=Share%20full%20article-,Shot%20to%20Protect%20Against%20Polio%20and%20Five%20Other%20Diseases%20Is,resurgence%20of%20the%20paralyzing%20virus.)
The global fight against mycetoma, paralyzed by the conflict in Sudan (https://elpais.com/planeta-futuro/2023-06-28/la-lucha-mundial-contra-el-micetoma-paralizada-por-el -conflict-in-sudan.html)

International Health Policy

COVID19
- Weekly covid report published by the WHO, June 29, 2023. The African region has shown a slight increase in deaths with a decrease in cases. The remaining five WHO regions show a decrease in both the number of cases and deaths (https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/weekly-epidemiological-update-on-covid-19—29-June-2023)

USA
- The challenges of the American healthcare system in the 21st century, according to the editor of the American Journal Medicine. Five big challenges: 1. Insufficient insurance coverage; 2. Low health education among the population; 3. Prevention and management of chronic diseases; 4. Great disparities in quality and results; and. 5. Trust in doctors? (https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(23)00035-9/fulltext)

United Kingdom and National Health Service
- The Lancet editorial on the NHS turning 75: a partnership is needed for restoration (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)01357-0/fulltext)
- British Medical Journal article: NHS turns 75: all it takes is love and political consensus (https://www.bmj.com/content/381/bmj.p1479)
- The King’s Fund puts out a report looking at how the NHS compares to 19 other systems, including Spain. The NHS does well from an efficiency point of view, but has long waiting lists and underperforms in terms of cancer, life expectancy and deaths. Full report and executive summary: https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/nhs-compare-health-care-systems-other-countries
- British Medical Journal reaction to King’s Fund report: NHS desperately calls for investment (https://www.bmj.com/content/381/bmj.p1451#:~:text=News-,The%20NHS%20is%20“crying%20out%20for%20investment%2C”%20say%20authors,study%20comparing%2019%20health%20systems&text=The%20UK%20performs%20“substantially%20less,similarly%20developed%20countries%20ha)
- The NHS presents a long-term plan on its staff. The report addresses three fundamental themes: training, retention and reform. This is the first time the NHS has come up with a similar plan (https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/nhs-long-term-workforce-plan/)
- Nuffield Trust reaction to the announcement of the publication of a long-term plan on staffing in the NHS (https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/nuffield-trust-response-to-the-nhs-long-term-workforce-plan)
- The Guardian view is that this plan is years overdue (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jun/30/the-guardian-view-on-the-nhs-this-workforce-plan-is-years-late#:~:text=These%20are%20the%20worst,with%20retention%20a%20growing%20problem.)
- All smokers in the UK will be offered lung cancer screening, aged 55 and over (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jun/26/all-people-in-england-who-have-smoked-to-be-offered-middle-age-lung-cancer-screening)
- All four types of doctors in the NHS will go on strike before the next general election (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jun/29/all-four-types-of-nhs-doctor-could-strike-before-general-election-bma-fears#:~:text=Doctors-,All%20four%20types%20of%20NHS%20doctor,before%20general%20election%2C%20BMA%20warns&text=All%20four% 20types%20of%2)

France
- Heat has killed nearly 33,000 people in France since 2014 (https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2023/06/23/les-canicules-ont-cause-la-mort-de-pres-de-33-000-personnes-en-france-depuis-2014_6178925_3244.html#:~:text=Canicule-,Les%20canicules%20ont%20causé%20la%20mort%20de%20près%20de%2033, 9%20%25%20of%20the%20mort.)

Denmark
- Transgender people are at higher risk of suicide (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/27/health/transgender-suicide-risk-denmark.html)

WHO
- The WHO-Europe publishes a document on the architectural needs of the hospitals of the future (https://www.who.int/europe/publications/i/item/WHO-EURO-2023-7525-47292-69380)

National Health Policy

COVID19
- The report of the Ministry of Health published on June 30, 2023, places the accumulated incidence at 66.52 points. 1,297 patients admitted, of which 86 in the ICU. 138 deaths since the last report (fifteen days ago) (https://www.consalud.es/pacientes/covid-19-espana-notifica-9743-nuevos-casos-138-muertes-ia-alcanza-6652-puntos_131749_102. html)
- The mask will continue to be mandatory in health centers, social health centers and pharmacies, until the new provision enters into force, after the publication of the agreement of the council of ministers (https://www.expansion.com/directivos/estilo-vida/ health/2023/06/27/649aaae5468aeb5f5f8b4580.html#)

Public healthcare
- The Catalan Audit Office publishes a report on the situation of the waiting list in Catalonia in 2019 (https://www.sindicatura.cat/es/-/8/2023-llistes-d-espera-dels-serveis-de-salut.-exercici-2019?redirect=%2Fes%2Finformes)
- As a result of the publication of this report, some accuse the government of the Generalitat of Catalonia of having been making up the waiting lists. 9% of the patients on the waiting list were not listed on the health department website (https://www.elconfidencial.com/economia/2023-07-01/asi-estado-maquillando-generalitat-listas-espera_3683545/ )