7 days in healthcare (March 13th-19th, 2023)

 

Summary

From the point of view of Biomedicine, the debate on the governance, supervision and ethical limits of human genome editing is increasingly present, precisely when it seems that many medicines based on this technique are in advanced development, to treat many sicknesses. Nature publishes a novel approach to disseminate Magnetic Resonance, which fifty years after its birth is still a very expensive technique and not accessible to many countries. The mapping of the brain of a larva, after decades of research, heralds advances in the knowledge of more complex brains.

As regards Global Health, the WHO has drawn up the first draft of a treaty on pandemics, precisely to avoid what happened during the covid, the great differences in mortality, morbidity and access to treatment between the different countries.

Regarding International Health Policy, in the United States, the New York Times denounces that aggressive medical behavior continues to be common at the end of life. This same newspaper echoes in its editorial section the serious crisis of the British National Health Service, where several strikes are coexisting at this moment: nurses, consultants, junior doctors and ambulance drivers. The prestige of the NHS among the population plummets. Le Monde publishes in France a report on the change of pharmacies: from drug stores to health “hubs”. BCG releases a report on the scope and benefits of the metaverse in health.

If we talk about National Health Policy (Spain), the incidence of covid continues to increase. It is estimated that 1 million people in Spain may have persistent covid. The conflict between the Primary Care doctors in Madrid ends (it was about time). The SNS will address the problem of the carbon footprint of hospitals. The low remuneration of consultations by healthcare insurance companies is denounced, it is urgent in this sector to move from a model of payment by activity to another of payment by value.

At the Corporate level, internationally, Pfizer is addressing the purchase of Seagen, a biotech-oriented biotech company. As far as national news is concerned, it should be noted that HM Hospitales opens (in Rivas) its eighth hospital in Madrid.

Biomedicine

• Responsible research in editing the human genome. At the Third International Human Genome Editing Summit held in London (March 6-8, 2023) the conclusion was reached on the need for standards for the governance and supervision of human genome editing (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)00560-3/fulltext)
• Fifty years after the publication of the bases of Magnetic Resonance, it continues to be an expensive technique and not practiced in many countries. An article in Nature describes five steps to make this technique more accessible worldwide (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00759-x)
• A breakthrough in mapping the structure of the brain. The first complete map of a larval brain has just been published in Science, after decades of research. It is considered the prelude to knowledge of more complex brains (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2023/03/10/a-big-advance-in-mapping-the-structure-of-the-brain)

Global Health

• The WHO treaty on pandemics. The covid has revealed inequalities between countries in morbidity, mortality and access to medicines and vaccines. On February 1, 2023, the WHO published the Zero Draft of The Pandemic Treaty, with the idea of overcoming this situation (https://www.bmj.com/content/380/bmj.p463)
• Health twenty years after the invasion of Iraq. According to a study by the American Congress, 12% of hospitals were destroyed (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)00558-5/fulltext)
• Evidence is growing that playing contact sports can cause brain damage (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2023/03/15/evidence-is-growing-that-playing-contact-sports-can-lead-to-long-term-brain-injuries)
• Hundreds dead after Cyclone Freddy in Malawi and Mozambique (https://www.ft.com/content/3eb30f5f-1c01-4367-9fd5-f47953ccc376)

International Health Policy

• COVID
  • The WHO urges China to share more data on the possible origin of the covid linked to wild dogs (https://www.ft.com/content/939ed85a-2d07-4e11-a3a9-8781f802174f)

• USA
  • Wyoming is the first state to ban abortion pills (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/17/us/wyoming-abortion-pills-ban.html)
  • Aggressive medical care remains common at end of life (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/14/health/end-of-life-care-hospice.html)
  • Clinics in the USA offer psychedelic drugs to treat alcoholism (https://www.ft.com/content/2d142cff-1a92-4652-b2d7-86c29ab9566c)
  • Controversy over the non-coverage by Medicare of the new anti-obesity drugs (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2300516)

• UK and the NHS
  • The serious crisis of the NHS reflected in the opinion of the New York Times: four strikes coincide: consultants, Junior doctors, nurses and ambulance personnel (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/17/opinion/nhs-britain-privatization.html)

• France
  • Medical deserts in France, the number of medical students should be increased (https://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2023/03/13/deserts-medicaux-il-faut-augmenter-d-au-moins-30-le-name-d-studiants-admis-dans-le-cursus-medical_6165280_3232.html)
  • The metamorphosis of pharmacies: from drug stores to health “hubs” (https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2023/03/13/de-marchands-de-medicaments-a-hub-de-sante-la-metamorphose-des-pharmacies_6165274_3234.html)

• Brazil
  • Following a government of the extreme right: challenges for a unified health system (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)00352-5/fulltext)

• Metaverse
  • BCG releases a report on the benefits of the healthcare metaverse (https://www.bcg.com/publications/2023/reaping-the-benefits-of-the-healthcare-metaverse)

National Health Policy

• COVID
  • The cumulative incidence at 14 days continues to rise to 72.05 points, and mortality stands at 66 in the last week. There are currently 2,145 hospitalized for covid, of which 91 are in ICU beds (https://www.consalud.es/pacientes/especial-coronavirus/covid-19-espana-notifica-4757-casos-66-muertes-ia-go-up-to-7205-points_127788_102.html)
  • Persistent covid can affect more than a million people in Spain (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/medicina-preventiva/la-pandemia-despues-de-la-pandemia-la-covid-persistente-can-affect-morethan-a-million-people-in-spain.html)
  • Health admits that only 14 lots of the covid vaccines caused 200 deaths (https://theobjective.com/sociedad/2023-03-14/agencia-sanidad-medicamento-muertes-vacuna/)

• Medical conflict in public health
  • Pre-agreement in the Primary Care strike in Madrid: 450 euros/month increase (https://elpais.com/espana/madrid/2023-03-16/el-preacuerdo-entre-los-medicos-de-familia-and-the-community-of-madrid-includes-increasing-the-salary-to-all-450-euros-per-month.html)

• Public healthcare
  • The SNS will launch a new system against the carbon footprint in health (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/ministerio-sanidad/el-sns-estrenara-un-sistema-unico-contra-la-huella-de-carbon-hospital-9031)

• Private healthcare
  • Six euros for a first consultation, this is what health insurers pay doctors (https://medicinaresponsable.com/actualidad-sanitaria/medico-general-precio-consulta-aseguradora)

• Health professions
  • Increase of 648 places in the Medicine degree (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/ministerio-sanidad/la-universidad-publica-aumentara-648-plazas-para-medicina-6-754-en-total-6810)
  • The nursing ratios law lacks an economic memory (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/parlamentarios/el-congreso-maniobra-ante-la-ley-de-ratios-enfermeros-sin-memoria-economica-4511 )

• Announcements of regulatory changes
  • The PSOE unblocks the law that aims to correct the historical deficit of nurses (https://www.elperiodico.com/es/sociedad/20230314/psoe-desbloquea-ley-enfermeras-84639549)
  • La Rioja approves the first mental health law in Spain (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2023-03-16/la-rioja-approves-la-primera-ley-de-salud-mental-de-espana.html)

• Other issues
  • The Government allocates 144.3 million euros to the call for Strategic Health Action 2023 (https://www.plantadoce.com/entorno/el-gobierno-destina-1443-millones-de-euros-a-la-convocatoria-strategic-action-in-health-2023.html)

Companies

• International News
  • Pfizer buys the biotech company focused on oncology Seagen for 43,000 million dollars (https://www.ft.com/content/bc85eb2a-9a55-4a86-9048-4de696a651bc)
  • Novo Nordisk, excluded from the UK pharmaceutical group, after violation of the rules (https://www.ft.com/content/0b29e3f5-e456-44c2-a33a-57f5b0261d7e)
  • Sanofi acquires the American Provention Bio for 2.9 billion dollars (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/sanofi-acquiere-la-estadounidense-provention-bio-for-2.9billion-dollars.html)

• National News
  • Cardiva invests 12.6 million in its expansion in Italy (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20230314/cardiva-invierte-millones-expansion-italia-vamos-presencia/748175444_0.html)
  • Vithas expands its network in Estepona, Madrid, Vigo and Barcelona (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/vithas-expande-su-red-en-estepona-madrid-vigo-y-barcelona.html)
  • Quirón advances in the start-up of its new hospital in Zaragoza (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/quironsalud-avanza-en-la-puesta-en-marcha-de-su-nuevo-hospital-en-zaragoza.html)
  • Prim formalizes the sale of its spa and wellness business (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/prim-suelta-lastre-y-oficializa-la-venta-de-su-negocio-de-spa-y-wellness.html)
  • HM Hospitales launches its eighth hospital in Madrid (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud/noticias/12187271/03/23/HM-Hospitales-inaugura-en-Rivas-su-octavo-centro-sanitario-in-the-Community-of-Madrid-.html)
  • DomusVi will open five new centers in Spain (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/domusvi-abrira-cinco-nuevos-centros-en-espana.html)
  • Almirall will open new subsidiaries in Sweden and Norway in 2023 (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud/noticias/12186094/03/23/Almirall-abrira-nuevas-filiales-en-Suecia-y-Noruega-este-2023-.html)