7 days in healthcare (March 21-27, 2022)

 

SUMMARY

From the point of view of biomedicine, the progress in the treatment of breast cancer should be highlighted, according to the article published by the NEJM, with a brake of around 80% of this advanced cancer and makes it disappear in 16%. .

As far as Global Health is concerned, there are undiagnosed cases of tuberculosis (the missing tuberculosis), a disease that continues to have 10 million new cases a year and causes 1.5 million deaths. The Lancet report on what needs to be done to meet target 3.4 of (on non-communicable diseases) of the Sustainable Development Goals. Inequality in covid vaccination and its possible ways to solve it are the subject of an analysis by the NEJM. Concern for the health of the 3.5 million refugees from Ukraine. The low mortality of covid in Africa, a continent that was thought could be devastated by this disease, remains a mystery.

As for international health policy, the debate continues on the covid-zero policy in China, which has achieved great results so far (both in terms of mortality and economics), but it is not known if it will be able to continue with the variant “omicron”. The WHO judges the lifting of COVID measures in Europe too premature, considering that cases are growing, among other countries, in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Greece, France, Italy and Germany.

If we talk about national health policy (Spain), we are witnessing a relaxation of the measures against covid, despite its upward trend in recent days. Arrival of Paxlovid, Pfizer’s treatment for severe cases of covid. The important report published by the Catalan Society of Health Management, with an exceptional team led by Jordi Varela, on the forms of contracting health services from the point of view of value, is very noteworthy. The deans of Medicine react to the Ministry’s announcement of the increase in the “numerus clausus” in medicine by 10%.

In the field of companies, it is worth highlighting the evolution of the purchase of the fertility company IVI, the largest operation carried out by private equity companies in healthcare in Spain and with a company valuation of around 2,500 million euros.

BIOMEDICINE

• Brain implant would allow totally paralyzed patients to communicate (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/22/science/brain-computer-als-communication.html)
• Covid-19 patients infected with the flu are twice as likely to die (https://www.ft.com/content/6a326d31-e44c-46df-ba34-a03c573ab1c4)
• The flu-covid bivalent vaccine will be ready in autumn 2023 (https://www.larazon.es/sociedad/20220326/wy2qpniieja7tdtnrs4llwrgka.html)
• The New England Journal Medicine endorses a paradigm shift in the treatment of breast cancer, an immunoconjugate drug slows advanced breast cancer in 80% of patients and makes it disappear in 16% (https://www. Diariomedico.com/medicina/oncologia/new-england-endorses-a-paradigm-change-in-the-treatment-of-breast-cancer.html). To consult the original article: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2115022)

GLOBAL HEALTH

• There are concerns about undiagnosed cases of tuberculosis, the disease with 10 million new cases a year and 1.5 million deaths. The problem with undetected cases (the missing tuberculosis). Priority needs to be given to the development of a high-sensitivity, low-cost diagnostic test in sputum (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)00535-9/fulltext)
• The Lancet publishes a report on the fulfillment of objective 3.4 of the SDGs for the reduction of non-communicable diseases. US$18 billion would be needed annually in the 2023-2030 period. (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)02347-3/fulltext)
• NEJM publishes article on how to address vaccination inequality (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe2202547)
• Growing concern for the health of refugees from Ukraine, 3.5 million people who have fled to Poland, Moldova, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140- 6736(22)00568-2/fulltext)
• It is about solving a covid mystery: low mortality in Africa (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/23/health/covid-africa-deaths.html)

INTERNATIONAL HEALTH POLICY

• COVID
  • The extraordinary number of workforce under the covid-zero policy in China. There are 110,000 neighborhood committees working on the issue, a legacy from the Mao era (https://www.economist.com/china/2022/03/26/the-extraordinary-manpower-behind-chinas-zero-covid-strategy )
  • China must learn to live with covid. Although the results are extraordinary, mortality is 5% of the American and the economy grew 10.5% in the last two years, while the American did so at 2.4%, it is doubtful that with the “ómicron” variant this policy can be maintained (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2022/03/26/china-must-eventually-learn-to-live-with-the-coronavirus)
  • The Biden Administration plans to offer “second boosters” to those over 50 (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/25/us/politics/biden-second-booster-shot-older-americans.html )
  • Fauci predicts a growth in covid cases in the US due to the BA.2 subvariant (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/20/health/fauci-us-cases-ba2.html)
  • The growing wave of the BA.2 subvariant in Europe, an alarm of what may happen in the USA (https://www.ft.com/content/f55aa996-6ad1-46b2-b5e8-9ab9aa41fa86)
  • The WHO judges that the lifting of restrictions in Europe is too brutal. The covid is rising in March in 18 of the 53 WHO-Europe countries, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Greece, France, Italy and Germany (https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2022/03/ 22/covid-19-l-who-juge-la-levee-des-mesures-de-restriction-trop-brutale_6118638_3244.html)

• Other issues
  • Denmark seeks a total ban on the sale of tobacco to those born after 2010 (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2022/03/23/6239f537fdddff1dac8b456e.html)
  • How to finance the future of WHO, the budget is estimated to be very low in relation to the tasks ahead (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)00533 -5/full text)
  • Shigellosis, the rising infection in sexual environments that worries Europe, warns the ECDC (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2022-03-25/shigelosis-la-infeccion-al-alza-en-entornos-sexuales -what-concerns-europe.html)

NATIONAL HEALTH POLICY (SPAIN)

• COVID
  • Spain turns the page on covid: goodbye to tests and isolation (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2022-03-27/espana-pasa-pagina-a-la-pandemia.html)
  • Paxlovid arrives in Spain, three months later (https://www.consalud.es/politica/ministerio-sanidad/llega-paxlovid-espana-3-meses-sobre-ingresos-pensando-gripalizacion_112094_102.html)

• Other issues
  • The Catalan Society of Health Management publishes an important report on the contracting of health services based on value (https://scgs.cat/es/por-un-marco-de-evaluacion-y -procurement-of-services-based-on-the-value-of-health/)
  • The government defines how the decentralization of the new centers will take place, including the National Center for Public Health (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/ministerio-sanidad/una-comision-consultiva-descentralizara-centros-del -ministry-of-health-1064)
  • Andalusia initiates the procedure to definitively annul pharmaceutical auctions (https://www.diariofarma.com/2022/03/24/andalucia-inicia-la-modificacion-de-su-ley-de-farmacia-para-eliminar- definitely-the-auctions)
  • The deans of medicine ask to discuss the numerus clausus with Universities, in view of the announcement by the Ministry to increase the positions of doctors by 10% (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/medico-joven/grado/los-decanos- of-medicine-ask-to-treat-in-a-group-with-universities-and-health-the-numerus-clausus.html)

COMPANIES, EMPLOYERS AND OTHER AGENTS IN THE SECTOR

• International News
  • Moderna wants its covid vaccine to be emergency approved for children under 6 years of age (https://www.ft.com/content/16c06e4e-f74a-439c-a406-293cf20e65a9)
  • The private healthcare company NMC, from the United Arab Emirates, stops working (https://www.ft.com/content/02d492ea-5b96-4f17-9276-61bf1049a72c)
  • Sanofi sentenced for the damage caused to fetuses by its drug Dekapine (https://www.larazon.es/sociedad/20220322/hyryellerveeradgbg543qk5xe.html)
  • Pfizer’s antiviral, also effective against variants (https://www.larazon.es/sociedad/20220321/vp5lzww45rcshckh4euv2njh2a.html)
  • Michael Neidorf leaves the presidency of CENTENE, the entity that owns Ribera in Spain (https://valenciaplaza.com/michael-neidorff-deja-presidencia-centene-maximos-historicos)

• National News
  • The Madrid private healthcare employers association is integrated into ASPE (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/privada/la-patronal-de-la-sanidad-privada-madrilena-se-incorpora-a-aspe-9437 )
  • Roche Spain is committed to R&D and increases its investment by 3.2% (https://www.diariofarma.com/2022/03/21/roche-aumenta-su-inversion-en-idi-en-espana -up-to-1435-million)
  • Vitaldent expands in the community of Madrid and opens a new clinic in Tres Cantos (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/vitaldent-se-expande-en-la-comunidad-de-madrid-y-abre- a-new-clinic-in-three-corners.html)
  • Vivantadental disposes of 33 aesthetic clinics (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/vivantadental-suelta-lastre-y-se-desprende-de-33-clinicas-de-estetica.html)
  • Cinven and KKR dispute the purchase of IVI for more than 2,500 million euros (https://www.expansion.com/empresas/2022/03/25/623d04e8468aeb816d8b45fb.html)
  • Palex Medical closes its first purchase outside of Spain with the Italian Gada (https://www.palexmedical.com/es/news_item.cfm?id=not_gada#.YkCoSS0rxBI)
  • Clínica Baviera plans to enter Portugal, the United Kingdom and France (https://cincodias.elpais.com/cincodias/2022/03/21/companias/1647893002_541823.html)