7 days in healthcare (May 27th-June 2nd, 2024)

 

Summary

Biomedicine

• A blood test would allow predicting breast cancer: This possible advance is celebrated as a great step in the prediction of breast cancer at the Congress of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, held in Chicago.
• Test to detect people at high risk of prostate cancer: Current PSA tests are not specific enough. A sputum DNA test has been developed that can detect high-risk men and rule out other forms of treatment. Early diagnosis is key.
• Genetic inheritance influences the type of breast cancer and its prognosis: This contradicts the idea that breast cancer is the result of mutations that occur by chance and accumulate throughout life.
• Oncologists warn that rapping can cause lung cancer: Although the first vapers were marketed in Spain in 2013 and there are no long follow-up series, some short series from the United States warn of this risk. Vapes contain more than 200 toxic substances and some of them carcinogenic.

Global Health

• WHO gives itself one more year to reach an agreement on the pandemic treaty:  With the WHO World Assembly over, it gives itself one more year to reach an agreement on pandemics. This is not good news and underlines the great difficulties and tensions in reaching an agreement in 2024, as was the initial intention.
• New fronts in the war against malaria: Two new vaccines (RTS,S/AS01 and R-21/MatrixM), effective in the fight against malaria. However, experts highlight new threats: more aggressive mosquitoes; resistant strains of the parasite and the effects of climate change.
• The necessary global agenda in relation to bacterial resistance (AMR): High human cost of this disease, since a 2022 study says that it is estimated that almost 5 million deaths are due to this problem.

International health policy

• Pro-choice options (following the ruling that limits abortion in the USA) influence the American elections: The pro-choice movement (in favor of abortion) can help Biden win.
• Large clinical trial in the United Kingdom with cancer vaccines: In the United Kingdom, for the first time in the world, a massive form of clinical trial using these vaccines is being proposed.
• European elections and health: Various experts say that health should be a priority in the next European Parliament.

National Health Policy (Spain)

• Very negative allegations about the announced Public Management and Integrity law: Both the IDIS Foundation, ASPE, ACHPM, Cercle de Sanitat, and the Community of Madrid present very negative allegations about this announced bill. In general, the objections are related to the interference in the transferred management, the impact on patients and the non-existence of the problems that are intended to be resolved. The IDIS Foundation, apart from everything else, takes a more strategic approach to the contribution of private healthcare to public service, the European traditions of participation of private companies in public healthcare provision and the consideration of the private sector as a strategic ally. of the health sector. A poor diagnosis by the government should be highlighted: public/private collaboration is treated as a major problem, and, on the other hand, it does not address the problems of the public health sector through reforms.
• Great controversy over the actions of the new Commissioner of Mental Health: Trying to solve the serious problems of psychiatric care in our country by recommending joining a union or a feminist association, as a joke may not be wrong, but seriously it is absolutely unacceptable that be said from any environment, and even less so, from the health administration.
• The IDIS Foundation publishes a work on the perception of private healthcare:  Meritorious effort by the IDIS Foundation to carry out a serious survey among its users to detect their perception of the sector, which, in general, is very positive, although problems are detected such as repetition of tests by the public sector, without taking into account the studies carried out in the private sector. It is confirmed once again that the majority of private sector users also use the public one. Also that specialist consultations are the most used service in private healthcare.
• Work that demonstrates that public/private collaboration does not produce worse health outcomes and less higher mortality than public management: In the face of some attempts to disqualify private healthcare by stating that it produces worse outcomes and more mortality, this is not confirmed in the extensive review national and international bibliography carried out. Even in places (Community of Madrid and Catalonia) where there are specific indicators on the behavior of the bulk of the public sector and public/private collaboration, better results are detected in the latter.

Companies

• International
  • Nestlé reorients itself towards food for healthy aging: The largest food group in the world wants to focus on foods for healthy aging, considering it a priority at a time of reduced birth rates.
• National
  • Rovi, ready to sell its third-party manufacturing area: Rovi is ready to sell its third-party manufacturing subsidiary for at least 3.1 billion.
  • The Miranza Foundation is born: With the purpose of ensuring the eye health of the most vulnerable.

Biomedicine

• A blood test, celebrated as a breakthrough in the prediction of breast cancer at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Congress, held in Chicago (https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jun/02/predictive-blood-test-hailed-as-incredibly-exciting-breast-cancer-breakthrough)
• Scientists develop a saliva test for prostate cancer. Current PSA tests are not specific enough. A sputum DNA test has been developed that can detect high-risk men and rule out other forms of treatment. Early diagnosis is key (https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jun/01/scientists-develop-cheap-and-quick-spit-test-for-prostate-cancer#:~:text=Scientists%20and%20doctors%20developed%20the,to%20trial%20the%20spit%20test.)
• Genetic inheritance influences the type of breast cancer and its prognosis. According to this study, inherited genetics are a predictor of the type of breast cancer that could develop. This contradicts the idea that breast cancer is the result of mutations that occur by chance and accumulate throughout life (https://www.expansion.com/directivos/estilo-vida/salud/2024/05/30/66581823e5fdeaaa5b8b4574.html). Original article in Science: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adh8697
• Oncologists (SEOM, Spanish Society of Medical Oncology) warn that vaping can cause lung cancer even with less exposure time than tobacco. Although the first vapers were marketed in Spain in 2013 and there are no long follow-up series, some short series from the United States warn of this risk. Vapes contain more than 200 toxic substances and some of them carcinogenic (https://www.elperiodico.com/es/sanidad/20240530/vapear-cigarrillos-electronicos-cancer-pulmon-103112099)
• Progress in understanding menstruation. New models used in research show promise (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/05/29/progress-on-the-science-of-menstruation-at-last#)
• Autism, a set of articles in Science reveals certain neuropsychiatric problems, such as autism. Confrontation between those who consider this to be biodiversity, versus those who consider it a mental illness (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adq6625)

Global Health

• Once the WHO World Assembly is over, it is given one more year to reach an agreement on pandemics. There is no agreement at the WHO World Assembly on the details that could protect humanity against a new pandemic: financing for access to vaccines and treatments; relaxation of intellectual property rules for health products; technology transfers; transparency of contracts between States and manufacturers, etc. (https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2024/06/02/reponse-aux-pandemies-les-pays-de-l-oms-se-laissent-un-an-de-plus-pour-parvenir-a-un-accord_6236878_3244.html#:~:text=Les%20pays%20ont%20donc%20prolongé,pour%20y%20boucler%20les%20tractations.)
• New fronts in the war against malaria. Two new vaccines (RTS,S/AS01 and R-21/MatrixM), effective in the fight against malaria. However, experts highlight new threats: more aggressive mosquitoes; resistant strains of the parasite and the effects of climate change (https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/05/30/new-fronts-are-opening-in-the-war-against-malaria)
• An agenda for everyone on antimicrobial resistance (AMR). A new series of articles in The Lancet highlight clear evidence and interventions needed to fight antimicrobial resistance, underscoring the high human cost of this disease, as a 2022 study says almost 5 million deaths are estimated to be due to it. problem (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01076-6/fulltext)
• Brazil already exceeds the most unfavorable forecasts for the expansion of dengue (https://www.ft.com/content/b253bc83-03fe-4f58-95c9-e5c805742009)
• Tobacco companies invest billions in research to distort scientific evidence (https://elpais.com/salud-y-bienestar/2024-06-01/las-tabaqueras-invierten-miles-de-millones-en-investigacion-to-distort-scientific-evidence.html#)

International health policy

• USA
  • The Economist Editorial: The pro-choice movement can help Biden win (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/05/30/the-pro-choice-movement-that-could-help-joe-biden-win)
  • Bird flu has infected a third person in the USA, which is causing alarm (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/30/health/bird-flu-infection-farmworker.html)

• United Kingdom and the National Health Service
  • Clinical trial on cancer vaccines. Cancer vaccines are a form of immunotherapy. In the United Kingdom, a massive form of clinical trial using these vaccines is being proposed for the first time in the world (https://www.theguardian.com/science/article/2024/may/31/what-are-cancer-vaccines-and-have-scientists-finally-found-a-cure#:~:text=Cancer%20vaccines%20are%20a%20form,prevent%20them%20from%20coming%20back.)
  • Half of patients in Northern Ireland wait more than a year for treatment (https://www.economist.com/britain/2024/05/30/half-of-northern-irish-patients-wait-over-a-year-for-treatment#)
  • Why the problem of contaminated blood in the United Kingdom only appears now (https://www.lemonde.fr/comprendre-en-3-minutes/video/2024/05/29/sang-contamine-au-royaume-uni-pourquoi-le-scandale-n-est-il-reconnu-que-maintenant-comprendre-en-trois-minutes_6236163_6176282.html)

• France
  • Massive pharmacy strike in France, 18,000 out of 20,000 have closed (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2024/05/30/greve-des-pharmacies-18-000-officines-sur-20-000-ont-baisse-le-rideau-en-france_6236409_3224.html)
  • Social Security could have a deficit in 2024 of more than 6 billion euros (https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2024/05/30/securite-sociale-en-2024-le-deficit-pourrait-etre-superieur-de-6-milliards-d-euros-aux-previsions_6236338_823448.html#:~:text=Le%20dérapage%20s’explain%20pour,rapport%20présenté%20jeudi%2030%20mai.)
  • The right unites in France to oppose the aid-in-dying law (https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2024/05/27/la-droite-presque-unie-pour-s-opposer-au-projet-de-loi-sur-la-fin-de-vie_6235846_823448.html#:~:text=Les%20députés%20Les%20Républicains%20sont,le%20projet%20modifié%20en%20commission.)

• European Union
  • The Lancet report: Health and the European elections. In the last European elections (2019), health was not a priority. Various experts say that health should be a priority in the next European Parliament (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01126-7/abstract?rss=yes#:~:text=Now%2C%20the%20EPHA%20is%20calling,promotion%2C%20and%20the%20health%20workforce.)

National health policy

• Central government initiatives
  • The Ministry of Health receives allegations regarding the text regarding the announced Public Management and Integrity Law project. Allegations are presented by the IDIS Foundation, ASPE, ACHPM, Cercle de Salut and the Community of Madrid. In general, the text is rejected for trying to address non-existent problems, for the harm to patients of the decrease in public/private collaboration and for interference in the management of the autonomous communities outside the law (https://www.diomedico.com/medicina/politica/son-alegaciones-aspe-idis-asociacion-hospitalizacion-privada-anteproyecto-ley-gestion-publica.html) (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/madrid-alega-invasion-competencias-anteproyecto-ley-gestion-publica.html) (https://cercledesalut.cat/bloc/el-cercle-de-salut-envia-allegacions-al-projecte-de-llei-de-gestio-public-and-integrity-of-the-national-health-system/)
  • Uproar in the professional psychiatric world over the recommendation of the commissioner of mental health to replace antidepressants with joining a union or a feminist association, ignoring the serious problems of psychiatric care in our country (https://www.larazon.es/sociedad/health-recommends-replacing-lorazepan-join-union_202405306658bb3be73ed60001443a6a.html)

• Initiatives and news from the autonomous communities
  • The Community of Madrid is totally against the draft Law on Public Management and Integrity, alleging interference in the powers of the autonomous community (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/madrid-alega-invasion-competencias-preliminary-project-law-public-management.html)

• Professions
  • • In Spain there is a shortage of 4,500 family doctors, and in the coming years there will be a shortage of a thousand more (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2024-05-31/en-espana-hay-un-deficit-de-4500-familydoctors-and-in-the-next-years-they-will-miss-a-thousand-more.html)

• Private healthcare
  • The 2024 private healthcare perception study is published by the IDIS Foundation. 86.2% of those who have private insurance also use public insurance. Consultations with specialists are the most used service, above the use of the public system. The recommendation of private healthcare services (NPS), close to the excellent threshold (https://www.fundacionidis.com/informes/barometros-y-encuestas-de-la-sanidad-privada/estudio-de-percepcion-of-private-healthcare-2024)
  • 43.3% of diagnostic tests performed in private healthcare are repeated in public healthcare (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/empresas/433-compras-diagnosticas-realizada-sanidad-privada-repiten-publica.html)
  • Flexibility and speed, what is most valued in private healthcare (https://www.consalud.es/industria/sanidad-privada/sanidad-privada-obtiene-notable-alto-flexibilidad-rapidez-mas-valorado_144528_102.html )

• Results in public/private collaboration
  • Bibliographic review carried out by a special Chair of the UCM on the results of public/private collaboration. Extensive review of national and international bibliography. The most notable are the results published in the Observatory of the Community of Madrid or in the Results Center of the Quality Agency of Catalonia. The conclusion is that there is no general evidence of worse results in public/private collaboration than in direct public management and, in the case of Spain, there is well-documented evidence of the opposite based on indicators in Catalonia and Madrid (https://isanidad.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Informe-UCM-Colaboracion-publico-privada.pdf.pdf)

• Spain, world leader in clinical trials
  • Up to 170,000 patients participate in clinical trials in Spain (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/170000-pacientes-participan-ensayos-clinicos-espana.html)

Companies

• International News
  • Nestlé, the largest food group in the world, wants to focus on foods for healthy aging, considering it a priority at a time of declining birth rates (https://www.ft.com/content/ff3053df-344a-4ba7-b1f3-75b07a780b4f)
  • GSK, willing to face a jury trial on the drug Zantac (https://www.ft.com/content/b5d60754-9635-4909-9481-af02de8d9525)
  • Moderna achieves second approval with vaccines targeting RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) infection in older adults (https://www.ft.com/content/886c2e86-e5cc-4ade-9810-20d34b013dad)
  • Merck acquires eye health biotechnology company Kate EyeBio for $3 billion (https://www.ft.com/content/3e672f07-35ee-4ece-a8f6-88a52cbc9752)
  • Keytruda (MSD), Humira (Abbie) and Ozempic (NovoNordisk), the best-selling drugs in 2023 (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20240531/keytruda-msd-humira-abbvie-ozempic-novo-upen-podio-drugs-sold/858664328_0.html)

• National
  • Rovi is preparing to sell its third-party manufacturing subsidiary for at least 3,100 million (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/rovi-se-propone-vender-su-filial-de-fabricacion-para-terceros-for-at-least-3100-million)
  • The Miranza Foundation is born, with the purpose of ensuring the ocular health of the most vulnerable (https://www.consalud.es/pacientes/fundacion-miranza-se-compromete-con-salud-ocular-colectivos-mas-vulnerable_144523_102.html)
  • The Grifols family officially leaves its executive functions in the company (https://www.expansion.com/catalunya/2024/05/31/6659f35de5fdea05538b4573.html)
  • Healthcare assets will invest 650 million euros in a new fund (https://www.expansion.com/catalunya/2024/05/31/6658c98f468aeb11728b459d.html)

This post is also available in: Spanish