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

Summary

From the point of view of Biomedicine, The Economist speculates in an article about whether certain regenerated neurons of the dentate gyrus could reverse Alzheimer’s, based on studies in mice. AI, useful in improving the detection of breast cancer.

Regarding Global Health, the WHO points out the rebound in measles worldwide. The number of cases and, above all, mortality are increasing a lot.

In terms of International Health Policy, the United Kingdom encourages the EU and the USA to join its “subscription model” for the development of antibiotics. In practice, it introduces a system of incentives for pharmaceutical companies not linked to the sale of the drug, which can be useful if new antibiotics against resistant bacteria are intended to be of low use. The King’s Fund (an important British health think tank) launches a study in which it analyzes in great detail the inequities in waiting lists. Without a doubt interesting reading in our country. In France, the SNCF (equivalent to our RENFE) launches an interesting initiative to alleviate the problem of medical deserts: build telemedicine centers near the stations.

If we talk about National Health Policy (Spain), the confrontation between private doctors and insurers continues. Without a doubt, the problems of personnel policy do not only occur, as some might think, in the public sector. They also occur in the private sector. The Ministry of Health calls the comments about the transfer of the MIR to certain communities hoaxes. The problem is that this issue appears in the investiture agreements. Success of the PRAN (the plan to reduce antibiotic consumption), obtaining good results in our country, despite continuing to be one of the countries with the highest consumption of antibiotics, both in humans and in veterinary medicine.

In the field of Companies, on an international level, the sale of obesity drugs could be a great boom and reach 100 billion dollars in 2030. On a national level, Quirón is advancing in the approach of building its new hospital in Gijón. Sanitas-BUPA buys a Turkish insurer. The bankruptcy administrator blames KKR for the bankruptcy of the dental company Dentix.

Biomedicine

• Could neurons from newborns reverse Alzheimer’s?, (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2023/11/15/could-newborn-neurons-reverse-alzheimers)
• AI increases breast cancer detection, (https://www.ft.com/content/d3b462a3-8085-43d7-9e37-a78564907d2c)
• A simple way to save premature newborns by simply delaying cutting the umbilical cord, (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/17/health/premature-babies-umbilical-cord-clamping.html)
• Replacing the consumption of processed meat with nuts reduces cardiovascular risks by 27% (https://elpais.com/salud-y-bienestar/2023-11-16/sustitución-el-consumo-de-carne-procesada-by-nuts-reduces-cardiovascular-risksby27.html)
• Everything has been tried in ALS, but nothing has been positive, except for riluzole (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2023/11/16/6554ad51e85eced67e8b45e3.html)

Global Health

• The WHO warns of the rebound in measles worldwide (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2023/11/16/65562527e85ece89308b459b.html#:~:text=Tras%20años%20de %20decreases%20in,(in%20compared%20with%202021).)
• Brazil’s aging population poses significant challenges, (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)02561-8/fulltext#:~:text=Although%20Brazil%27s%20international %20image%20is,now%20aged%2060-65%20years.)

International health policy

• USA
  • Fentanyl kills thousands every year in the USA, (https://www.economist.com/europe/2023/11/16/fentanyl-kills-thousands-every-year-in-america-will-europe-be-next#)
  • Veteran Administration (V.A.) recruits millions for genetic study, (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/15/health/million-veterans-database-va.html)

• United Kingdom and the National Health Service
  • The United Kingdom calls on the EU and the USA to join its “subscription model” to promote the development of antibiotics (https://elglobal.es/industria/reino-unido-llama-a-la-ue-y-ee-uu-to-join-their-subscription-model-to-drive-the-development-of-antibiotics/)
  • The British Government is not paying enough attention to dementia (https://www.economist.com/britain/2023/11/16/the-british-government-is-not-paying-dementia-enough-attention#)
  • The King’s Fund releases a report on tackling inequalities in waiting lists (https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/health-inequalities-nhs-waiting-lists)
  • The United Kingdom approves the first CRISPR gene-editing treatment for sickle cell anemia (https://www.ft.com/content/ab87cac0-4b13-4b08-a6b7-77875a77dc55)
  • Doctors want to leave the NHS in large numbers due to burnout (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/nov/12/doctors-plan-to-leave-nhs-in-growing-numbers-due-to-burnout-gmc-warns#:~:text=The%20report%20found%20that%20the,%2C%20at%204%25%20last%20year.)

• France
  • Medical deserts. The SNCF (French railways) announce the installation of telemedicine centers in the surroundings of 300 stations (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2023/11/17/deserts-medicaux-la-sncf-annonce-l-installation-de-centres-de-telemedecine-dans-environ-300-gares_6200724_3224.html)
  • Certain aspects of President Macron’s pending euthanasia bill (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2023/11/14/fin-de-vie-emmanuel-macron-tarde-a-trancher-certains-points-du-projet-de-loi_6200032_3224.html)

National health policy

• Waiting list law announced
  • Sánchez seems to change the law for a plan with the autonomous communities (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20231116/sanchez-cambia-ley-tiempos-maximos-plan-ccaa-revertir-listas-wait-health/809919296_0.html)

• Private doctors-insurers confrontation
  • Private doctors pose a battle to hospitals and insurers (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2023-11-15/los-medicos-privados-posean-batalla-a-los-hospitales-y-las-aseguradoras-after-25-years-of-frozen-salaries.html)
  • 400 private doctors in Seville reject patients from large insurers (https://elpais.com/espana/andalucia/2023-11-14/400-medicos-privados-de-sevilla-rechazan-pacientes-de-grandes-aseguradoras-for-having-frozen-rates-for-25-years.html#:~:text=The%2050,000%20medical%20private%20of, first%20that%20has%20said%20bas)

• MIR transfers
  • The Ministry of Health calls the MIR transfers a hoax (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/medico-joven/mir/los-medicos-rechazan-una-supuesta-transferencia-del-mir-que-sanidad -tacha-de-bulo.html)

• Health budgets of the Autonomous Communities
  • The health budgets of the CCAAs break records (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/presupuestos-sanitarios-ccaa-baten-records-frente-desafios-sns_137019_102.html)

• Reduction of antibiotic consumption
  • Spain, one of the countries with the lowest antibiotic consumption (https://www.consalud.es/pacientes/gracias-pran-nos-hemos-situado-entre-paises-con-mayor-reduccion-consumo-antibioticos_136995_102.html)

Companies

• International News
  • Sales of anti-obesity drugs could reach 100 billion dollars in 2030 (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20231119/ventas-medicamentos-obesidad-alcanzaran-millones-dolares/809919234_0.html#:~:text=The%20medicines%20to%20treat%20the%20that%20does%20Goldman%20Sachs%20Research.)
  • From Pfizer and Moderna to Rovi: the great stock market crash of coronavirus vaccines (https://www.elconfidencial.com/mercados/2023-11-13/pfizer-moderna-gran-pinchazo-bursatil-vacunas_3771805/)

• National
  • Quirón advances in the approach of its new hospital in Gijón (https://www.lne.es/gijon/2023/11/16/quiron-impulsa-modificacion-pgo-edificador-94683146.html)
  • Prim reaches 154.8 million euros in revenue until September, 9% more (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/prim-alcanza-los-1548-millones-de-euros-de-ingresos-until-september-un-9-mas.html)
  • Sanitas pilots from Spain the purchase of a Turkish insurance company for BUPA (https://cincodias.elpais.com/fondos-y-planes/2023-11-14/sanitas-pilota-desde-espana-la-compra-de-a-turkish-insurance-for-bupa.html#)
  • Grifols will build a new plant in Canada to increase manufacturing (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud/noticias/12532342/11/23/grifols-construira-una-nueva-planta-en-canada-para-aumentar-la-fabricacion.html#:~:text=Grifols%20will%20build%20a%20new%20plant%20in%20Canada%20to%20increase%20the%20manufacturing,-The%20firm%20)
  • Almirall receives approval from the CE for its best-seller Ebglyss, which it launches in Germany (https://cincodias.elpais.com/companias/2023-11-17/almirall-lanza-en-alemania-su-superventas-ebglyss-after-being-approved-by-brussels.html#)
  • The bankruptcy administrator blames KKR for the bankruptcy of Dentix and demands a historical claim (https://www.elconfidencial.com/empresas/2023-11-15/administrador-culpa-kkr-quiebra-dentix-reclamacion-historica_3773701/ )