7 days in healthcare (October, 10th-16th, 2022)

 

Summary

From the point of view of biomedicine, to review the advances in knowledge of the human organ that, to a large extent, remains a mystery, the brain: the implantation of human cells in mice, which can send signals and the creation of a kind of synthetic intelligence, by verifying that nerve cells in a dish can learn. In the United States, it is found that mortality from breast cancer has decreased a lot, due to early detection and better treatments. Something that is not exclusive to the United States and that surely also occurs in Spain.

As far as Global Health is concerned, the serious health problems, for very different reasons, in Pakistan, Somalia, Syria and Lebanon must be highlighted.

Regarding international health policy, there is great concern in the WHO and other organizations about the effects of persistent covid. Threat of hospitals in Germany by covid. The Economist introduces the debate on the legalization of cocaine, which it strongly defends, considering that the problems of an illegal market far outweigh those that could arise in a controlled market. Put the simile of whiskey and cigarettes.

If we talk about national health policy (Spain), the rise in the incidence of covid continues, although in Spain without notably affecting hospitals. Promising launch of the Neurotechnology Center in Madrid.

In the field of companies, at the international level, the WTO (World Trade Organization) continues with its efforts to free the patents of medicines related to covid. As far as Spain is concerned, HIPRA suffers a new delay in the approval of its vaccine by the EMA, which practically excludes it from the fourth dose vaccination campaign.

Biomedicine

• Major advances in understanding of the brain: Human brain cells implanted in mice can send signals, which will likely lead to advances in therapies for brain disorders (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03238-x); and creation of a kind of synthetic intelligence, by verifying that nerve cells in a dish can learn (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2022/10/12/nerve-cells-in-a- dish-can-learn-to-play-pong)
• Breast cancer is less deadly in the United States. According to a report by the American Cancer Society, mortality from breast cancer has fallen by 43% in the last 30 years, due to early detection and better treatments, by being able to establish cancer subtypes (https://www.economist. com/united-states/2022/10/13/breast-cancer-has-become-less-lethal-in-america)

Global Health

• Pakistan: humanitarian and health disaster due to the floods, which have produced 33 million people affected and 7.6 million displaced (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22) 01874-8/fulltext)
• Millions at risk of hunger and disease in Somalia (https://www.bmj.com/content/379/bmj.o2413)
• Ebola epidemic in Uganda, the President orders traditional healers to cease their activity (https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2022/10/13/ouganda-le-president-museveni-ordonne-aux- guerisseurs-traditionnels-de-cesser-leurs-activites_6145620_3212.html)
• In Syria and Lebanon, the reappearance of cholera, revealing the water crisis (https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2022/10/14/en-syrie-et-au-liban-la- reapparition-du-cholera-revelateur-de-la-crise-de-l-eau_6145813_3244.html)

International health policy

• Monkeypox
  • 20,455 cases reported in Europe. According to the latest ECDC risk assessment, the overall risk is considered moderate for people with multiple sexual partners and low for the general population (https://www.consalud.es/comunicados/casos-muertes-viruela-mono- europe_121484_102.html)

• COVID-19
  • The WHO Director calls for immediate action to control the devastating effects of “long covid” (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/oct/12/long-covid-who-tedros-adhanom-ghebreyesus )
  • A study shows that almost half of patients have not fully recovered after several months with covid (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/12/health/long-covid.html)
  • Shanghai reimposes strict controls after a resurgence of covid (https://www.ft.com/content/b8f0c047-fff3-4860-b8d7-ccd7dcba8da8)
  • The increase in covid cases threatens to collapse hospitals in Germany (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2022-10-12/el-rapido-aumento-de-los-contagios-de-covid-comienza-a -collapse-the-hospitals-in-germany.html)
  • Xi Jinping opens the Congress of the Chinese Communist Party defending the zero-covid strategy (https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2022/10/16/le-parti-communiste-chinois-ouvre-son-congres -pour-sacrer-a-nouveau-xi-jinping_6145987_3210.html)
  • The United States extends the covid emergency until January 11, 23, even though Biden says the pandemic is over (https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/13/us-extends-covid-public-health -emergency-.html)

• European Union
  • A step forward towards a Europe of health. The reinforcement of the ECDC (European Center for Disease Prevention and Control), the EMA (European Medicines Agency) and the creation of the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority, constitute important steps towards a European policy of health, something not contemplated in the founding European treaties (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)01980-8/fulltext)

• The debate on the legalization of cocaine
  • The Economist supports in an editorial the legalization of cocaine and says that Biden is too timid in that regard. Since Richard Nixon declared the “war on drugs” 50 years ago, the arrival of cocaine in the United States has only grown. The solution for The Economist: full legalization, with strict regulation and high taxes, like whiskey and cigarettes (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2022/10/12/joe-biden-is-too- timid-it-is-time-to-legalise-cocaine)

• New Code of Medical Ethics
  • Approved the new International Code of Medical Ethics of the World Medical Association. After the initial version of this Code in 1949, a new wording has been approved at the General Assembly of the World Medical Association, held in Berlin in October 2022 (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2797507)

• Other themes
  • NHS crisis: waiting list in England reaches a record 7 million people (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/oct/13/record-7-million-people-awaiting-hospital -treatment-says-nhs-england)
  • How can the NHS be made greener? Produces 5% of greenhouse gases (https://www.bmj.com/content/379/bmj.o2400)

National health policy

• Monkeypox
  • Spain continues to be the European country with the most cases: 7,239 and one death (https://www.consalud.es/comunicados/casos-muertes-viruela-mono-europa_121484_102.html)

• COVID
  • The covid, on the rise: the incidence in those over 59 years of age grew 27 points in the last week. However, the hospital impact remains low and the number of deaths in the last week is 68 (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/medicina-preventiva/politica/coronavirus-la-incidencia-en-los- over-59-years-old-grows-27-points-in-the-last-week.html)

• Other themes
  • Only one in three prescriptions for antibiotics in hospitals is appropriate, according to the Pausate study, published in the journal Farmacia Hospitalaria and with the participation of 103 hospitals (https://www.larazon.es/salud/20221011 /craxfqacbjd5zcgdgyr44g5hea.html)
  • A decalogue to create a “gold standard” health center, proposals from the Catalan Society of Health Management, presented at the X Congress of Clinical Management (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/medicina-familiar/profesion/ a-decalogue-to-create-a-health-center-gold-standard.html)
  • It is intended that with the National Center for Neurotechnology, Madrid will become an international benchmark in research in this field. Project promoted by Rafael Yuste and that will have a budget of 300 million in four years and a unique building on the Cantoblanco campus of the Autonomous University of Madrid (https://www.consalud.es/comunicados/centro-nacional-neurotecnologia- madrid-international-reference_121553_102.html)
  • Confidential data leaked after the cyber attack on several hospitals and health centers in Catalonia (https://www.lavanguardia.com/vida/20221011/8564137/filtrados-datos-hospitales-sufriieron-ciberataque.html)

Companies

• International News
  • The WTO (World Trade Organization) wants there to be a “pre-agreement” on the patent exemption of anti-Covid drugs before November. So far, the WTO has not been successful in its efforts along these lines (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20221014/omc-preacuerdo-exencion-patentes-farmacos-anticovid-noviembre/710429257_0.html )
  • Oxford Biotech secures funding to develop mRNA treatments for liver disease (https://www.ft.com/content/e4298d57-cdbb-4100-ada1-ddff5c9136a0)
  • Ramsay Santé, owned by the Australian group Ramsay Santé Health, from France to the conquest of the European private sector (https://www.plantadoce.com/entorno/ramsay-sante-desde-france-a-la-conquista-del- european-private-sector.html)

• National News
  • Salamanca will have the most modern oncology drug plant in Europe, created by Novartis (https://diariofarma.com/2022/10/11/salamanca-contara-con-la-planta-mas-moderna-de-europa- of-oncology-drugs)
  • Novartis announces an ERE in Spain for up to 240 employees (10% of the workforce) (https://www.diariomedico.com/farmacia/industria/empresas/novartis-anuncia-un-ere-en-espana-de- up-240-employees.html)
  • Generali and Sanitas sign a strategic agreement on the health sector (https://corporativo.sanitas.es/generali-y-sanitas-firman-un-acuerdo-estrategico-que-refuerza-a-ambas-companias-en-el -health-sector/)
  • New delay: Hipra awaits the marketing registration from the EMA in November (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/hipra-espera-el-visto-bueno-de-la-ema-para-su-vacuna- against-covid-19-in-november.html)
  • Assistència Sanitària invests six million in clinics (https://www.lavanguardia.com/economia/20221010/8561041/assistencia-sanitaria-col-legial-invierte-seis-millones-consultorios.html)
  • Future Life lands in Spain with the purchase of the Institut Marquès (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/futurelife-desembarca-en-espana-con-la-compra-de-institut-marques.html)
  • iVascular expands its medical device factory with a fifteen million investment (https://www.lavanguardia.com/economia/20221013/8564911/ivascular-amplia-fabrica-dispositivos-medicos-15-millones-inversion.html)