7 days in healthcare (September 12th-18th, 2022)

 

Summary

From the point of view of biomedicine, immunotherapy (in colon cancer) and CAR-T therapies (in lupus) continue to expand their therapeutic possibilities. Advances against infections for resistant bacteria. Will there ever come a time when cancer can be diagnosed by a simple blood test? This possibility does not seem very remote, according to papers presented at the meeting of the European Society of Medical Oncology.

Regarding Global Health, an important work directed by Jeffrey Sachs and published by The Lancet on the delays and errors of both governments and the WHO in dealing with the covid pandemic, which could have produced 17.7 million of  deaths, many of them preventable.

Regarding international health policy, the WHO says that the end of the covid pandemic may be in sight, although at the same time a new variant (BJ.1) of covid is evident in Europe. Important debate in Europe (Scotland and France) on euthanasia and assisted death. The French Ethics Committee opens the door to this possibility. The financing of the American FDA was questioned, due to its great economic dependence on the pharmaceutical industry. Biden launches a speech commemorating Kennedy’s in 1962 when he decided to go to the Moon, but this time oriented towards the fight against cancer.

If we talk about national health policy (Spain), the PDeCAT presents an amendment to the entire equity law, which it accuses of interfering in regional powers and of confusing agreement with privatization. Surprising statements from the Ministry of Health in a parliamentary response, saying that its functions in relation to the waiting lists are only to inform and monitor, as if it did not have the possibility of signing agreements with the communities to address this problem or of launching other actions. Concern, there are even demonstrations in the street, of the relatives of the elderly admitted to residences. The Community of Madrid announces that it will reduce the waiting lists by half. Although we would like it not to be the case this time, this announcement is preceded by other similar ones from different governments, which always came to nothing in terms of effectiveness. The search for solutions by the Ministry of Finance to the MUFACE model, highly impacted by inflation, seems to recognize its underfinancing.

In the field of companies, from the international point of view, important success for Sanofi, with its new vaccine against bronchiolitis. In Spain, important corporate movements in Korian, HM Hospitales, Miranza and Ribera.

Biomedicine

• Daily intake of multivitamins can improve brain function in older people, according to an American study (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/sep/14/daily-multi-vitamins-may-improve-brain- function-in-older-people-us-study)
• Children whose parents breathed cigarette smoke, more likely to have asthma, according to a study published in the European Respiratory Journal, in a “transgenerational effect” (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/sep/15 /children-of-children-exposed-to-smokers-more-likely-to-get-asthma-study-finds)
• A possible new strategy for colon cancer with immunotherapy may limit surgery, as presented at the meeting of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (https://www.lemonde.fr/sciences/article/2022/09 /13/cancer-du-colon-une-nouvelle-strategie-pour-limiter-la-chirurgie_6141462_1650684.html)
• A blood test could detect cancer before symptoms appear, as presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) congress, conducted by oncologists from the Memorial Sloan Cancer Center (MSKCC) (https://www.elmundo .es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2022/09/12/631ef872e4d4d8d40a8b45a9.html)
• They develop an effective medicine against more than 300 resistant bacteria. Some 2.8 million people around the world are infected with resistant bacteria, each year some 700,000 people die from this cause (https://www.larazon.es/sociedad/20220830/rzkr6awcbzaehfjd4nxjrxbycy.html)
• CAR-T (taking blood from patients, modify white blood cells with genetic engineering and re-infuse them), a treatment used so far in leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, achieves remission of lupus in five patients (https://elpais. com/ciencia/2022-09-15/a-revolutionary-experimental-treatment-achieves-remission-of-lupus-in-five-patients.html?event_log=oklogin)

Global Health

• Health entities (the WHO and almost 200 associations) ask for a treaty for the non-proliferation of fossil fuels, similar to the Framework Agreement on tobacco and trying to emulate the success of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (https:// www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/14/fossil-fuel-non-proliferation-treaty-who-environmental-vandilism)
• Governments and the WHO acted too slowly to tackle the covid pandemic, according to a report by The Lancet prepared under the direction of Jeffrey Sachs. The failures could have caused  many of the 17.7 million deaths (https://www.ft.com/content/3851ddff-09f3-4832-a800-eb69d50c0113). If you want to consult the original report: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)01585-9/fulltext
• The Lancet addresses the problem of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as a major health problem, classifying it into five types according to risk factors: genetics, early life events, exposure to tobacco and air pollution. Tobacco is the most important risk factor. Globally, COPD affected more than 300 million people in 2019, with 3.3 million deaths (https://www.thelancet.com/commissions/COPD
• Polio returns in rich countries, but poses a much greater threat to developing countries, while outbreaks will be highly unlikely in rich countries, due to high vaccination and good sanitation (https://www.science.org/content /article/polio-back-rich-countries-it-poses-far-bigger-threat-developing-world)

International health policy

• Monkeypox
  • The Consequences of Underestimating Monkeypox, article in Science (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.add3668)
  • Monkeypox vaccines, treatments and tests unaffordable in much of the world (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/12/health/monkeypox-vaccines-treatments-equity.html)

• COVID-19
  • Fauci warns that covid policies can harm the vaccination of children (https://www.ft.com/content/59be3908-56eb-4ffc-b612-eda330850b9f?desktop=true&segmentId=7c8f09b9-9b61-4fbb-9430 -9208a9e233c8#myft:notification:daily-email:content)
  • More than 10 million children lost a parent or caregiver due to covid (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-02941-z)
  • United States criticized for launching the “booster” without human trials (https://www.ft.com/content/92d52780-14c8-49a0-937b-a7722363254f)
  • The end of the covid pandemic is in sight, according to the WHO (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/14/end-of-covid-pandemic-in-sight-says-world -health-organization)
  • At least 17 million people in Europe have “long covid”, according to the WHO (https://www.ft.com/content/31098229-d0b6-47e0-b433-0b968a152d21)
  • The zero covid policy takes its toll on China in terms of mental health problems: 54 million with depression and anxiety (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2022/09/12/631f5f07fdddff290d8b45bb. html)
  • China gives the green light to the first nasal vaccine for covid (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/inmunologia/politica/china-da-luz-verde-la-primera-vacuna-intranasal-para-incentivar- immunization-in-the-population-over-65-years-old.html)
  • BJ.1, the new omicron variant, is already in Europe (https://www.larazon.es/sociedad/20220914/aesqhy537vfknaajgd3e6bqyxi.html)

• Debate on euthanasia in Europe
  • Legislation on assisted dying, widely supported in Scotland (https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj.o2205)
  • Declaration of the Ethics Committee in France: it opens the door to active help in dying, in a report dated September 13, not only for cases of imminent death, but also for “patients with serious and incurable diseases that cause suffering” ( https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2022/09/13/fin-de-vie-le-tournant-du-comite-d-ethique_6141496_3224.html)
  • End of life: a delicate but necessary debate. Le Monde editorial (https://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2022/09/14/fin-de-vie-un-grand-debat-delicat-mais-necessaire_6141569_3232.html)
  • In France, the Order of Physicians opposes euthanasia and calls for a “conscience clause” (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2022/09/15/fin-de-vie-l- ordre-des-medecins-oppose-a-l-euthanasie-reclame-une-clause-de-conscience_6141817_3224.html)

• Other themes
  • The financing of the American FDA under discussion, between accusations of too much influence from the pharmaceutical and medical technology industries, since the pharmaceutical industry currently finances 75% of the expenses of the drug division (https://www. .nytimes.com/2022/09/15/health/fda-drug-industry-fees.html)
  • Biden promises to end cancer “as we know it”, the goal is to halve deaths from this disease in the next 25 years, in a speech commemorating the 60th anniversary of the “Moonshot Speech”, delivered by Kennedy in 1962 announcing the program to go to the Moon (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2022-09-12/biden-promete-acabar-con-el-cancer-tal-como-lo-conocemos.html)

National health policy

• Monkeypox
  • Health reports 6,947 confirmed cases of monkeypox (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/sanidad-hoy/espana-roza-los-7-000-casos-de-viruela-del-mono-por-todo -the-territory-6480)

• COVID
  • Small rebound at the end of the week, Health reported 4,291 more cases on Friday than on Tuesday, but hospital improvement continues (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2022/09/16/63248a1bfc6c83024f8b4577 .html)
  • 127.524  billion euros: the cost of the pandemic in Spain, due to the 11.3% drop in GDP since 2020 (https://www.elconfidencial.com/economia/2022-09-15/pib-revision-pandemia -statistics-ine-construction-consumption-investment-public-expenditure-families-calvino_3491004/)

• Regulatory changes
  • The PDeCAT presents the first amendment to the entire Equity Law, which it accuses of invading regional powers and confusing agreeing with privatizing (https://diariofarma.com/2022/09/12/el-pdecat-presenta -the-first-amendment-to-the-entirety-of-equity-law)
  • The Patient Safety Law, with no signs of approval (https://www.consalud.es/politica/parlamentos/ley-seguridad-paciente-sin-visos-aprobarse-acumula-62-prorrogas_120328_102.html)
• Other themes
  • Spain continues to be the leader in transplants: it contributed 22% of organ donors in the EU and 5% of those registered in the world (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2022 /09/11/631db514e4d4d8937f8b459e.html)
  • The Ministry of Health limits its functions on the waiting lists to be reported, as recognized in a parliamentary response (https://www.consalud.es/politica/ministerio-sanidad/sanidad-limita-sus-funciones-sobre-listas -expect-track-report_120269_102.html)
  • Health falls to fourth place as the main problem, according to the CIS survey (https://www.actasanitaria.com/politica-y-sociedad/sanidad-baja-puesto-cuarto-como-principal-problema_2003544_102.html)
  • Sánchez announces 172 million euros for primary care (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/medicina-familiar/politica/sanchez-anuncia-una-partida-de-172-millones-de-euros-para-mejorar -primary-care.html)
  • Relatives of those housed in residences demonstrate to demand a new model (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2022-09-17/los-familiares-de-residencias-se-manifiestan-para-exigir-un-nuevo -model-stop-it.html)
  • The government asks Catalonia to share its epidemiological surveillance system with the rest of the communities (https://elpais.com/espana/catalunya/2022-09-15/el-gobierno-pide-a-cataluna-que- share-your-epidemiological-surveillance-system-with-the-rest-of-communities.html)
  • Madrid announces that it will cut the waiting list time in half (https://www.consalud.es/autonomias/c-madrid/madrid-plan-listas-espera-mitad-tiempo-maximos_120099_102.html)
  • For some, Spain suffers from a rationing of innovative medicines (https://elglobal.es/opinion/espana-sufre-un-racionamiento-de-medicamentos-innovadores/)
  • Andalusia expects savings of 50 million with its measures to control pharmaceutical spending (https://diariofarma.com/2022/09/15/andalucia-espera-50-millones-de-ahorro-anual-con-sus-medidas -of-control-of-pharmaceutical-expenditure)
  • Treasury seeks solutions for inflation in MUFACE, in a movement that seems to recognize the underfunding of the system (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/privada/hacienda-admite-que-busca-soluciones-al-efecto-de -inflation-in-muface-2980)

Companies

• International News
  • New “venture capital” enters the long covid (https://www.science.org/content/article/new-private-venture-tackles-riddle-long-covid-and-aims-test-treatments-quickly)
  • Sanofi scores a success with its bronchiolitis vaccine (https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2022/09/16/sanofi-remporte-un-succes-dans-un-vaccin-contre-la -bronchiolite_6141864_3234.html)

• National News
  • Pharmaceutical companies increase their local production by 32% (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud/noticias/11945342/09/22/Las-farmaceuticas-aumentan-un-32-su-produccion-local.html)
  • Korian buys Grupo 5, the Spanish leader in mental health, from Corpfin for around 200 million euros (https://www.elconfidencial.com/empresas/2022-09-14/korian-compra-grupo5-lider-espanol- mental-health-corpfin_3490195/)
  • Magnum sells the ophthalmological company Miranza to PAI for more than 250 million euros, to integrate it into the German group Veonet (https://www.eleconomista.es/capital-riesgo/noticias/11940403/09/22/Magnum-vende -the-Spanish-ophthalmological-leader-Miranza-to-the-german-Veonet-for-more-than-250-million.html)
  • Ribera buys the Virgen de la Caridad hospital group from Magnum for around 60 million euros (includes two hospitals, 20 polyclinics, 23 physiotherapy clinics and 16 dental clinics) (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/ ribera-buys-the-virgen-de-la-caridad-hospital-group-from-magnum-capital.html)
  • HM is committed to eye health and launches the HM Eye Center (https://www.hmhospitales.com/prensa/notas-de-prensa/nace-hm-eye-center-centro-specializado-salud-ocular)
  • Kern Pharma will build a new factory in Monforte de Lemos for more than 30 million (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/kern-pharma-construira-una-nueva-planta-en-monforte-de-lemos-por -over-30-million.html)