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7 days in healthcare (September 18th-24th, 2023)

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Summary

From the point of view of Biomedicine, Nature magazine in an article returns to artificial intelligence as an accelerator of the introduction of new medicines, also making the process less expensive. A second patient is implanted with a genetically modified pig heart. The prospects for transplants with animal organs are opening up more and more. Google (Deep Mind) identifies millions of mutations in proteins capable of generating disease, which will allow a much better understanding of numerous diseases.

Regarding Global Health, article in Science about the eradication of polio, which was a goal for the year 2000, but not yet achieved. Despite the success of vaccination campaigns, polio is still present in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Nature magazine warns of the danger that the pandemic treaty will not be concluded by 2024, as was the objective. The need to make vaccines accessible to everyone in all countries and the protection of intellectual property through patents, in contradiction, hinders progress.

Regarding International Health Policy, JAMA reviews the historic negotiation by Medicare of the price of prescription drugs, exposing the reservations of pharmaceutical companies and the different demands presented by each of them to the American government. Prime Minister Sunak is considering the possibility of banning the use of tobacco for new generations, in a way similar to that implemented in New Zealand. A report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) states that in the United Kingdom there were 240,000 deaths in the period 2010-2020, which could have been avoided if standards of care on the European average had been applied. This is largely attributed to difficulties in access (in other words, waiting lists).

If we talk about National Health Policy (Spain), after an attempt at regional rebellion, the Ministry has had to withdraw the measure that provided for vaccination of health workers with the Hipra vaccine, not adapted for the new strains. Although the Ministry has not yet made public the announced report on the management of Covid, commissioned from four well-known experts, a group of prestigious academics has just published a valuable report on healthcare at the post-Covid crossroads. Changes in health are announced in both the Community of Madrid and Valencia. Time will tell if these changes address the real problems or remain cosmetic changes, to which some politicians are so accustomed. In Madrid, the final destination of the Zendal hospital does not seem to be clear, apart from its temporary use as a center for ALS. It is the consequence of building a large center without an adequate functional plan. The valuable EPINE report shows that more than 7,000 deaths occurred each year in Spain as a result of nosocomial infections. The conflict between doctors and health insurers, which began in Seville, threatens to spread to other communities, including Madrid.

In the field of Companies, on an international level, Abbot plans to acquire Bigfoot Biomedical at the end of 2023. On a national level, Novo Nordisk plans to open a technological and digital headquarters in Spain, which, if confirmed, would be excellent news.

Biomedicine

Global Health

International health policy

National health policy

Companies

 

 

 

 

7 days in healthcare (July 24th-30th, 2023)

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Summary

From the point of view of Biomedicine, the mRNA vaccine for cancer and regenerative medicine seem to be the great promises in medical advances.

As regards Global Health, The Lancet dedicates an editorial to the need for a broader vision of women’s health, beyond maternal health. The most prevalent disease problems in women are the same as in men, but need insight into specific, poorly understood risks.

As for International Health Policy, the battle continues in the United States for the application of the new pharmaceutical policy that allows Medicare to negotiate the price of drugs, something that until now had been banned. This negotiation will begin in 2024 and it is expected that on September 1, 2023 the medicines on which it will be negotiated will be known. In a movement that seems to be ahead of events, several pharmaceutical companies (Janssen, Merck, Astellas Pharma and BMS) file a lawsuit against the American government. Apart from other possible considerations, it seems difficult to maintain that the price of medicines is much higher in the United States than in other countries, and not only in developing countries, but also in Europe. In the United Kingdom, the British Medical Journal focuses on the financing of pharmaceutical and medical technology companies to British scientific societies. For this, more transparency is required.

If we talk about National Health Policy (Spain), the political changes derived from the regional elections establish a new configuration of the Interterritorial Council, which will be numerically dominated by the PP (which will count, including the Canary Islands Coalition) 12 seats in the Council, by 3 of the PSOE (Castilla-La Mancha, Navarra, Asturias), 1 from the PNV (Basque Country) and 1 from ERC (Catalonia). The Radar Healthcare organization publishes a new ranking of healthcare systems and awards Spain a very favorable position in terms of quality. In general, these types of rankings must be looked at with a magnifying glass and consider the type of indicators analyzed and another series of circumstances. A biased and unprofessional interpretation of the international rankings on the Spanish health system has meant, in practice, a brake on the reforms. If we are so well, why reform anything? It is known that Spain is one of the OECD countries that devotes less public funding to dental care. What we did not know and what is now clear is that it has even dropped very significantly in the last decade, going from 5,245 million euros in 2010 to 3,681 in 2020. It seems clear that Spain, which globally has organized vaccination against covid very well However, it has failed to develop a vaccine: the HIPRA vaccine was delayed much longer than expected and the announced intranasal vaccine no longer even has a release date. It is difficult to compete with vaccines that appear less than a year after the onset of the disease, as has happened in the case of covid, with long development of vaccines that take years.

In the field of Companies, internationally, the president of Novartis (company of European origin) says that the price reform in the United States of medicines represents a threat to Public Health. At the national level, it is worth noting that spending on biosimilars has exceeded 1 billion euros in 2022, due to the fact that the patent for several biological drug molecules has expired and biosimilars have appeared.

Biomedicine

Global Health

International Health Policy

National health policy

  • Changes in the Interterritorial Council
    • Changes in the political sign of the autonomous communities completely modify the political weights in the Interterritorial Council. The popular ones will have 12 seats (with the Canary Islands Coalition), compared to 3 for the socialists (Castilla-La Mancha, Navarra and Asturias), 1 for the PNV (Basque Country) and 1 ERC (Catalonia) (https://gacetamedica.com/opinion/a-new-territorial-council-of-the-sns/)

Companies