Posts

7 days in healthcare (November 7th-13th, 2022)

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Summary

From the point of view of biomedicine, to highlight the blood transfusion with cells generated in the laboratory from donor stem cells, carried out in the United Kingdom, which opens up possibilities for what has been pursued for years: the so-called “artificial blood”. Likewise, two advances that originate in Spain: the discovery of a genetic variant that favors thinness (CNIO) and the fact that malignant cells break off from cancer and cause deaths by metastasis (Institute of Medical Research of Barcelona).

As regards Global Health, Nature insists in an editorial, following the COP27 meeting, that rich countries must advance compensation for polluting. Important challenges for the new Brazilian President in health matters, particularly in primary care.

Regarding International Health Policy, debate on the covid-zero policy in China, on the one hand, there seem to be signs that China is easing quarantines, on the other hand, according to José Luis Puerta in an article, this policy is a death trap , since its abandonment may mean assuming a high number of deaths, given the low percentage of vaccination in China. In the United Kingdom (NHS) a nurses’ strike for salary demands is raised for the first time, which. according to the Government, they are unaffordable.

If we talk about National Health Policy (Spain), it seems that the crisis of Primary Care, long incubated, has exploded. Although the problems of low wages, poor working conditions for doctors and flight or refusal to go to Primary Care is a national problem, the crisis has broken out above all, although not only, in Madrid, which has some peculiarities that aggravate the situation: 1. the closure of out-of-hospital emergencies for two years; 2. the low funding of the health system in Madrid and of Primary Care; and, 3. some confrontation practice. The truth is that the “white tide” has been activated, with a large demonstration in defense of public healthcare in the center of Madrid, which was a great success for the organizers. As always in these cases, the defense of public healthcare is mixed with the rejection of any form of public/private collaboration. Tensions in primary care also in the rest of Spain. Highly recommendable is the video on YouTube entitled “Doctors are lacking in Spain”?

In the field of companies, at the international level Bavarian Nordic increases its growth due to the monkeypox vaccine, while BioNTech’s revenues fall, due to the drop in sales of the covid vaccine. In Spain, changes in the CEO of Quirón, to whom Víctor Madera, the company’s founder, returns to executive positions. Success for Ribera, which is awarded an important contract for a hospital concession in Cascais (Portugal). New delays in the approval by the EMA of the HIPRA vaccine.

Biomedicine

Global Health

International health policy

  • COVID-19
    • China eases quarantine rules, with Guangzhou close to lockdown. There is speculation that Beijing is considering a relaxation of the covid-zero policy (https://www.ft.com/content/709e95e6-cc63-4fe0-9c4a-5683c87f7e7b)
    • Interesting article by José Luis Puerta: “China: the deadly trap of the covid-zero policy”. If the government lifts the restrictions, which are sinking the economy, the country risks suffering a tsunami of infections, due to the low level of vaccination. It is estimated that this could cause 1.6 million deaths and a demand for intensive care that exceeds its current capacity by 15.6 times (https://theobjective.com/internacional/2022-11-12/china-covid-zero/ )

National health policy

Companies

 

7 days in healthcare (October 31st-November 6th, 2022)

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Summary

From the point of view of Biomedicine, the start of human trials of drugs discovered by Artificial Intelligence should be highlighted, something that is attracting the attention of all Big Pharma companies.

With regard to Global Health, it should be noted that COP27, the major international conference on climate change, will be held in Cairo on November 7 and 8. His opening coincides with the editorial in The Economist in which he says that the goal of keeping the temperature from rising 1.5º is totally unrealistic, proposing various alternatives. Ukraine’s health system prepares for nuclear disaster. Cholera outbreaks in various parts of the world.

Regarding International Health Policy, the WHO publishes a document on the development of telemedicine in Europe, identifying the problems of the user, technology and infrastructure as the main obstacles to its development. Problems in the British and French health systems.

If we talk about National Health Policy (Spain), the CESM denounces the proliferation of contracts for doctors without a MIR system. Surprisingly, there is no exact figure for how many doctors practice in Spain without MIR. Serious tensions in the Madrid healthcare system, mainly in out-of-hospital emergencies, although not only. It seems that the politics of confrontation prevails, which is neither positive nor desirable. There are no good memories of the famous “white tides” in Madrid, which should not be reactivated. The debate on the delay in access to medicines continues. The Ministry of Health affirms that part of this delay is due to pharmaceutical companies, which prioritize some countries over others in their marketing requests. At the national level, mention must be made of the death of Dr. Fernando Alonso-Lej, the great introducer of the MIR system in Spain and, therefore, deserving of maximum recognition.

In the Corporate arena, internationally J&J acquires a cardiac device company. In our country, it should be noted that the private sector builds more than 80% of nursing homes.

Biomedicine

Global Health

International health policy

National health policy

Companies

7 days in healthcare (October, 3rd-9th, 2022)

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Summary

From the point of view of biomedicine, to review the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine, won by Svante Pääbo, a scientist who is recognized for his studies on the DNA of human ancestors, which allows us to better understand genetic evolution towards the “homo sapiens”. It seems that a study with Artificial Intelligence of the eye will help predict coronary risk in minutes, without the need for blood tests or other studies.

As far as Global Health is concerned, it is believed that malaria could be definitively eradicated from the world, with the help of new vaccines.

As for international health policy, alerts in Europe about avian flu and diphtheria, brought by immigrants from Africa and Asia. To highlight the changes in Portugal, which incorporate an independent team to the management of the SNS.

If we talk about national health policy (Spain), the rise in covid cases prevents the Interterritorial Council from approving the abolition of masks on public transport. The health items in the General State Budgets are analyzed with a magnifying glass in the professional press, despite the low weight of the expenses of the Central Administration in the total health expenses. However, it allows to detect some priorities for the Ministry, although the economic items are usually below the challenges: primary care, genomic portfolio, mental health, dental care, primary care infrastructure, etc. The CEOE charges against the Equity Law, which it describes as “unprecedented risk”. The debates and controversies continue in relation to the delays in the incorporation of pharmaceutical innovation in Spain. However, these debates do not usually consider that the approval by the EMA of a medicine does not mean automatic public financing in Spain, according to article 92 of the Law on Guarantees and rational use of medicines, which establishes the “financing selective and not indiscriminate” according to a series of criteria, which are established. AESEG and BIOSIM no longer agree with the plan approved a couple of years ago on generics and biosimilars, but want the new approaches to be included in the Guarantees Law.

In the field of companies, in the international arena, BioNTech signs an agreement with Australia, for the establishment of research centers in that country. As for national news, the growing weight of online pharmacy (prescription drugs excluded by law). HM reinforces itself in Andalusia, incorporating four hospitals in Malaga into its network.

Biomedicine

Global Health

International health policy

National health policy

  • General State Budgets (impact on health)

Companies