Summary

From the point of view of Biomedicine, it is worth pointing out the expanded “pan-genomic” base, which significantly increases the letters of the DNA, which, apparently, will make it possible to improve the typing and treatment of certain diseases. Promising results of mRNA technology in pancreatic cancer. Potential of stool transplants against some bacteria not sensitive to antibiotics.

As far as Global Health is concerned, although covid is no longer a global emergency, the truth is that, as the WHO itself shows, the disease continues to kill and change.

Regarding International Health Policy, it is worth highlighting the great news coming from the British government, which will allow pharmacies to prescribe certain medications, as well as the contraceptive pill. The objective of the measure is to significantly reduce the number of visits to the primary doctor. In France, patients, faced with overloaded doctors, turn to self-medication. Euthanasia is already legal in Portugal. Great battle in Chile between the Boric government and the Isapres (Chilean health insurers). In a bill, the government, in order to respond to an erga omnes ruling (of universal application) of the Courts, proposes the payment by insurers of alleged amounts for overpayments, which would make the model unfeasible. The Association of Isapres has reacted with a harsh note, answered no less harshly by government spokesmen. Health and specifically the role of the Isapres, at the center of the political debate in Chile.

If we talk about National Health Policy (Spain), the most important news is the proposals by various medical associations (IMAS Foundation, FACME, General Council of Medical Associations) for a decalogue of proposals to reform the SNS, which they consider in total crisis, before the next legislature. New governance; new management model; citizen/patient and professional participation; measurement of results and transparency; new care model; digital transformation according to the citizen’s digital clinical history model, are some of the most important measures. We only have to congratulate those responsible for this initiative, which contrasts so much with the limited and timid proposals put forward by the majority political parties. To those parties (PSOE and PP) the proposals were raised in a meeting. The only possible consideration is whether a reform of the public system is possible without mentioning a limited and selective co-payment, the absence of which we are the exception in Europe, as well as the non-consideration of the private sector in that reform. Looking the other way from the private sector has never produced good results. On the other hand, the document emphasizes its proposal for changes in the management and care model, governance, the participation of citizens/patients and professionals, and transparency. But he doesn’t mention financing at all. Although financing as an isolated reform (which is very common to consider) would not solve much, this issue has specific problems. Having made these qualifications, as a whole it is a splendid document, a must-read. The Constitutional Court publishes the ruling declaring the 2010 law on abortion deadlines legal. A study in Catalonia shows that the rich wait less on the lists of Catalan public hospitals than the rest of the population, something that had already been demonstrated in the UK on the NHS. The CEOE-union agreement includes the control of sick leave by Mutual Societies, something whose real scope will have to wait to see its effects. The truth is that absenteeism had increased a lot in recent times.

In the field of Companies, at the international level, drugs for weight loss point to an area of great economic interest for the pharmaceutical industry. In Spain, the most striking thing is Fresenius’s intention to get rid of the part of Quirón in Latin America, as well as the fertility company Eugin. Mutua Madrileña and El Corte Inglés launch medical insurance under the Adeslas brand.

Biomedicine

• Expanded “pan-genomics” database promises to improve the treatment of certain diseases. This shows more variation in DNA between people than scientists had initially thought. 119 million letters are added to the model used so far (https://www.ft.com/content/3b34fe2f-1f4a-44d2-b8c2-9d53845d1725). Original Nature article: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01576-y
• An mRNA vaccine achieves first success against pancreatic cancer. (Patients respond positively to this still experimental treatment (https://elpais.com/salud-y-bienestar/2023-05-10/una-vacuna-de-arn-logra-un-primer-exito-contra-pancreatic-cancer-the-most-lethal-tumor.html) Original article in Nature, signed, among others, by Ugur Sahin and Özlem Türeci, from BioNTech: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06063-y
• The potential of stool transplantation. A scientific review concludes that fecal microbiota transplantation is more effective than antibiotics against certain infections. Hopes in mental health and to improve the effect of immunotherapy in cancer (https://elpais.com/salud-y-bienestar/2023-05-11/el-potencial-del-trasplante-de-heces-eficaz-against-an-aggressive-bacteria-and-hopeful-in-oncology.html)
• Two drugs offer hope to Alzheimer’s patients, after decades of waiting. Both act by reducing the production of amyloid plaques (https://www.ft.com/content/b18aefc1-ccbc-442e-a23c-117f27826d71)
• FDA approves new drug for menopausal hot flashes (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/12/health/menopause-fda-hot-flashes.html)

Global Health

• Mpox is no longer a global emergency, according to the WHO (https://www.ft.com/content/ce2c4ad2-d806-4d26-b86d-bcbb7fe6edba)
• Why the end of the global covid emergency matters (https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/why-end-public-health-emergency-really-matters#:~:text=The%20end%20of%20the%20pandemic%27s,inequitable%20our%20society%20had%20become.)
• Covid is still killing and changing (https://www.science.org/content/article/who-ends-pandemic-emergency-covid-19-deaths-fall)

International Health Policy

• USA
  • According to the US Surgeon General (equivalent to the Administration’s medical officer), loneliness is a public health crisis (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)00957-1/fulltext#:~:text=The%20USA%20has%20an%20“epidemic,societal%20health”%2C%20Murthy%20warns.)

• United Kingdom and National Health Service
  • Sunak is criticized, after the failure against the NHS waiting list (https://www.ft.com/content/0e7cacb0-534b-437f-8feb-520943599e29)
  • Patients get sicker, after waiting on the waiting list (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/may/07/patients-getting-sicker-as-they-face-long-waits-for-nhs-care-says-top-gp)
  • Pharmacies in England will be able to offer prescriptions directly for 7 clinical conditions. The measure tries to avoid 15 million appointments with primary doctors in the next five years. The seven conditions are: earache, sore throat, sinusitis, skin impetigo, herpes, insect infections, and uncomplicated female urinary tract infections. Also includes blood pressure checks and prescription of birth control pills (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/may/09/pharmacies-england-prescriptions-seven-conditions-amid-surgery-crisis#:~:text=Pharmacies%20in%20England%20to%20offer%20prescriptions%20for%20seven%20conditions%20amid%20surgery%20crisis,-Proposal%20is%20desi)

• France
  • Faced with overloaded doctors, patients turn to self-medication (https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2023/05/12/face-a-des-medecins-surcharges-les-francais-se-tournent-vers-l-automedication_6173096_3234.html#:~:text=Confrontés%20à%20des%20difficultés%20d,poche%2C%20faute%20d%27ordonnance.)

• Japan
  • Japan approves abortion pill (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)00955-8/fulltext#:~:text=Japan%20has%20approved%20for%20the,rights%20of%20the%20country%27s%20women.)

• Belgium
  • Belgium launches medication review from the pharmacy (https://diariofarma.com/2023/05/09/belgica-pone-en-marcha-la-revision-de-la-medicacion-desde-the-pharmacy-office)

• Portugal
  • Portugal decriminalizes euthanasia (https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2023/05/12/le-parlement-portugais-depenalise-l-euthanasie_6173101_3210.html)

• Chili
  • The Boric government against the Isapres (private health insurance companies in Chile). In a bill, the government, in order to respond to an erga omnes ruling (of universal application) of the Courts, proposes the payment by insurers of alleged amounts for overpayments, which would make the model unfeasible. Hard note from the Association of Isapres, which has obtained a no less harsh response from the Government. (http://www.isapre.cl/images/PDF/Declaracion_Prensa_19_abril_VFdocx_1.pdf)

National health policy

• Ruling of the Constitutional Court
  • The Constitutional Court has made public the ruling that declares the 2010 abortion deadline law legal (https://www.consalud.es/politica/tribunal-constitucional-aborto_129658_102.html#)

• Health professions
  • MIR 2023 closes with 131 vacancies in Family Medicine (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2023/05/13/645e66cefc6c8352678b45d6.html)

• Inequalities imposed by waiting lists
  • The rich wait less to undergo surgery in public hospitals in Catalonia (https://theobjective.com/sociedad/2023-05-08/tiempo-espera-operacion-hospitales-publicos-cataluna/#:~:text=El%20result%20is%20than%20the,example%2C%20%20cataract%20surgery%20.)

• Proposals from medical associations for the next legislature
  • Representatives of the IMAS Foundation, FACME and CGCM present their proposals for the SNS in the next legislature. The ten proposals are: reorient the SNS towards health; develop comprehensive care with social resources; new governance; citizens/patients in decision-making; medical profession involved in management; new management model; new care models; transparent measurement and evaluation of results; and, digital transformation (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/politica/esta-es-la-receta-de-los-medicos-para-la-proxima-legislatura.html). To access the decalogue of recommendations: https://iefs.es/retos-del-sns-en-la-proxima-legislatura/

• Government plans
  • The government intends to limit the publicity of private healthcare. Certain changes in sponsorship may modify the sponsorship of congresses and the financing of training by pharmaceutical companies. (https://theobjective.com/economia/2023-05-13/congresos-medicos-publicidad-sanidad-privada/)

• New Medical Schools
  • The new Faculty of Medicine of the Basque Country will open in 2026 (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/estudiantes/la-upv-estrenara-en-2026-nueva-facultad-de-medicina-y-enfermeria-en-bilbao-1092#)

• Electoral promises
  • Sánchez promises to guarantee the right to be forgotten oncology through the urgent processing of a law (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/oncologia/politica/sanchez-afirma-en-campana-electoral-que-él va-garantizar-the-right-to-oblivion-oncology-in-an-urgent-processing-of-the-law.html)

• Reversals in public concessions
  • The Manises Hospital in Valencia will once again be public after fifteen years of private management (https://www.plantadoce.com/publico/el-hospital-de-manises-volvera-a-ser-publico-tras-quince-years-of-private-management.html)

• CEOE-union agreement
  • According to the new employer-union agreement, the Mutual Societies will control absenteeism, as requested by the employer organizations. The absenteeism rate has risen a lot in recent times and stood at 5.1% in the fourth quarter of 2022 (https://www.eleconomista.es/economia/noticias/12263777/05/23/los-sindicatos-they agree-to-put-a-limit-to-absenteeism-with-the-control-of-the-mutual-companies.html)

Companies

• International News
  • Weight loss drugs point to the biggest hit in the pharmaceutical industry (https://www.elconfidencial.com/mercados/the-wall-street-journal/2023-05-11/la-obesidad-podria-ser-el-greatest-pharmaceutical-success-to-date_3623733/#:~:text=The%20enthusiasm%20comes%20driven%20by,15%25%20of%20your%20body%20weight.)

• National News
  • Fresenius puts the Quirónsalud division in Latin America up for sale (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/fresenius-pone-en-venta-la-division-de-quironsalud-en-latinoamerica.html#:~:text =Fresenius%20ha%20place%20a%20la, Quirónsalud%20y%20Eugin%20in%20Spain.)
  • Fresenius explores the sale of Eugin two and a half years after its purchase (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/fresenius-explora-la-venta-de-eugin-two-and-a-half-years-after-of-your-purchase.html)
  • Juaneda inaugurates its new hospital in Ciutadella (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/juaneda-inaugura-su-nuevo-hospital-en-ciutadella.html)
  • Mutua Madrileña and El Corte Inglés launch their first exclusive health insurance (https://www.expansion.com/empresas/seguros/2023/05/10/645a81d5e5fdea8b378b464f.html#)
  • Just Eat opens the parapharmacy at home (https://www.eleconomista.es/retail-consumo/noticias/12262916/05/23/just-eat-abre-parafarmacia-a-domicilio-de-la-mano-de-luda-partners.html)
  • CVC, Apax, Nordic and Jacobs are interested in the purchase of Palex (https://www.expansion.com/empresas/2023/05/08/64582a43468aebb74c8b45d7.html#)