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7 days in healthcare (November 21st-27th, 2022)

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Summary

Most notably from the Biomedicine standpoint, the FDA is approving a drug that could delay the onset of type 1 diabetes, the devastating disease that often occurs in adolescents. Also the preclinical study that seems to foreshadow a universal flu vaccine. Likewise, the minirobot designed by Apple capable of taking medicines to the brain, that organ until now practically inaccessible to drugs.

With regard to Global Health, the COP27 summit is considered in an article in The Lancet a “collective failure”, given the lack of agreement on the lower use of fossil fuels. We must also note the race for the production of vaccines in several African countries.

Regarding International Health Policy, mortality from covid remains high and is very worrying in some countries, mainly Japan, Brazil, India, China, the Russian Federation, South Korea and Spain. The covid-zero policy is generating problems and discontent in a country where public demonstrations are as controlled as in China. The nurses’ strike in the United Kingdom is a historic event in that country, which will undoubtedly will have consequences.

If we talk about National Health Policy (Spain), mortality from covid remains high in Spain (260 cases in the last week). At this time Spain has 0.6 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, a fairly high mortality, although lower than other European countries, such as France, Greece, Denmark, Norway, Croatia, Estonia and Luxembourg, according to WHO data. The waiting lists for June 30 are published by the Ministry of Health. A real national problem and a serious delegitimization of the public system, which some minimize. The strike of Primary Care doctors continues in Madrid, while the conflict threatens to spread to other autonomous communities. The rise in the electricity bill threatens the profitability of private hospitals, according to ASPE.

In the field of Companies, at the international level, Amazon is making a new foray into healthcare, this time with the “Amazon Clinic” platform, a telemedicine service that will be extended to 32 American states and offers virtual care for 20 clinical conditions. At the national level, news at HM Hospitales, with the new hospital in Rivas; in Recoletas, which extends to Salamanca; and, in Sanitas, which intends to create its own clinical analysis laboratory.

Biomedicine

Global Health

International Health Policy

National health policy

Companies

  • International News
    • Amazon makes a new attempt at healthcare. The offers of the big technological platforms are diversified: Apple tries to monitor through the iPhone; Microsoft, offers computer services to companies; Alphabet (Google), relies on wearables. Amazon launches the most ambitious offer, with “Amazon Clinic”, an online service that will operate in 32 American states and that offers virtual care for 20 clinical conditions, from acne to allergies (https://www.economist.com/ business/2022/11/20/amazon-makes-a-new-push-into-health-care)
    • The big pharma aims for 50,000 million dollars in medicines against obesity, a disease that affects 650 million people in the world, as demand grows. Lilly will submit a drug for authorization (https://www.ft.com/content/f28e8ca1-87a7-4c14-8b05-0ead0e831c0f)

 

 

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 17th-23rd, 2022)

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Summary

From the point of view of biomedicine, the announced “vaccine against cancer” should be highlighted, which could be prepared before 2030. Although not strictly a vaccine, it represents a promising treatment against this disease based on mRNA technology, the same used for covid vaccine.

Regarding Global Health, an important announcement by the WHO about the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle, which could produce 500 million chronic patients in 2030. The WHO dedicates 2,600 million in its next strategy 2022-2026 for the eradication of polio .

Regarding international health policy, an important debate introduced by The Economist on the massive use of antidepressants, when only in 15% of cases do they have an effect other than placebo. Opioids in the United States and antidepressants worldwide are examples of the misuse of medications, which can lead to, and in many cases lead to, health problems. The post-pandemic horizon has generalized a hybrid work model (face-to-face and online) for office professionals.

If we talk about national health policy (Spain), the pressure on hospitals due to covid remains low, despite a slight rise in this disease. Intense debate on the flight of Spanish doctors to other countries, attracted by better salary and professional conditions. No matter how much the number of MIR vacancies and Faculties of Medicine increases, the problem will not be solved if working conditions are not acted upon. Teleconsultations seem to consolidate in Primary Care, already being more than 50% of the visits. The Trans law is the subject of great controversy. Most psychiatrists and psychologists, against. Obviously, we are in favor of the position of the WHO by removing from the list of diseases already in 2018 these cases of having a gender identity other than biological sex and wanting to change the morphology of their body. We welcome that there is a law on the subject as in most Western civilized countries. But one thing is that and another that 14-year-olds can choose sex without a psychological evaluation carried out by experts, who can rule out cases. Irreversible problems may occur. There is a certain consensus that the current wording of the law does not sufficiently protect minors.

In the field of companies, at the international level, we must welcome the first agreement with a pharmaceutical company (Novartis) to produce an anticancer drug as a generic that is still protected by patent, for its production in developing countries. As far as Spain is concerned, the continuous growth of health insurance should be highlighted, which in 2022 until September grows considerably more than the insurance as a whole.

Biomedicine

Global Health

International health policy

National health policy

Companies