Posts

7 days in healthcare (January 29th-February 4th, 2024)

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Summary

From the point of view of Biomedicine, the use of gene therapy based on CRISPR for the treatment of hereditary angioedema should be highlighted. Great debate regarding Elon Musk’s brain chip, in general the scientific community has expressed serious reservations about this initiative. Beginning of the first trials with mRNA-based therapy in cancers of different types in the United Kingdom.

As far as Global Health is concerned, the beginning of routine malaria vaccination can without exaggeration be considered a historic event, given the high mortality of this disease in children in Africa. The WHO warns about the prospects for great growth in cancer globally and the notable differences in its prognosis, especially in breast and cervical cancer.

In terms of International Health Policy, the NHS England initiative is especially interesting, allowing pharmacies to prescribe certain medications and carry out some care practices, which is expected to result in a decrease of 10 million primary care consultations. The results of this experience deserve to be followed, since it could be part of the solution to Primary Care also in Spain. EU document on cancer in Europe, highlighting inequities in its approach.

If we talk about National Health Policy (Spain), it is worth continuing to comment on the intervention of the Minister of Health in the Health Commission of Congress. Although now it seems that nothing is important, the truth is that this intervention is one of the most relevant of any minister who reaches her position. The intervention has some lights and many shadows. Lights: recovery of a certain will for strategic direction of the SNS and decision to address the great problem of waiting lists (this is notable, since it contrasts with other ministers, who used to rather assume that everything was transferred and , therefore, the role of the Ministry was minimal). Shadows: very negative, offensive and unacceptable mentions of private healthcare, with arguments and quotes that are intellectually inconsistent and lacking rigor; staunch defense of direct public management, compared to other forms of public management; Public Health Agency, apart from doubts about its real content (no one hides the fact that the Agency does not make the influential nationalist parties very happy), the Ministry of Health gets out of the way to decide the location, handing over the baton to the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, as if it were not also a health decision; Framework Statute, where are the negotiations with professionals?; medicines, no mention of the Strategic Plan of the pharmaceutical industry (in which the President of the Government himself had committed himself); Oral health, where is the economic memory? What care model will be followed? Is the inclusion of glasses in public provision, given the financial strains of the system, a reasonable priority? Is there prior consensus with other agents on this measure? In another order of things, in the Valencian Community the reversion to the public sector of the Denia concession has been completed and that of Manises will soon be granted, something to which the Administration has every right, once the concession contract has ended. The mentions of the concept of “expropriation”, used by some concessionaire company, are extemporaneous. Now, the official press release from the Ministry announces a very notable increase in staff in that hospital in Denia. Logically, uncontrolled growth in health spending, if it is not justified, cannot be the public alternative to concessions. Notable growth in the price of health insurance premiums in Spain, although its price must probably continue to be low, compared to other European countries. Something to analyze.

As for Companies, on an international level, Novo Nordisk was surprised by the great demand in Europe for medicines against obesity. In terms of national news, the pharmaceutical distributor HEFAME has experienced great growth in recent years and is considering expanding throughout Spain. At Grifols, the board is considering excluding the family from the company’s strategic decisions.

Biomedicine

Global Health

International health policy

  • European Union
    • Document on inequalities in the EU regarding cancer: “Beating cancer inequalities in the EU” Emphasis on prevention and early detection (https://www.oecd.org/health/beating-cancer-inequalities-in-the-eu -14fdc89a-en.htm)
    • The EU fined the pharmaceutical industry 780 million for anti-competitive practices between 2018 and 2022 (https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/observatorios/sanidad/20240130/ue-multo-millones-industria-farmaceutica-practicas-anticompetitivas /828667294_0.html#:~:text=The%20European%20Commission%20investigated%20one, euros%20for%20the%20laboratories%20involved.)
    • Brussels calls to promote vaccines against human papillomavirus (HPV) and hepatitis B throughout the EU (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2024-01-31/bruselas-llama-a-impulsar-las -vaccines-against-human-papillomavirus-hpv-and-hepatitis-b-across-the-eu.html#:~:text=Brussels%20has%20launched%20this%20Wednesday, the%20Hepatitis%20B%20(HBV).)

National health policy

  • Appearance of the Minister of Health before the health commission of the Congress of Deputies, on January 26, 2024
    • Lights and shadows in the appearance. Lights: recovery of a certain will for strategic direction of the SNS and willingness to address the great problem of waiting lists. Shadows: very negative and unacceptable mentions of private healthcare, with intellectually inconsistent arguments and quotes; staunch defense of direct public management, compared to other forms of public management; Public Health Agency, the ministry gets out of the way to decide the location, as if it were not also a health decision; Framework Statute, where are the negotiations with professionals and patient associations?; medications, no mention of the Strategic Plan of the pharmaceutical industry; Oral health, where is the economic memory?; Is the inclusion of glasses in public provision, given the financial strains of the system, a reasonable priority? Is there prior consensus with other agents on this measure? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlGfsMiuQDo)

Companies