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7 days in healthcare (February 13th-19th, 2023)

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Summary

From the point of view of Biomedicine, it is worth highlighting the reference in the British Medical Journal on the questionable value of colorectal cancer screening, according to a double-blind study of the results of colonoscopy, with a large population followed up, without detecting reductions in the mortality from this type of cancer. The first vaccine against the syncytial virus, responsible for many deaths, both newborns and adults, is presented. The results of a test that detects prostate cancer with great precision, with a simple blood test, are published.

With regard to Global Health, the New England Journal Medicine published an article on the correct path to eradicate polio, which is once again a problem in many countries, defending universal immunization against polio, in instead of virus eradication strategies. The Lancet reviews the One Health strategy, this approach that links climate change, animal health and human health as something that cannot be addressed separately. It is detected that poor countries desperately need access to cheap generics, since in these countries, due to less competition between manufacturers, generics are more expensive than in developed countries. Malaria is spreading across Africa as climate change allows the geographic spread of the mosquitoes that transmit it.

Regarding International Health Policy, there is a great debate in the United States about the future of Social Security and Medicare, with very opposed positions between Democrats and Republicans. In the UK, the number of people waiting more than 18 weeks for treatment exceeds three million in England alone. In France, the very open debate on euthanasia continues with wide participation, with the involvement of President Macron himself. In Chile, the crisis in the private health sector threatens the entire Chilean health system. The collapse of the Isapres (Chilean health insurers) would mean that 3.2 million people would pass into the already congested public Fonasa system. Poland bans energy drinks for those under 18, a move welcomed by doctors in that country. The European Commission finalizes the European pharmaceutical strategy, with new approaches towards generics and orphan drugs. The EFPIA, the European employers’ association for pharmaceutical companies, criticizes what is becoming known about this reform, considering it harmful to competitiveness.

If we talk about National Health Policy (Spain), the cumulative incidence of covid continues to rise slightly. From a regulatory point of view, two important laws are approved: the so-called “trans law” and the new abortion law. From various sectors of the healthcare industry, objections had been made to certain elements of both laws, the consequences of which will have to be expected. As far as the medical conflict is concerned, it is increasingly clear that the conflict in Madrid is one thing and another in the other communities. Although the problems of Primary Care are national, and therefore the national government cannot inhibit itself as it is doing, what is specific to Madrid is the way in which the Community government approaches it, which simply attributes it to a “conspiracy of the left”, which contributes to its exacerbation, prolongation and expansion (it is also announces conflict among hospital doctors). Both the international press (Financial Times, Le Monde) and the national one (Zarzalejos in El Confidencial and others) strongly criticize this approach by the Community of Madrid, which has published a decalogue of excellence in Madrid’s healthcare, strongly criticized for its inaccuracies. In other communities, on the other hand, with all the difficulties, agreements are being reached. The national government also uses this conflict to enter into health, trying to neutralize criticism of the “yes is yes” law. Those who want politics out of healthcare don’t know what they’re saying. On the contrary, we need a political debate on high altitude and adult health. Just the opposite of what is happening. Private insurance policies are rising in price, something that the sector had been demanding for years.

At the Corporate level, at the international level, it is proposed that health information (largely from the NHS) be the basis of a British sovereign wealth fund, in the same way that a Norwegian sovereign wealth fund is based on information about oil. Grifols announces a savings plan that includes 2,300 layoffs, which has been highly received by the Stock Market, significantly raising the shares of this company.

Biomedicine

Global Health

International Health Policy

  • Chili
    • The crisis in the private sector threatens the entire Chilean health system. A 2010 court ruling prevents adjusting policies by age and sex. Although the measure had not been implemented, it seems that the government wants to do so. The collapse of the Isapres (health insurers in Chile) would mean that 3.2 million people would pass into the already congested public Fonasa system (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)00321-5/fulltext)

National health policy

Companies

7 days in healthcare (December 26th, 2022-January 1st, 2023)

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Summary

From the point of view of Biomedicine, it is worth noting the ambitious project of the United Kingdom “Our Future Health”, which aims to place this country at the forefront of genomic research, and which seeks to carry out genetic analyzes of 5 million adult British volunteers, then looking at the correlation with lifestyles and medical records. Undoubtedly, this project will allow us to advance a lot in the knowledge of a wide variety of diseases.

With regard to Global Health, great concern in the world, since the large number of cases in China increase the probability that new variants will appear. There is no doubt that the covid – which had appeared, artificially or naturally, in China – has entered a new phase in which the epicenter is once again China.

Regarding International Health Policy, countries are preparing to put control measures at airports and borders against travelers from China, although the ECDC sees this type of control as unfounded and the EU has not adopted a common policy. Joschka Fischer (former – German Foreign Minister) publishes an in-depth article, whose conclusion is that, in contrast to what had previously been said that authoritarian regimes that do not depend on public opinion can impose drastic and effective measures in crisis situations such as covid, experience has shown that liberal democracies are more effective than autocracies in dealing with these situations. Great controversy in the European Union over the claim of the pharmaceutical industry to agree to produce new antibiotics, under the condition of increasing the patent term of certain drugs.

If we talk about National Health Policy (Spain), Spain has approved airport control measures to control travelers from China, which will be in force between December 31, 2022 and February 15, 2023. Primary Care doctors have opposed the hiring of doctors without MIR training, since this seems more like an opportunistic measure than addressing the underlying problems of Primary Care. The central government, so little fond of publishing and preparing expert analyzes on the covid management, instead presents a self-assessment on its management. According to this report “Cumpliendo” (“Fulfilling”) 64% of the health promises have already been fulfilled and 35% are in process. Bearing in mind that none of the structural healthcare problems have been addressed (personnel regime, management model, governance, accessibility and waiting lists, etc.) this self-assessment seems to us grated on complacency and even propaganda. Unless the promises -which are said to have been fulfilled- have nothing to do with the real problems of the sector. An interesting initiative from the private sector through the IDIS Foundation, which announces the start-up of a pilot on interoperability, should be highlighted. The fact that companies that compete with each other -both from the insurance and provisioning fields- agree on the interoperability of medical records is something that deserves to be highlighted.

In the field of Companies, the American Congress has taken an unusual decision: criticize the FDA for its inadequate collaboration with Biogen for the approval of the drug against Alzheimer’s. At the national level, Atrys continues its growth, both in Spain and abroad (United Kingdom, Middle East and Latin America).

Biomedicine

Global Health

International Health Policy

National health policy

Companies

 

 

 

7 days in healthcare (February 7-13, 2022)

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SUMMARY

From the point of view of biomedicine, to highlight the advances that allow paraplegics to walk, through spinal implants.

Regarding Global Health, it is worth mentioning the WHO warning that the pandemic has threatened the health systems of 90% of the countries; as well as the health problems in Burkina Faso and Afghanistan.

In relation to international health policy, the WHO statement that the pandemic is not over and that more variants are expected should be highlighted. In some countries the restrictions are lifted (United Kingdom, Norway) while in others (Germany) they continue. HERA (the new European Authority for Preparedness and Response to Health Emergencies) begins its steps and will receive a budget of 1,300 million euros in 2022.

In national health policy, we are witnessing a relaxation of the restriction measures, as a consequence of the decrease in the figures of the pandemic (less than 1,500 per 100,000 inhabitants), although these figures are still high and are accompanied by high mortality. Nor is the appearance of new variants ruled out. On the other hand, in the face of loud announcements by the Government, the incorporation of Paxlovid, Pfizer’s medication against serious cases of COVID, is delayed. Work begins for the creation of the State Public Health Surveillance Network, one of the conclusions of the work of the Commission for Social and Economic Reconstruction of the Congress of Deputies of July 3, 2020 (point 19.2), although in the conclusions of the commission there was talk of “urgently implementing” this issue. It is addressed two years after the first death from covid. Also noteworthy is the great concern and mobilizations carried out by the nursing sector. The General Council of Nursing Colleges publishes a Decalogue, whose first point is “Spain without nurses” and the last “Enough of ignoring us”. Spain leads the consumption of anxiolytics, which does not seem like a minor problem.

As far as company news is concerned, mention should be made of the FDA’s delay in approving Pfizer’s vaccine for children under 5 years of age. Also the entry of Nestlé in the field of health, positioning itself in weight control.

BIOMEDICINE

  • Spinal implants allow paraplegics to walk, swim and ride a bike. Breakthrough driven by Grégoire Courtine, a neuroscientist at the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, and Jocelyne Bloch, a neurosurgeon at Lausanne University Hospital. The rupture of the cord prevents the transmission of electrical signals from the brain, which allows the implanted device (The Economist, 12 February 22)
  • There is a lack of evidence that current covid vaccines will produce herd immunity (American Journal of Medicine, February 6, 22)
  • A study analyzes the prevalence of loneliness in 113 countries, as a major health and social problem (BMJ, February 9, 22

GLOBAL HEALTH

  • The WHO warns that more than 90% of the countries have seen their health system threatened by the pandemic (interruptions in services, difficulties in accessing care, problems with emergency care) (La Razón, February 7, 22)
  • The WHO denounces actions by the pharmaceutical industry that make it difficult to bring covid vaccines to Africa. The declaration affects a foundation (kENUP) linked to BioNTech (BMJ, February 9, 22)
  • The armed conflict in the Sahel region (Burkina Faso) endangers the already weak health system (The Lancet, February 12, 22)
  • Afghanistan’s health system is collapsing under stress (NYT, February 6, 22)
  • Ukraine, fears that a health system that had made great progress in recent times is going into crisis due to the possible conflict (The Lancet 12 February 22)

INTERNATIONAL HEALTH POLICY

  • COVID

o The WHO warns that the pandemic is not over and that more variants are expected (ABC, February 12, 22)

o Covid levels remain high in many parts of Europe, but restrictions tend to be lifted (FT, February 11, 22)

o The 1918 flu had devastating effects the third year (Washington Post, February 6, 22)

o Protests against covid restrictions in France and the Netherlands (The Guardian, February 12, 22)

o Waiting lists in England exceed 6 million for the first time (FT, 10 February 22)

o Boris Johnson plans to end the restrictions due to covid a month earlier than planned (The Guardian, February 9, 22)

o China, ready to impose greater confinements in Hong Kong (FT, February 11, 22)

o A study detects that NYC deer are infected by covid (NYT, February 7, 22)

o Seven out of ten vaccines administered in the EU are from Pfizer (El Español, February 11, 22)

o Norway lifts all restrictions against the pandemic (El País, February 13, 22)

o Germany will not lift the restrictions against covid (El Mundo, February 10, 22)

  • Other issues

o HERA (the new European Authority for Preparedness and Response to Health Emergencies) will have a total budget of 1,300 million in 2022 (diariofarma, February 10, 22)

o The EFPIA publishes a white paper on the effectiveness of public procurement of medicines in the EU (EFPIA, February 22)

o It seems that the attempts of the United States government to lower the price of medicines by allowing the negotiation of their prices in Medicare are failing (NEJM, February 9, 22)

NATIONAL HEALTH POLICY (SPAIN)

  • COVID

o The low incidence of 1,500 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in Spain, although with 389 deaths on the last day with official information (La Vanguardia, February 11, 22)

o Delays in the incorporation of Paxlovid, Pfizer’s medication against severe COVID (El Periódico de España, February 11, 22)

  • Political announcements

o Spain begins to create the pandemic alert network, creating the State Public Health Surveillance Network (El Español, 13 February 22)

  • Other issues

o The nursing sector stars in demonstrations throughout Spain (La Razón, February 9, 22)

o Decalogue published by the General Council of Nursing Colleges (CGCE, February, 2022)

o Spain leads the consumption of anxiolytics in Europe, according to the latest report from the Narcotics Control Board (INCB), more than 2.5 million people consume psychotropic drugs daily (La Razón, February 12, 22)

o Spain doubles the number of leprosy cases in 2021 (The Objective, February 7, 22)

o The OMC (Collegiate Medical Organization), against Montero’s campaign on “obstetric violence” (El Español, February 10, 22)

o The Ombudsman intervenes in response to complaints of health cuts to MUFACE officials (La Razón, February 10, 22)

o In a meeting convened by the IMAS Foundation, specialists demand a digital health strategy (Health Act, February 9, 22)

o Cantabria wants to turn Valdecilla into a reference in precision medicine (Sanitary Act, February 10, 22)

COMPANIES, EMPLOYERS AND OTHER AGENTS IN THE SECTOR

  • Important medical bet by Amazon that is revolutionizing the health system in the USA (El Economista, February 12, 22)
  • The FDA puts a brake on the approval of Pfizer’s covid vaccine below 5 years (The Guardian, February 11, 22)
  • Novavax, the fifth vaccine, arrives in Europe the last week of February (diariofarma, February 10, 22)
  • China conditionally approves Pfizer’s treatment Paxlovid (The Guardian, 12 February 22)
  • CEOE: Adriana Bonezzi, new head of the health area (Medical Writing, February 7, 22)
  • Wivi vision. company that evaluates the capabilities of the visual system: agreement with General Óptica to implement it in its network of stores (PlantaDoce, February 8, 22)
  • Vithas joins forces with Genesis Care to launch a cancer center in Madrid (PlantaDoce, February 4, 22)
  • Pfizer more than doubles its profits in 2021, up to 22,000 million dollars (PlantaDoce, February 8, 22)
  • Nestlé Health Science buys Pronokal, positioning itself in the weight loss and control products sector (Diario Médico, February 7, 22)
  • J&J suspends the manufacture of its vaccine (Consalud, February 11, 22)
  • Dependency insurance grows 96% and closes 2021 with 128,000 insured (PlantaDoce, February 7, 22)
  • Durcal relies on Movistar to break into the elderly care segment (PlantaDoce, February 10, 22)
  • Nordic Cap and Amulet enter the bid for the IVI group, Morgan Stanley will receive the non-binding offers before February 23 (CincoDías, February 12, 22)