Posts

7 days in healthcare (June 13th-20th, 2022)

 

Summary

From the point of view of biomedicine, to highlight the new therapy against a disease as terrible as ALS tested in Canada. Unfortunately there are doubts as to its effectiveness.

As far as Global Health is concerned, it is verified that it is the vaccine nationalism of the States that has led to the failure of COVAX, which failed to extend covid vaccination to poor countries in significant percentages.

Regarding international health policy, the approval in the United States of the covid vaccination for children under five years of age should be highlighted. Also the agreement of the World Trade Organization regarding the temporary suspension of patents on covid vaccines, something he was discussing for two years. We will see if this agreement translates into relevant measures. For now, the IFPMA (World Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers) has already spoken out against it. Hospitalizations for covid increase in Europe, specifically in France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

If we talk about national health policy (Spain), we must mention the controversial announcement by the Minister of Health of the fourth dose of covid for the entire population, something partially rectified by the Ministry itself and which has been rejected by many experts. Also the approval by the Government of the preliminary draft of the Equity Law. Great controversy with the private sector, since it tries to minimize and declare exceptional the collaboration of the private sector in the public service of the National Health System. But by declaring “direct management” as preferable in the SNS, it also positions itself against the more entrepreneurial development of public management, despite the fact that the benefits of legal personality and the labor regime are known in terms of greater efficiency than direct management. On the other hand, the draft may undermine the powers of the autonomous communities, since health management (and therefore the way of carrying it out) is a transferred matter. It is not surprising that very important Catalan institutions (such as UCH, CSC, ACES and Círculo de Sanidad) have taken a position against it. Important demonstration by nurses in the center of Madrid, highlighting the importance of the abandoned professional policy in the National System of Health.

In the field of companies, it is worth noting the birth of the largest pediatric oncology center in Spain and one of the largest in Europe: the one located in the Sant Joan de Deu Hospital in Barcelona. Expansión highlights that the remarkable growth of health insurance is compatible with a loss of its operating profitability.

Biomedicine

Global health

International health policy

National health policy

Monkeypox

COVID

Regulatory announcements

Other themes

Companies

7 days in healthcare (May 23th-29th, 2022)

 

 

Summary

From the point of view of biomedicine, the most important are the advances in the study of the microbiota, published in the journal Science.

As far as Global Health is concerned, the tragic mistake of the donation of vaccines by Europe should be highlighted, since many of those sent were close to expiration. Reappearance of polio in Africa, always worrying.

Regarding international health policy, the European health agency asks governments to be prepared against possible vaccination against monkeypox. Health bursts into the spotlight at the Davos Economic Forum.

If we talk about national health policy (Spain), Spain joins the European system for the purchase of vaccines against monkeypox. The MIR call leaves 200 vacancies for family doctors. An emergency situation is addressed, but not the underlying problem: the unattractive nature of these places.

In the field of companies, it should be noted that, according to Expansión, private insurance customers are dissatisfied with the massive use of the service. Between this and the unhappiness of both doctors and providers with the fees, it seems that significant changes are coming in this sector.

Biomedicine

Global health

International health policy

  • Monkeypox

o The European health agency asks governments to be prepared for vaccination against monkeypox (https://www.ft.com/content/11df80f5-32d5-4bb3-8215-420574f276c4)

o The monkeypox virus, what we know so far that alarms countries (https://www.ft.com/content/d951bd2b-0470-4d74-827d-0c06d9bf5056)

o Monkeypox, more than 180 cases outside Africa, countries prepare to vaccinate (https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2022/05/25/variole-du-singe-plus-de- 180-cas-confirmes-hors-d-afrique-des-pays-se-preparent-a-vacciner_6127608_3244.html)

o A study published in The Lancet points to an antiviral as a possible treatment for monkeypox (https://www.eldiario.es/sociedad/estudio-publicado-the-lancet-senala-antiviral-posible-tratamiento-viruela- monkey_1_9018642.html)

  • COVID-19

o Lessons from Japan on dealing with covid, since this country had six waves and the number of cases and deaths per capita has been lower than other G7 countries, despite having an aging and highly concentrated population (https ://media.nature.com/original/magazine-assets/d41586-022-01385-9/d41586-022-01385-9.pdf)

o More than 1 in 5 COVID survivors may develop long covid in the United States (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/24/health/long-covid-infections.html)

o Pfizer warns of constant waves of covid-19, while complacency grows (https://www.ft.com/content/8244af52-26ba-4676-961a-c57f1d4892e8)

o What justifies the zero-covid policy in China?, an analysis by Zhang Jun, director of the China Center for Economic Studies in Shanghai (https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/shanghai-lockdown-why-china -keeps-its-zero-covid-strategy-by-zhang-jun-2022-05)

o A study suggests that women are twice as likely to suffer from persistent covid (https://www.ft.com/content/ea2d58c5-ae62-442c-b721-364c95852209)

  • Other themes

o Health bursts into the spotlight at the return of the Davos Economic Forum, with the presence of Bill Gates, the CEO of Pfizer and the president of AstraZeneca, among others (https://www.plantadoce.com/entorno/la- health-breaks-in-as-protagonist-in-the-return-of-the-davos-economic-forum.html)

o Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus re-elected as WHO Director General (https://www.ft.com/content/75de7a67-f850-4fe2-8911-8f6237f38514)

o Oklahoma Governor signs law strictly banning abortion (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/may/26/oklahoma-strictest-abortion-ban-law-us-governor)

National health policy (Spain)

  • Monkeypox

o At least six countries have detected cases of monkeypox in travelers from Spain (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2022-05-28/al-menos-seis-paises-han-detectado-casos-de- monkeypox-in-travelers-from-spain.html)

o 41% of monkeypox cases are in Spain (https://www.larazon.es/sociedad/20220523/6t2hw3xhhveq3e7oho5hnj3zxa.html)

o Spain will enter the European system for the purchase of the monkeypox vaccine (https://www.diariofarma.com/2022/05/25/espana-entrara-en-la-compra-centralizada-de-la -eu-to-deal-with-monkeypox)

  • COVID

o The cumulative incidence, down (728.2 cases in the last 14 days; there were 848 the previous Friday. Hospital occupancy due to covid: 5.6%; ICUs: 4.2%) (https://www.consalud .es/patients/special-coronavirus/covid-19-spain-coronavirus-data_115366_102.html)

  • Regulatory announcements

o New Framework Statute, at the table of the Advisory Council on June 2 (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/ministerio-sanidad/nuevo-estatuto-marco-y-10-puntos-mas-al-consejo- advisory-of-june-2-5764)

o A new draft of the Preliminary Draft Law is published, which modifies various regulations to consolidate the equity, universality and cohesion of the National Health System, after its approval in the Interterritorial Council of April 2022 (https://www.diariofarma .com/2022/04/06/el-cisns-da-luz-verde-a-la-ley-de-equidad), held in Toledo. In relation to the previous version of 11/15/2021, more requirements are introduced for agreement, incorporating the concept of “effective cost” previously established and reviewable by the Administration

  • Other themes

o The Ministry of Health marks November for the new palliative strategy (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/ministerio-sanidad/sanidad-marca-noviembre-para-activar-la-nueva-estrategia-de-paliativos- 6597)

o The public debt to suppliers amounts to 2,000 million (https://www.diariofarma.com/2022/05/23/la-deuda-publica-a-proveedores-sanitarios-asciende-a-2-000-millones)

o Warning from Brussels to Spain due to the “shortage” of health professionals and primary care financing (https://www.consalud.es/politica/toque-bruselas-espana-por-escasez-sanitarios-finacion-primaria_115145_102.html)

o Podemos takes the “deprivatization” of the SNS to Congress (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/parlamentarios/podemos-aprieta-al-psoe-llevando-al-congreso-la-desprivatizacion-del-sns-1224)

o The lack of family doctors worsens as the MIR call leaves 200 places vacant (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2022-05-24/la-falta-de-medicos-de-familia-se-agrava- la-convocatoria-de-mir-deja-200-plazas-vacantes.html), for which it is agreed to increase the number of MIR vacancies for non-EU people to fill the vacancies (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia- y-salud/salud/2022/05/25/628e86d3e4d4d85f418b45e6.html

Companies

  • International News

o Pfizer intends to obtain approval in the USA for the covid vaccine for children under 5 years of age (https://www.ft.com/content/48c88652-502c-4b33-9866-589eeafcf302)

o Medtronic and DaVita announce the creation of a kidney health technology company (https://www.consalud.es/ecsalud/internacional/medtronic-davita-anuncian-creacion-empresa-tecnologia-salud-renal_115348_102.html)

o The USA will deploy the Bavarian Nordic monkeypox vaccine (https://www.consalud.es/ecsalud/internacional/eeuu-desplegara-vacuna-contra-viruela-mono-bavarian-nordic-entre-poblacion-vulnerable_115091_102. html)

o The IFPMA (global employers association of pharmaceutical manufacturers) proposes 10 measures to fight the next pandemic (https://www.diariofarma.com/2022/05/25/la-ifpma-propone-10-medidas-para-luchar- against-the-next-pandemic)

  • National News

o Grupo Juste, a Spanish pharmaceutical company that turns 100 (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/industria/una-farmaceutica-espanola-cumple-100-anos-7009)

o Esteve intends to double its turnover, reaching 1,000 million euros (https://cincodias.elpais.com/cincodias/2022/05/26/companias/1653591656_508050.html)

o Clients of private health insurance, disappointed by the mass use of the service (https://www.expansion.com/empresas/banca/2022/05/28/6290b63c468aebbe018b45d8.html)

o The private sector of assisted reproduction moves 500 million in 2021, 9% more than in 2020 (https://www.plantadoce.com/entorno/el-sector-privado-de-reproduccion-asistida-mueve-500-millones -in-2021-a-9-more-than-in-2020.html)

o FENIN registers a 27% decrease in investment in 2021 (https://www.actasanitaria.com/tecnologia/fenin-registra-descenso-27-en-inversion-tecnologia-sanitaria_2002610_102.html)

o Sanitas and the San Pablo CEU University sign an agreement for the training of health professionals (https://www.servimedia.es/noticias/sanitas-universidad-ceu-san-pablo-firman-acuerdo-para-formacion-profesionales- assistance-future/3406605)

o Malaga will have a new public hospital in 2023, after the agreement with the Pascual group (https://www.vidaeconomica.com/2022/05/hospital-malaga/)