Summary

From the point of view of Biomedicine, among the “star drugs” of 2023, the first drug based on CRISPR technology, from the North American company Vertex Pharmaceuticals, stands out.

Regarding Global Health, the WHO classifies a new variant of covid which it calls JN.1, which is characterized by its wide spread, although low risk.

Regarding International Health Policy, the New York Times summarizes the measures proposed in the United States to avoid drug shortages in pharmacies, after extensive discussion in Congress. Among the many measures, manufacturing by the government is considered, something that is also being considered in our country.

If we talk about National Health Policy (Spain), the news of the week was the appearance of the report on the management of covid, after months of waiting, after the commission in October 2021. The conclusion reflected by the press, which is a summary of the report, is that Spain was not prepared for the pandemic and the success of the vaccination campaign. However, and regardless of the prestige of the selected experts, it could be questionable that they were appointed by the government, compared to the possibility of having institutions (SESPAS, FACME, etc.) to appoint their own experts. Some comments on the report: although it is said that Spain had more mortality than other countries, there are no figures, no tables, nor is it specified which countries we are referring to; insufficient attention is given to the flagrant legal breaches, which led the Constitutional Court to declare the confinements illegal; at no time is there talk of serious problems and corruption in the purchase of materials; mortality among professionals is not quantified or given sufficient importance; although mortality in residences is discussed, the problem is not explained in detail or analyzed and a table comparing mortality in the different autonomous communities is not presented; although the need for the Public Health Agency is insisted upon, it is not specified what that Agency should have so that it would be comparable to others in other countries (Robert Koch, in Germany, for example) and avoid a “watered down” formula, such as which seems to be underway; finally, it is very striking that, among the proposals, there is none related to the production of materials (equipment and medicines) in Spain, precisely to achieve the “extended strategic autonomy”, of which the EU speaks.

In the field of Companies, on an international level, there is a change of leadership in the best-selling drug, Abbie with Humira, passes the baton to Keytruda, from MSD. In terms of national news, Abanca is preparing to launch its own health insurance, which highlights the attractiveness of this market.

Biomedicine

• Reviving old viruses can help fight current ones. A study published in Science explains that reviving ancient viruses can unlock the secrets of their evolution (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2023/12/14/reviving-ancient-viruses-can-help-fight-modern-ones)
• Revealed the weak points of the proteins that cause one in ten cancers. Four researchers from Barcelona achieve the first map of the vulnerable sites of the KRAS protein, whose mutations cause millions of tumors (https://elpais.com/ciencia/2023-12-18/revelados-los-puntos-debiles-de-the-protein-that-causes-one-in-10-cancers.html)
• The new “star drugs” of 2023. The most striking, the first drug based on CRISPR technology, from the American company Vertex Pharmaceuticals (https://www.diariomedico.com/medicina/empresas/estos-han-sido-the-new-star-drugs-of-2023.html)

Global Health

• The WHO classifies a new variant of covid-19, called JN.1. Despite its widespread spread, the risk to public health is estimated to be low (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2023/12/19/6581cfa6e4d4d81a278b4599.html#)
• “Mycoplasma”, the peculiar bacteria that keeps the WHO and European authorities on alert. Confinements and the use of masks during the pandemic also kept infections of other pathogens at a minimum, which are now recovering lost ground. If last year it was the respiratory syncytial virus, now it is mycoplasma pneumoniae (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2023-12-23/mycoplasma-la-peculiar-bacteria-que-mantiene-en-alerta-a-the-who-and-the-european-authorities.html)

International health policy

• USA
  • Possible ways to avoid medication shortages in pharmacies. After several sessions in Congress, a plan has been launched that involves: establishing a price ceiling for certain vital medications; consider government production; add transparency to the supply chain; boost the storage of reserves manufacture more drugs in the USA (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/19/health/cancer-drugs-solutions.html)
  • The new variant of covid JN.1 spreads during the Christmas season (https://www.ft.com/content/7d4b3629-3d0c-45bc-8aa8-eb88ab9b4ce9)

• United Kingdom and the National Health Service
  • The Nuffield Trust releases a report on the deficiencies in dental care in the NHS (https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/research/bold-action-or-slow-decay-the-state-of-nhs-dentistry-and-future-policy-actions). Access to the original report: https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-12/Nuffield%20Trust%20-%20NHS%20dentistry%20policy%20briefing_WEB_1.pdf

• France
  • 5.000 professionals rise up against the new immigration law, considering that it calls into question the humanistic health model (https://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2023/12/23/la-loi-immigration-remet-gravement-en-cause-notre-modele-de-sante-humaniste-l-appel-de-plus-de-5-000-professionnels-de-sante_6207439_3232.html)

• Brazil
  • Brazil will be the first country in the world to vaccinate against dengue in public healthcare. Lula’s government hopes to immunize more than three million people against this tropical disease that has killed more than 1,000 Brazilians this year (https://elpais.com/america/2023-12-23/brasil-sera-the-first-country-in-the-world-to-vaccinate-against-dengue-in-public-healthcare.html#)

National health policy

• Report on Covid management
  • The lack of coordination and means aggravated the blow of the pandemic in Spain (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2023-12-21/la-falta-de-coordinacion-y-medios-agravo-el-golpe-of-the-pandemic-in-spain-according-to-the-evaluation-of-the-independent-experts.html). Access to the original report: https://www.sanidad.gob.es/areas/alertasEmergenciasSanitarias/alertasActuales/nCov/documentos/EVALUACION_DEL_DESEMPENO_DEL_SNS_ESPANOL_FRENTE_A_LA_PANDEMIA_DE_COVID-19.pdf

• State Public Health Agency
  • The Ministry will reactivate the State Public Health Agency, after making public the report on the management of covid (https://elglobal.es/politica/el-ministerio-quiere-reactivar-la-agencia-estatal-de-salud-publishes-after-presenting-the-evaluation-of-covid-19-management/)

• An exclusive SNS Interterritorial Council on Primary Care
  • The meeting will take place in January (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2023/12/18/65805d61e9cf4a3b1a8b4586.html)

• Common protocol on sexual assaults in the health system
  • It is approved by the Interterritorial Council (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2023-12-21/sanidad-y-comunidades-aproban-un-protocolo-comun-para-la-atencion-de-las-agresiones-sexual-throughout-the-healthcare-system.html)

• MUFACE
  • MUFACE conveys to the unions that the government is not going to touch the model (https://www.epe.es/es/sanidad/20231219/muface-traslada-sindicatos-mensaje-calma-gobierno-modelo-96040301)

• Generic
  • The EMA requests the suspension of the marketing of 100 generics in Spain, from very diverse manufacturers (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2023/12/23/6585b0ddfc6c832b668b45b2.html)
  • AESEG minimizes the scope of this measure, which it attributes to administrative problems (https://www.diariomedico.com/farmacia/industria/aeseg-senala-que-la-recomendacion-de-suspender-genericos-en-la-ue-es-una-administrativa-question.html#:~:text=datos%20de%20bioequivalencia-,Aeseg%20points%20that%20the%20recommendation%20de%20suspend%20genéri)

• Suicide
  • The number of suicides increased by 5.6% in 2022 compared to the previous year (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2023/12/19/65817237e9cf4a975d8b45a6.html)

• Hospital pharmaceutical expense
  • FEDEA analyzes hospital pharmaceutical spending, warning of an interannual growth of 5% (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/industria/fedea-alerta-del-peor-comportamiento-del-gasto-farmaceutico-hospitalario-6328 ). Access to the original report: https://documentos.fedea.net/pubs/eee/2023/eee2023-37.pdf?utm_source=wordpress&utm_medium=portada&utm_campaign=estudio&_ga=2.170701730.381941845.1703233751-22661226.1703233751&_g l=1*oj69ug*_ga*MjI2NjEyMjYuMTcwMzIzMzc1MQ. .*_ga_K71EGLC8JC*MTcwMzIzMzc1MC4xLj

• Clinical research
  • Spain, at the top of European clinical research (https://elglobal.es/opinion/espana-en-la-cima-de-la-investigacion-clinica-europea/)

Companies

• International News
  • MSD displaces Abbie with the best-selling drug in the world. Keytruda, from MSD, used in a diverse group of tumors, ousts Humira, from Abbie, which was the leading drug for a decade (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud/noticias/12588374/12/23/msd-unseats-abbvie-with-the-world’s-best-selling-drug.html#:~:text=The%20medicine%20of%20Abbvie%2C%20that,a%20disparate%20fan%20of%20tumors. )

• National
  • Abanca launches its first own health insurance, which is characterized by its extensive coverage and flexibility (https://comunicacion.abanca.com/es/noticias/abanca-lanza-su-primer-seguro-propio-de-salud/)