Summary

From the point of view of Biomedicine, to point out the interest in certain therapies using viruses that engulf bacteria to address infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Progress continues to be made in breaking the blood-brain barrier, which will make it possible to better treat certain brain tumors, which until now have not been reached by medication.

As regards Global Health, the WHO declares the end of the emergency due to the covid pandemic, although not the covid, which is still with us. Since its inception this disease has caused more than 20 million deaths globally. Gavi reveals his plans for a malaria vaccine, another major global plague.

As for International Health Policy, he has highlighted the rise in the price of tobacco in France (a good measure against smoking), and Australia wants to limit the use of electronic cigarettes. The ECDC brings out an interesting report with the lessons of the pandemic: “More investment, improvement of surveillance systems, improvement of risk communication, community participation and greater participation between countries” could be the summary.

If we talk about National Health Policy (Spain), in the update of the Stability Program 2023-2026, the % of GDP dedicated to public healthcare spending does not change, remaining at 6.9%. It is evident that only increasing spending does not solve the problems of our health system, but it is difficult to see how they can be solved without increasing spending, as the government proposes. The Spanish Association against Cancer, through the mouth of its president, denounces that Spain has the cheapest tobacco in Europe: “the tobacconist of Europe” calls for this situation. Interesting article by Juan Abarca Cidón, who presents a decalogue to avoid the collapse of our health system. The measurements are very clear and direct. It will be possible to qualify or even disagree with some, but there is no doubt that the problems are addressed. Not like the framework programs of the majority parties for the 28-M elections, which seem to try not to raise any suspicion, by saying nothing.

At the Corporate level, at the international level, Lilly presents a new drug that slows down the progression of Alzheimer’s. The birth of a large market linked to Artificial Intelligence in health is in sight, according to the report by Siemens Financial Services. As far as our country is concerned, Cofares reaches a sales record in 2022. Grifols enters the field of leukemia.

Biomedicine

• How to combat antibiotic-resistant superbugs with viruses that engulf them. Antimicrobial resistance is expected to kill 10 million people in 2050, up from around 1 million in 2019. Some viruses are known to kill bacteria, but little research has been done on this subject, except in Georgia (Former Soviet Union), where research continues, which is attracting a lot of attention (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/05/03/how-to-battle-superbugs-with-viruses-that-eat-them)
• HIFU, the magic of ultrasound that ends essential tremors and Parkinson’s (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2023/05/07/64551c73e4d4d8b2318b4583.html#)
• Scientists from the USA achieve for the first time that chemotherapy penetrates the brain to treat brain tumors (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2023/05/03/6451960cfc6c83765d8b45b7.html)
• Nature article: Is the world ready for AI-powered therapy? Once these mental health apps were started, most of the apps had not tested their products (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01473-4)

Global Health

• The WHO says that the emergency due to the covid-19 pandemic has ended. After at least 20 million deaths, the WHO says that the emergency is over, but the covid is not. It recommends that countries remain on guard (https://www.ft.com/content/a0772e5a-9a42-453f-aee0-30e7c1b61cb2)
• Suicide rates among young girls are rising. It is not clear if mobile phones may be the cause, although it is suspected (https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2023/05/03/suicide-rates-for-girls-are-rising-are-smartphones-to-blame)
• Need for humanitarian aid in Yemen as peace talks continue (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)00901-7/fulltext)
• Malnutrition in Kiribati, an island nation in the Pacific (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)00903-0/fulltext)
• Sudanese health workers warn of the collapse of the health system and an environmental catastrophe (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/01/medics-in-sudan-warn-of-crisis-as-health-system-near-collapse)
• Gavi unveils malaria vaccine plans (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)00902-9/fulltext#:~:text=Gavi%20notes%20that %2040–60,an%20initial%20investment%20of%20%24155)

International Health Policy

• USA
  • The USA ends its declaration of emergency due to the pandemic on May 11. All this after 1.1 million deaths. Under Biden, a situation that had been declared under the Trump Administration, ends. From now on covid tests and treatments will be more expensive for patients. Vaccination will remain free, while supplies last (https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/05/04/america-is-ending-its-emergency-declaration-for-the-pandemic )
  • Covid-19 remained a leading cause of death for Americans in 2022 (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/04/health/covid-deaths-2022.html#:~:text=Some%20186%2C702%20of%20the%203.2,the%20first%20months%20of%202022.)
  • FDA approves first respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for adults age 60 and older (https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-respiratory-syncytial-virus-rsv-vaccine#:~:text=Today%2C%20the%20U.S.%20Food%20and,years%20of%20age%20and%20older.)

• United Kingdom and National Health Service
  • The British Medical Journal promotes a commission to analyze the future of the NHS (https://www.bmj.com/nhs-commission)
  • The NHS has never faced strike action on this scale (https://www.economist.com/britain/2023/05/02/britains-nhs-has-never-seen-industrial-action-on-this-scale)

• France
  • The price of tobacco increases from May 1 in metropolitan France (https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/actualites/A16539#:~:text=L%27arrêté%20du%2030%20mars,de%2020%20à%2090%20centimes.)
  • The difficult mutation of the “medicine de ville” (individual medical practices in cities) (https://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2023/05/02/la-difficile-mutation-de-la-medecine-de-ville_6171737_3232.html)

• Australia
  • Australia takes a series of strict measures to limit the use of e-cigarettes, which will only be authorized as a smoking cessation aid (https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2023/05/02/l-australie-prend-une-serie-de-mesures-strictes-pour-reduire-le-vapotage_6171712_3210.html#:~:text=Canberra%20va%20ainsi%20interdire%20les,aide%20pour%20arrêter%20de%20fumer.)

• European Union
  • The EU promotes a law to avoid China’s dependence on drug ingredients (https://www.ft.com/content/b95128b9-14f7-4f3c-a1ab-f8b35d5b3c3b)
  • Europe proposes the creation of a community Drug Agency (https://www.consalud.es/politica/europa-plantea-creacion-agencia-drogas-ue-luchar-contra-estas-sustancias_129509_102.html#)
  • ECDC calls for greater preparation for future health crises. “More investment, improvement of surveillance systems, improvement of risk communication, community participation and greater participation between countries”, requests the ECDC (https://diariofarma.com/2023/05/02/el-ecdc-requests-better-preparation-for-future-health-crises). The ECDC publishes a document with the lessons of the pandemic: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/defa

National health policy

• COVID19
  • The incidence of covid continues to rise to 93.96, 20 points more than in the previous report. Deaths in this period since the last report (2 weeks ago) were 249. There are 2,510 hospitalized patients, of which 109 are in ICU beds (https://www.consalud.es/pacientes/especial-coronavirus/covid-spain-notifies-deaths-ia-reaches-9396-points_129536_102.html#)

• Health financing
  • Public health spending will remain at 6.9% of GDP, at least until 2026 (https://diariofarma.com/2023/05/02/el-gasto-en-sanidad-se-mantendra-en-el-69-del-pib-hasta-2026#:~:text=The%20Government%20has%20drawn%20a,GDP)%20from%202022%20to%202026.). To see the original of the 2023-2026 Stability Program Update: https://www.hacienda.gob.es/CDI/Programas%20de%20Estabilidad/Programa-de-Estabilidad-2023-2026.pdf

• Public healthcare
  • The government of the Community of Madrid approves a salary increase for more than 5,200 Primary Care doctors (https://gacetamedica.com/politica/el-consejo-de-gobierno-de-la-comunidad-de-madrid-da-green-light-to-salary-increase-for-more-than-5-200-AP-doctors/)
  • The proximity of 28-M revives the health strikes in Spain (https://www.consalud.es/politica/proximidad-28m-reverdece-animo-sindical-huelgas-sanitarias-en-espana_129435_102.html#:~:text=In%20definitive%2C%20the%20proximity%20of,or%20long%20processes%20of%20agreement.)

• Public Health: the price of tobacco
  • We have the cheapest tobacco price in Europe, according to the president of the Spanish Association Against Cancer (https://www.elespanol.com/ciencia/salud/20230507/ramon-reyes-espana-estanco-europa-verguenza-tobacco/759674513_0.html)

• Interesting article with a decalogue of reforms in our health system
  • Article by Juan Abarca Cidón, the proposals range from a political agreement; increase general spending on health; finalist financing with certain objectives; reduce costs, considering the co-payment; new governance model at all levels; new care organization model with a greater role for nursing; deal with patient problems, such as waiting lists; address the problems of professionals; normalize the activity of the private sector; and promote the Public Health Agency (https://www.elespanol.com/edicion/20230430/decalogo-reformas-evitar-colapso-sanidad/760293970_12.html)

• Proposals in health of the political parties in view of the regional and municipal elections
  • The PP offers solutions for the problems of professionals (https://diariofarma.com/2023/05/04/28m-el-pp-ofrece-sus-soluciones-para-los-problemas-de-los-profesionales)
  • The PSOE focuses on equity in access (https://diariofarma.com/2023/05/03/elecciones-28m-el-psoe-pone-el-foco-en-la-equidad-en-el-access)

• Medicines
  • Less than half of the new cancer therapies in Spain increase patient survival (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2023-05-01/menos-de-la-mitad-de-las-nuevas-therapies-against-cancer-increase-patient-survival.html#). Original article: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10198-023-01584-9

• Spanish Presidency of the EU: health objectives
  • Health objectives of the Spanish Presidency. Among the regulations: Regulation of the European Health Data Space, Regulation of AEM taxes, Regulation of SoHo (tissues, blood cells), as well as responses to childhood obesity, HIV and Mental Health, without ruling out other issues (https://www.consalud.es/politica/espana-encara-presidencia-consejo-europa-con-grandes-objetivos-sanitarios_129490_102.html#)

Companies

• International News
  • Eli Lilly introduces a new drug that can significantly slow the progress of Alzheimer’s. Donamebad is not curative and has side effects, but patients do achieve long periods of independent living (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/03/health/alzheimers-drug-eli-lilly-trial.html#:~:text=The%20drug%20manufacturer%20Eli%20Lilly,store%20and%20driving%20a%20car.)
  • The Wellcome Trust, the largest British non-profit biomedical initiative, triples the space of the genomics campus in Cambridge, reinforcing the Oxford-Cambridge-London triangle in biomedical research (https://www.ft.com/content/b2d3f6a8-7e1f-48f3-a298-6588c56d91bc)
  • Diagnostics through AI: a market of 13,300 million for the health sector. The diagnostic area will be the one that grows the most in AI, followed by telemedicine, according to the report “Digital transformation of primary care”, published by Siemens Financial Services (https://www.plantadoce.com/entorno/diagnosticos-a-through-the-ai-a-market-of-13300-millions-for-the-health-sector.html)
  • Roche launches the Institute of Human Biology, to evaluate the efficacy of new drugs (https://diariofarma.com/2023/05/04/roche-lanza-el-instituto-de-biologia-humana-para-predecir-la-efficacy-of-drug-candidates)
  • Pfizer sees its profit sink due to the stoppage in the sales of the covid-19 vaccine (https://cincodias.elpais.com/companias/2023-05-02/pfizer-ve-hundirse-su-beneficio-por-el-stop-in-the-sale-of-the-covid-19-vaccine.html#)

• National News
  • Cofares reaches a sales record, which it plans to surpass in 2023 (https://www.elconfidencial.com/empresas/2023-05-05/cofares-record-ventas-superar-cisnes-negros_3622970/#:~:text=Cofares%20ha%2arcado%20a%20new,the%203.928%20million%20of%20euros.)
  • Miura Partners puts Proclinic up for sale for 200 million euros (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/miura-partners-pone-a-la-venta-a-proclinic-group-por-200-millones-de-euros.html)
  • Grifols starts the last trial to enter the world of leukemia (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/grifols-ultima-su-entrada-en-el-mercado-de-la-leucemia.html)
  • Alberto de Rosa, president of Ribera, accuses the Valencian president Puig of having deceived citizens and workers in the cases of Alzira and Torrevieja (https://valenciaplaza.com/entrevista-alberto-de-rosa-ribera)