Summary

From the point of view of biomedicine, to review the articles in The Economist on advances in knowledge of the brain, which will have a great impact on the appearance of new drugs and pain therapy.

With regard to Global Health, the WHO report of September 21, which places cancers, cardiovascular conditions and diabetes as responsible for three quarters of global mortality.

In terms of international health policy, an important initiative in France to offer three preventive consultations free of charge by the public system: at 25, 45 and 65 years of age. The EU launches a plan for the elimination of tuberculosis in Europe.

If we talk about national health policy (Spain), great debate around the Equity Law. What should have been just a law to correct the access deficiencies of the Montón Law, is being flamboyantly called “Equity” (as if accessibility guaranteed equity, not having a single provision to improve equity), and It is used to introduce the aspirations of Unidas Podemos to annul Law 15/97, approved almost unanimously at the time. The IDIS Foundation has warned of the damage to assistance and, specifically, the waiting lists, if some precepts of the Law are approved. It seems that the Catalan consortiums are going to respect each other, which is important, but it is also important to preserve and reinforce public/private concerts throughout the national territory.

At the corporate level, from an international point of view, the shares of the large vaccine manufacturers (especially Moderna, BioNTech and Novavax) plummeted, as a result of President Biden’s announcement that “the pandemic has been feared”. In Spain, it should be noted that Moderna will install its first quality laboratory outside the United States in Madrid.

Biomedicine

• The Economist underlines the importance of brain studies in several articles (https://www.economist.com/technology-quarterly/2022/09/21/after-fallow-decades-neuroscience-is-undergoing-a-renaissance ), both for obtaining new medicines (https://www.economist.com/technology-quarterly/2022/09/21/better-brain-biology-will-deliver-better-medicines), and for new therapies against to pain (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2022/09/21/better-medicines-are-needed-to-relieve-pain)
• The relevance of sleep, until now an unappreciated public health problem, review by The Lancet (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)01774-3/fulltext)
• A key clinical trial to confirm or not the malignancy of amyloid plaques in the brain as a cause of Alzheimer’s (https://www.ft.com/content/ebc556fe-c8f8-46bd-b0a0-1671284c075a)

Global Health

• WHO report published on September 21, 22: cancers, cardiovascular conditions and diabetes, non-communicable diseases responsible for three quarters of global mortality (https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/ article/2022/09/22/cancers-affections-cardiovasculaires-diabete-les-maladies-non-transmissibles-responsables-des-trois-quarts-de-la-mortalite-mondiale_6142700_3244.html)
• Cholera in Syria, as a result of water contamination. More than 1,000 suspected cases and eight deaths, as of mid-September 22 (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)01836-0/fulltext)
• Health in Sri Lanka, devastating effects of the economic crisis. More than 5.7 million people, including 2.3 million children, require urgent assistance (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)01838-4/fulltext?rss =yes)
• More than 700 children have died from a measles outbreak in Zimbabwe, as a result of the drop in immunizations during the pandemic and the anti-vaccine influence of the evangelical church (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/24/ health/measles-outbreak-zimbabwe.html)
• Uganda declares an Ebola outbreak and confirms the first fatality since 2019 (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2022/09/20/63296b4de4d4d8bc2b8b45c2.html)

International health policy

• Monkeypox
  • When the first case is reported in China, health authorities ask that foreigners not be touched (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/19/monkeypox-dont-touch-foreigners-says-china -health-chief-as-first-case-reported)

• COVID-19
  • Promotion of “boosters” in the USA, while masks and quarantines decline (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/18/us/covid-vaccine.html)
  • Covid cases continue to decline in Europe, 3% in the last week, according to data from the ECDC (https://www.consalud.es/pacientes/especial-coronavirus/siguen-reduciendose-contagios-covid-mayores-65_120714_102 .html)

• Prevention
  • In France, free prevention consultations are offered at 25 (vaccination control, physical activity, possible addictions or difficulties linked to the start of professional activity), at 45 (screening for breast, colon and prostate cancer) and at 65 years (prevention of loss of autonomy, screening for cancers and all preventable diseases) (https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2022/09/18/prevention-des-consultations-medicales -bientot-gratuites-a-25-45-et-65-ans_6142135_3224.html)

• Debate on the consequences of the annulment in the USA of the Roe v Wade ruling
  • Anti-abortion extremists are now attacking in vitro fertilization (IVF) as well (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/sep/24/republicans-ivf-abortion-week-in-patriarchy)
  • An anti-abortion law written more than 150 years ago comes into force in Arizona, which sentences anyone who interrupts a pregnancy between two and five years (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2022-09-24/entra-en-vigor -in-arizona-an-anti-abortion-law-written-over-150-years-ago.html)

• European Union
  • Plan for the elimination of tuberculosis in Europe, the aim is to reduce incidence by 80% and deaths by 90% by 2030 (https://www.consalud.es/pacientes/infecciosas/plan-oms-eliminacion- tuberculosis-europe-2030_120482_102.html)
  • Europe does not create a forum for centralized healthcare purchasing (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/industria/europa-rehusa-crear-un-ente-que-centralice-las-megacompras-sanitarias-3976)

• Other themes
  • American non-profit hospital chains activate fundraising to generate significant profits (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/24/health/bon-secours-mercy-health-profit-poor-neighborhood.html )
  • An article from the NEJM questions the FDA’s fast-track drug approval procedure, used mostly for cancer drugs (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2208954)

National health policy

• Monkeypox
  • Approved the single registry of vaccination against monkeypox (https://diariofarma.com/2022/09/21/aprobado-el-registro-unico-de-vacunacion-contra-monkeypox)

• COVID
  • The Ministry of Health confirms that the covid booster vaccination will start on September 28 in all the autonomous communities (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2022/09/20/6329ac48fdddff1b3a8b45bc.html)
  • Spain will receive 44 million adapted vaccines until the end of the year (https://diariofarma.com/2022/09/20/espana-receiving-44-millones-de-vacunas-adaptadas-hasta-final-de-ano)
  • Hospital occupancy due to covid falls to a minimum since the beginning of the pandemic, the incidence rises 7 points, to 136. 72 deaths in the last week (https://www.epe.es/es/sanidad/20220923/sanidad- notifies-cases-covid-75811876)

• Regulatory changes
  • The Congress refuses to return the fairness law of the SNS, but an intense debate is anticipated in the Commission, by rejecting the two amendments in its entirety. The intention of Unidas Podemos is to “really” repeal Law 15/97 (https://www.consalud.es/politica/parlamentos/congreso-rechaza-devolver-ley-equidad-pero-anticipa-intenso-debate -commission_120637_102.html)
  • The IDIS Foundation publishes a press release, warning of the welfare consequences and about the waiting lists if the text of the law is  approved (https://www.fundacionidis.com/sala-prensa/notas-de-prensa/la -disappearance-of-private-public-collaboration-would-increase-the-more-than-bulky-waiting-lists-for-surgery-in-75-days-and-those-of-first-consultations-in -58-in-an-oversaturated-public-system-and-c)

• Private healthcare
  • Medical insurance users increased by 10% after the pandemic in Spain. More than a million new patients in three years. Many of the new policies are “low cost”, whose price does not exceed 20 euros per month (https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2022/09/24/632ae51ce4d4d8e4188b45d3.html)
  • The number of officials who leave Muface’s private healthcare to go to the public one grows at a rate of more than 10,000 a year, according to a study by the University of Las Palmas, made with data from the Valencian community (https:// elpais.com/sociedad/2022-09-19/el-numero-de-oficiales-que-leave-la-sanidad-privada-de-muface-para-ir-a-la-publica-crece-a-a- rhythm-of-more-10000-a-year.html)
  • Prof. Beatriz González López-Valcárcel warns about what she considers a threat from the growth of private insurance in Spain (https://www.diariomedico.com/politica/lopez-valcarcel-si-las-clases-medias-no-usan- the-public-health-for-what-are-they-going-to-pay.html)

• Health professionals
  • Upload the cut-off mark in Medicine, for the 22-23 academic year (https://www.consalud.es/profesionales/medicina/sube-nota-medicina-en-80-facultades-mas-alta-13525-en- university-murcia_120678_102.html)
  • Spain needs 95,000 nurses to reach the European average. Only Navarra, of the autonomous communities, is above this average (https://elpais.com/sociedad/2022-09-20/espana-necesita-95000-enfermeras-para-llegar-a-la-media-europea .html)

• Access to treatments
  • Spain receives a negative evaluation in relation to access to cancer treatment (https://www.consalud.es/pacientes/acceso-innovaciones-terapeuticas-en-cancer-gran-cuenta-pendiente-espana_120676_102.html)

• Other themes
  • BIOSIM, the Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy and the Council of Pharmacists, applaud the position of the EMA in favor of the interchangeability of biosimilars, which assimilates them, for these purposes, to generics (https://diariofarma.com/ 2022/09/20/biosim-sefh-and-cgcof-celebrate-the-positioning-of-ema-in-the-interchangeability-of-biosimilars-and-originals)
  • The General Council of Dentists presents the “Atlas of Oral Health in Spain. A call to action” (https://consejodentistas.es/comunicacion/actualidad-consejo/notas-de-prensa-consejo/item/2140-el-consejo-general-de-dentistas-presenta-el-atlas-de -oral-health-in-spain-a-call-to-action-2022.html)

Companies

• International News
  • Shares of large vaccine manufacturers (mostly Moderna, BioNTech and Novavax, but also Pfizer, although less) fell after Biden’s announcement that “the epidemic is over” (https://www.ft.com /content/c6fcbde9-9575-4c9c-a6eb-2c8796c2c5cb)

• National News
  • Pfizer and Moderna keep the entire covid booster vaccine market (https://www.eleconomista.es/salud/noticias/11953844/09/22/Pfizer-y-Moderna-se-quedan-con-todo- the-market-for-covid-booster-vaccines.html)
  • Grupo Policlínica expands its presence in Ibiza with two new health centers (https://www.plantadoce.com/empresa/grupo-policlinica-amplia-su-presencia-en-ibiza-con-dos-nuevos-centros-de -health.html)
  • Bayer invests four million in Asturias to gain efficiency (https://www.diariomedico.com/farmacia/industria/empresas/bayer-invests-cuatro-millones-en-asturias-para-ganar-en-estitución-flexibility- y-sustainability.html)
  • Grifols obtains permission to sell its Alzheimer’s tests in Europe (https://cincodias.elpais.com/cincodias/2022/09/20/companias/1663675812_069001.html)
  • Grifols wins a contract with the USA to neutralize biological threats (https://www.expansion.com/catalunya/2022/09/24/632e02e4468aebd6758b45da.html)
  • Moderna installs its first quality laboratory outside the USA in Madrid (https://cincodias.elpais.com/cincodias/2022/09/16/companias/1663351284_848703.html)