Healthcare industry highlights Healthcare industry highlights

As an Mpox outbreak spreads in Africa, global healthcare leaders search for solutions to stop the spread. 

In 2022, the World Health Organization declared an outbreak of Mpox a global health emergency. Awareness of the virus and distribution of vaccines helped get Mpox transmission under control, although it did not disappear. 

Now, a new, more severe strain of Mpox is spreading rapidly in several countries in central Africa, most notably the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There have also been cases reported in Sweden and Thailand related to travel. This has prompted WHO to declare Mpox a global emergency once again. 

In this outbreak, more than 17,000 people have been infected and almost 600 people have been killed. Many of the people affected have been children, who often experience more severe symptoms than adults. Common symptoms of Mpox include painful lesions, high fevers, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes. 

Scientists are referring to the current variant spreading as clade 1b. While research is still ongoing, it appears that this sub-strain behaves differently than previous outbreaks of Mpox. The virus was first identified in Africa in the early 1970s, and these outbreaks were primarily linked to contact with animals, which limited how fast the outbreak could spread. However, the current variant appears to be more transmissible through human contact. 

Currently, there is no vaccine available specifically for Mpox. However, there are vaccines available for smallpox, which is a very similar virus. During the 2022 outbreak, these vaccines were over 80% effective in preventing Mpox, but that outbreak consisted of a different strain and was spreading through different populations globally. 

These vaccines have yet to be tested on clade 1b and are generally not available in the African countries that have been most severely infected. This is due in part to the high cost of purchasing and deploying the vaccine, resulting in global vaccine inequity. 

Many wealthy countries have pledged to donate a portion of their stockpiles, as has Bavarian Nordic, the manufacturer of the vaccine. However, these donations have yet to reach the countries who need them most, and will fall short of the amount needed to combat the outbreak. 

On August 26th, WHO launched a comprehensive plan to combat this outbreak. This plan focuses on increasing access to care by hiring more staff in affected areas, as well as facilitating equitable access to vaccines and implementing new preventative strategies. 

A range of new research studies and reviews recently have focused on the long-term effects of cancer on patients, as well as trends to watch moving forward. One alarming study found that the rate of cancer in men is expected to increase by 84% between 2022 and 2050, which underscores the need for effective prevention and treatment strategies. 

The prevalence of cancer among men specifically is attributed in part to increased exposure to carcinogens and lifestyle-related risk factors like smoking. Interestingly, another recent study found that approximately 4 in 10 cancer cases could be preventable, as they are associated with modifiable risk factors. These risk factors include smoking, excess alcohol consumption, lack of exercise, poor diet, and more. 

Other research studies have highlighted the long-term physical and mental effects cancer has on survivors. As cancer treatment has improved over time, the rate of survivors has gone up as well. As a result, researchers are just now exploring how cancer affects the body and mind in the long term. 

For example, childhood cancer survivors are at particularly high risk for developing long-term or chronic health conditions stemming from their initial treatment. One recent study highlighted the sexual dysfunction that many childhood cancer survivors experience once reaching adulthood. The prevalence of sexual dysfunction among childhood cancer survivors ranges from 12.3% to 46.5% overall. 

Another study found that loneliness in cancer survivors presents a high mortality risk. The study focused on cancer survivors over the age of 50 and found that rates of loneliness were higher among this group than in those who had not had cancer. Researchers also recommend that cancer survivors be screened for loneliness to prevent adverse health outcomes. 

Many pharmaceutical companies are exploring direct-to-consumer options to distribute their medications, representing a major shift that could cause significant changes to the medical industry. In many ways, this shift feels like a natural expansion of remote telehealth services, which have become so popular over the last several years. 

In January 2024, Eli Lilly was the first major pharmaceutical brand to launch its own DTC service, called LillyDirect. The service focuses primarily on weight-loss drugs for obesity patients, as well as some diabetes and migraine medications. Patients must have an on-label prescription from a doctor to qualify. 

The launch of LillyDirect was done in part to combat shortages of Zepbound, the brand’s popular injectable obesity treatment. With the popularity of injectable obesity treatments, many have been in short supply this year. This has driven many patients to telehealth companies like Hims & Hers, which sell compounded versions of GLP-1 weight loss drugs. By launching their own telehealth platforms, pharmaceutical brands avoid losing business to these competitors. 

Now, Pfizer is launching a similar DTC platform called PfizerForAll. With this platform, patients will be able to access treatments for COVID-19, migraines, and the flu through telehealth appointments and virtual prescriptions. 

Both Eli Lilly and Pfizer’s platforms offer cost savings on certain drugs. This could make it cheaper to get prescriptions directly through this platform, rather than the traditional approach involving an in-person doctor’s appointment and pharmacy visit. 

Some healthcare professionals have expressed concern about this growing trend. Many worry that patients will not get the thorough consultations they need to use the drug safely, or won’t have the support they need when questions arise. There are also concerns that pharmaceutical companies won’t put patients’ needs first, choosing instead to focus on profits. However, these platforms are in the very early stages, so it will take time to see how they shift the healthcare industry. 

Nutrition plays a very important role in our overall health, but unfortunately, many people do not have affordable, convenient access to fresh foods. Recent food prescription programs aim to combat this by providing free fruits and vegetables to those with health conditions and risk factors like diabetes and obesity. 

These programs are particularly beneficial for those who live in food deserts or who do not have the financial resources to purchase fresh food. One successful example is VeggieRx in Chicago, a city that struggles with economic segregation and access to fresh groceries in underserved neighborhoods. This program has been particularly effective in getting fresh produce to those struggling with nutritional deficits, particularly in Chicago’s Black and Latino communities. 

This is just one of many food prescription programs throughout the country, which are part of the broader “food is medicine” movement. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have started incorporating these programs into insurance benefits, and many private insurers have followed suit. 

Since this movement is still in its early stages, room for growth and development remains. Right now, food prescription programs focus entirely on providing patients with fresh foods, rather than helping them cut unhealthy foods out of their diets. Some healthcare professionals have criticized this approach, instead recommending that patients focus on avoiding ultra-processed foods. 

Over the past few years, the healthcare industry has focused heavily on implementing AI technology in many aspects of operations. The primary goal of implementing this new technology has been to make operations more efficient while also providing better, more accurate care for patients. 

One study of healthcare professionals found that AI was the most exciting new technology in the industry for the fourth year in a row, and also found that the technology had shown the most improvement. While some healthcare leaders are cautious about AI adoption due to ethical concerns, many are proceeding to adopt new AI solutions to tackle a variety of healthcare-related issues. 

Many healthcare AI tools up to this point have focused primarily on providing diagnostic solutions for doctors or automating repetitive tasks for administrative and corporate staff. Many new AI solutions are now focusing on clinicians and nurses, providing solutions for documentation to streamline their workflows on busy days. 

For example, Epic is developing new AI features that will help manage electronic health records. This will make the charting process more efficient and help staff complete necessary documentation for each patient. The company’s MyChart platform already has an AI-powered tool that helps clinicians respond to patient messages, which has proven to be very successful. 

Orchid also recently announced a new AI-powered scribe technology specifically for mental health clinicians. While AI-powered transcription tools already exist, there aren’t many HIPAA-compliant options. This new tool will help mental and behavioral health professionals complete documentation faster, cutting down on administrative time.