Today’s articles comes to us from Julia Germain of GLOBALHealthPR US Partner and Chair, Spectrum.

Support from the US, India and Spain

About aHUS

Atypical Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome (aHUS) is an ultra-rare and life-threatening disease that can be acquired at any age. This condition causes blood clots to form in small vessels and block blood flow to the body’s major organs, leading to failure of the kidneys, heart and brain.

Support from GHPR Portugal

The Story Behind the Hashtag

Currently, there are 60 to 70 children and adults in Australia waiting to receive treatment for this deadly disease. And while the only treatment available and clinically proven to prevent premature death and organ damage is already funded in the US, Japan and several European countries, the Australian government has not yet made the drug available to patients through its federal Life Saving Drugs Program (LSDP). LSDP helps to cover the costs of drugs that treat rare diseases, and without funding through this program the drug Soliris would be unaffordable to all aHUS patients. The bottom line? If the Australian Federal Minister does not fund Soliris through the LSPD, aHUS patients will not have the life-saving drugs they need.

How You Can Help
The aHUS Patient Support Group 

Australia’s (aSPGA’s) “Plea for Life” campaign calls on patients, their families and advocates to post photos on social media of the hashtag #saveaHUSlives. The goal of the campaign is to capture the Australian government’s attention and ultimately get government funding for this drug.

GLOBALHealthPR partners, including Spectrum, are proud to lend their efforts to this important campaign. Join us in the conversation and swell of support, and snap your own photo to #saveaHUSlives!

You can also support this campaign by following the aPSGA on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or YouTube and by using the saveaHUSlives hashtag.

Note: This article originally appeared in the Spectrum blog on 31 July, 2014.

The post Curious About the Hashtag #saveaHUSlives? Don’t Worry, We’ve Got You Covered. appeared first on GLOBALHealthPR.

Image: Smithsonian

Recently, a Pittsburg biohacker planted a chip in his arm to track his temperature and transmit the results to his phone via Bluetooth. Despite the limited use of the device, the news reignited the biohacking debate. The term is used to define the practice of using hacking attitudes and ethics to engage with biology. This trend features people without professional or medical training developing technological devices to enhance living conditions.

Experts have cautioned over this practice as they feel it could set back the potentially lifesaving technology. However, the notion that this is something taking place exclusively on basements is completely wrong. Medical experts across the world are finding new ways to enhance the living condition on a daily basis.

A printer in the OR

Image: Dr Will Shu / Biofabrication

Earlier this year; Japanese doctors used implants made in a 3D printer. The idea of printing bone implants to replace broken or damaged skeletons could change the outlook of many conditions and change recovery and physical rehabilitation for the better.

Vanderbilt University also developed a de-facto exoskeleton for those needing rehabilitation or suffering from paralysis. It seems like something straight out of a sci-fi movie, and it’s not the only one.  Several other companies in the US and Europe and waiting for government clearance to move forward with their products. The entrance of such products could change the landscape of treatment for these conditions.

But it doesn’t end there. OrganOvo recently announced the creation of 3D slices liver which maintain the functions of the organ. The artificial tissue can filter nutrients, toxins and drugs for almost 40 days. The California startup is currently building more tissue for R&D purposes. Their ultimate goal is to build human tissues of surgical therapy and transplants.

These kinds of implants could help generations on patients suffering from amputations, cancer and other injuries to adjust easier. Imagine a critical patient with multiple life threatening fractures arriving at the ER. But instead of numerous casts or bolts an implant is placed in place of the broken bone. Such developments could reduce recovery times and limit the effect major injuries have on everyday life.

Prevention

But it goes beyond treatment. Devices like this can also help prevention and everyday life. According to figures from the department of labor, American workers suffer body injuries that cost $50 billion in treatment. With this in mind, a group from the University of Pennsylvania developed a robotic exoskeleton that increases the strength of the individual. Hoping to reduce the number of injuries related to lifting and moving heavy objects, the students developed a device that boosts the individual’s strength by 40 pounds. The most surprising thing about the invention is that it costs only $2,000 to produce.

Movies tend to focus on Iron Mans and Robocops, but how far are we from digital organ transplants? We know former Vice president has a device that pumps blood for a ventricle in his heart. So perhaps the days of ordering a custom heart or liver are not too far away.

References:

http://www.livescience.com/40974-3d-printed-liver-slices-created.html

http://www.livescience.com/40892-biohacker-tim-cannon-cyborg.html

http://www.livescience.com/12954-bionic-humans-artificial-limbs-technologies.html

http://www.livescience.com/40915-incredible-technology-exoskeleton-walking.html

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ptc/2013/10/31/the-next-big-thing-in-medicine-3d-printed-bones/

http://www.3ders.org/articles/20130813-japanese-patients-successfully-received-3d-printed-bone-transplants.html

http://www.livescience.com/37870-3d-printing-repairs-bone.html

http://www.nbcnews.com/science/genomics-pioneer-craig-venter-warns-about-biohacker-boo-boos-8C11454274

http://www.ted.com/talks/ellen_jorgensen_biohacking_you_can_do_it_too.html

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/10/18/the-brave-new-worldofbiohacking.html

The post Biohacking, Bionics and 3D Printing appeared first on GLOBALHealthPR.

Commentary

Surprisingly it was the Asian nations and not the Europeans who sat atop the list. While there is no common framework, most nations in and out of Asia seem to prefer dual systems of competitive regulated markets and public safety nets. Chile and Mexico led the rankings in the Americas ahead of the U.S. and Canada, despite the financial disparities. Bloomberg’s results debunk several previous assumptions of global healthcare. Despite their good reputations, countries like France or Switzerland lack efficiency; conversely, emerging Asian nations have taken over in terms of efficiency and overall coverage. It will be interesting not only to see how these countries manage their particular systems and tackle the challenges ahead, but also to see if the rest of world stays tuned to their progress.

Sources:

• Chile
• Hong Kong
• Israel
• Italy
• Japan
• Mexico
• Singapore
• Spain

The post The World’s Most Efficient Health Care Systems appeared first on GLOBALHealthPR.

The new data provide insight into the growing global market for pharma. EyeForPharma, an industry hub led by senior level executives, highlighted these two markets, as well as the markets of several countries across the globe.

Thailand

Thailand presents an interesting opportunity for pharmaceutical investment. The government’s current healthcare scheme covers 99 percent of the population and rising costs have sent the government on a quest for more efficient and modern options.

 Pros

• With virtually every Thai citizen covered, the industry plays a significant role in the market. In fact, the pharmacy market accounts for 23 percent of Thailand’s overall market, according to EyeForPharma. Pharma is already huge in Thailand, but the outlook is positive both for industry leaders and emerging competitors alike.

Cons

• Healthcare in Thailand has come a long way from the inefficient system it had a quarter of a century ago. Today, the Thai system is one of the most comprehensive in the world, but despite its proven track record it faces several hurdles. Rising costs due to the large number of chronic disease and an increasingly older population are starting to affect the system.
• Pharma products that assist with diagnostics and prevention as well as management of chronic diseases could be key for the future of the system.  These products have already been launched in other parts of the world it’s just a matter of entering Thailand before it’s too late.

Brazil

The other region, which historically moves a few steps behind the US and Canada in terms of development, is catching up fast. Brazil seems to be in everyone’s mind these days, from the 2014 World Cup to street protests and diplomatic disputes. But an often untold aspect of Brazil’s economy is its healthcare industry.

Pros

• The country spends 8.9 percent of its $2.4 trillion-dollar GDP on healthcare and its pharma market is expected to be the 4th largest in the world by 2016.  According to the Brazilian Association of National Laboratories Distributors (Abradilan), drug sales could increase 15-20 percent by 2014.

• More importantly, Brazil’s large middle class is spending more on healthcare, 42 percent of domestic pharma drug sales come from this group. The time to target this class directly has come for the first time in the country’s recent history. More importantly, the current economic and social situation in the country has moved consumers from spending on treatment to spending also on prevention of chronic diseases.

Cons

• Despite the global spotlight, the land of samba has an unstable digital structure, prompting old school methods in order to enter and communicate effectively.  In fact, a report by Flanders Investment put Brazil in 9^th place in industry marketing costs with $22 billion over 4-year period from 2007-2011. The market presents a challenge.

Risk or no risk, companies are considering entering this market. Just last month, Brazil’s own Hypermarcas posted record earnings despite stagnant economic growth, showing that the market is ready to boom.

These numbers paint an interesting picture on pharma worldwide and especially these two regions, which could become keys in the next several years. The next question is: who’s up from some travel?

The post Emerging Pharma Worldwide appeared first on GLOBALHealthPR.