Telemedicine in daily practice: Addressing legal challenges while waiting for an EU regulatory framework

Telemedicine is revolutionising conventional healthcare thanks to countless technological devices that allow patients to remotely access a huge range of care services. In the coming years, the spread of telemedicine will arguably redesign the geography of EU healthcare, with main repercussions on the organisation of the Member States’ health systems and the extent of health protection in the EU. Given the current lack of an EU regulatory framework for telemedicine, this analysis aims to explore the most relevant acts issued in the field of (conventional) healthcare in order to assess their suitability for telemedicine services. In the conclusion, the need for an adequate regulatory framework of telemedicine in the EU will be discussed, in order to sustain its spread in daily practice and to guide patients and healthcare professionals towards a safe use of these innovative services.     

El caso Glivec®: primer ejemplo de debate global en torno al sistema de patentes de medicamentos

ObjectiveTo describe the sequence of events involving the Glivec^® case in India and to analyze the opinions generated in distinct settings.MethodWe performed a systematic search for articles concerning the imatinib (Glivec^®) patent in India. We selected those sources that described the events, decisions of the authorities involved, and press and scientific opinions. Dates and arguments presented by the involved parties were clearly identified.ResultsOf 886 documents initially obtained, we selected 40 documents published between 2003 and 2013. Most of them were press news and commentaries. The process lasted 7 years, starting in 2006 when the Indian Patent Office rejected the patent application filed by Novartis. It ended in 2013 when the Indian Supreme Court upheld this decision. It was argued that the Indian Patent Law would facilitate access to medicines in the Third World and the final decision has received support by the general population. Although the court's final decision has been supported by several institutions, an objective analysis should also take into account the arguments of the pharmaceutical companies and other entities.ConclusionThe Glivec^® case gave rise to an intense debate on the appropriateness of international standards on patents, their applicability and how they should be adopted in each country. This case, as well as other cases, should serve to stimulate reflection on the international patent system and to achieve scenarios in which the health of the poorest populations is protected but also balanced against intellectual property protection and innovation.     

Accelerating Alzheimer's disease drug innovations from the research pipeline to patients

In June 2017, a diverse group of experts in Alzheimer's disease convened to discuss how to accelerate getting new drugs to patients to both prevent and treat the disease. Participants concluded that we need a more robust, diversified drug development pipeline. Strategic policy measures can help keep new Alzheimer's disease therapies (whether to treat symptoms, prevent onset, or cure) affordable for patients while supporting innovation and facilitating greater information sharing among payers, providers, researchers, and the public, including a postmarket surveillance study system, disease registries, innovative payment approaches, harmonizing federal agency review requirements, allowing conditional coverage for promising therapeutics and technology while additional data are collected, and opening up channels for drug companies to communicate with payers (and each other) about data and outcomes. To combat reimbursement issues, policy makers should address the latency time between potential treatment—which may be costly and fall on private payers—and societal benefits that accrue elsewhere.     

医学院校升级后图书馆服务创新策略研究

指出服务创新是医学院校升级后图书馆发展的必然选择，从人才队伍建设、资源采访质量、医学图书馆联盟、医学信息共享空间4方面探讨升级后医科大学图书馆服务创新的策略。     

Head-Up; An interdisciplinary,participatory and co-design process informing the development of a novel head and neck support for people living with progressive neck muscle weakness

Abstract

This paper presents the Head-Up project, that aims to provide innovative head support to help improve posture, relieve pain and aid communication for people living with progressive neck muscle weakness. The initial focus is motor neurone disease. The case study illustrates collaborative, interdisciplinary research and new product development underpinned by participatory design. The study was initiated by a 2-day stakeholder workshop followed by early proof-of-concept modelling and patient need evidence building. The work subsequently led to a successful NIHR i4i application funding a 24-month iterative design process, patenting, CE marking and clinical evaluation. The evaluation has informed amendments to the proposed design refered to here as the Sheffield Support Snood (SSS). The outcome positively demonstrates use and performance improvements over current neck orthoses and the process of multidisciplinary and user engagement has created a sense of ownership by MND participants, who have since acted as advocates for the product.