globalEDGE Blog - By Tag: healthcare

Healthcare is a realm where even the smallest decision can impact a person’s life or death. In recent years, the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and healthcare has been innovating quickly, transforming various aspects of the medical field. In terms of electronic health records (EHRs), integrating AI is one of the most significant advancements.

Pfizer, a major pharmace­utical company, recently witnessed a substantial fall in its third-quarter sale­s. The primary reason was a drop in COVID-19 vaccine sale­s, as well as other related products, resulting in a massive loss of $2.4 billion. Compared to previous years, when the company enjoyed a large profit of $8.6 billion, this fall is substantial. Even though the company foresaw the­se obstacles and amende­d their plans, sales topple­d by a staggering 42%; yet, Pfizer isn't losing hope­. They are looking towards their long-te­rm projects, and count on their resource­s to pull through in sustainable ways.

Sleeping is known to be one of the most essential aspects in our lives; yet, many people overlook it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that more than one in three adults in the U.S. are sleep-deprived, leading to many concerning factors that can affect individuals' health.

The tobacco and nicotine industry has significant economic influence, contributing to both global and national economies. This impact spans various business sectors, including agriculture, manufacturing, distribution, and health care. With a massive consumer base, these industries combined generate substantial revenue.

The arrival of smartphones in the early 2000s marked a watershed moment in the world of photography. Film and digital cameras, once the unrivaled champions, suddenly faced formidable competition. In a surprising turn of events, digital cameras are making a stylish comeback, becoming an essential accessory in social media, especially adored by the younger generation for their “it-girl” charm.

While COVID-19 infection rates may be dropping, healthcare systems in several countries are falling apart. Britain's public healthcare system, the National Health Service (NHS), has been overwhelmed like never before. The NHS, once a source of pride for many citizens of the United Kingdom, now has citizens criticizing the system and calling for improvements.

A new Ebola outbreak is occurring in Uganda. The outbreak is believed to have started with one man in August of 2022 but has now spread to almost 50 people. This outbreak approaches as the Ugandan healthcare system is still struggling to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Several other African countries, such as Kenya, Rwanda, and South Sudan are starting to screen travelers for Ebola symptoms to mitigate the spread.

There is a new saying in the French Canadian province of Quebec: “No vax, pay tax.” Quebec plans to impose a “significant” healthcare tax on all unvaccinated residents, due to their health system deteriorating after the most recent surge of the COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the healthcare industry into the spotlight. Around the world, hospital personnel have spent over a year providing care for hundreds of thousands of patients with COVID-19 while scientists in pharmaceutical companies worked to create vaccinations and other treatments.  Furthermore, the pandemic has revolutionized the way routine healthcare is managed, including an increased use of technology and the rise of telehealth services. Let’s take a look at some of the trends shaping the future of the healthcare industry.

The COVID-19 virus has been ravaging countries as many have recently failed to reach the World Health Organization’s goals for vaccination percentages, whether for lack of access, lack of easy spread of information, or the spread of misinformation surrounding vaccinations. There have been spikes regarding the Delta variant in the United States, Mexico, Russia, Australia, and some parts of Europe and Africa. However, throughout all of this chaos, there is new hope surrounding a new antiviral pill that could be a strong contender for treating COVID-19 without the use of injections.

Pfizer-BioNTech, the American-German paired company, has been the leading company for providing a COVID-19 vaccine. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) granted Emergency Use Authorization in early December of 2020. Pfizer-BioNTech was later given emergency validation by the World Health Organization. As of August 23, 2021, Pfizer-BioNTech is the first vaccine to be FDA approved, meaning they have met the rigorous standards of the FDA. This is a significant milestone for Pfizer-BioNTech. While many have already been vaccinated, there is now additional confidence in the vaccine.

As world governments begin to roll out COVID-19 vaccination initiatives, they are faced with a dilemma. Are they allowed to discriminate against who can travel or visit restaurants, and theatres based on whether a person is vaccinated? Proponents of these restrictions say opening businesses to vaccinated persons is a solution for allowing the economy to safely heal. On the other hand, some say these types of restrictions may unfairly discriminate against minorities who are less likely to have access to a COVID-19 vaccine, or younger people who won’t be able to get access to a vaccine until later phases of vaccination initiatives. Some countries are already experimenting with these types of restrictions.

Since the coronavirus pandemic began last year, billions of dollars have been poured into the development of vaccines to protect people against the coronavirus. There are currently 12 developers working on—or that have produced—a coronavirus vaccine, including developers in China, India, Russia, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Germany. Out of these 12 developers, 10 of these vaccines have been approved for use in one country or more. Because of the amazing and swift work of these developers, over one hundred million doses have been given worldwide, but the distribution of these vaccines is stirring discontent and requests for better vaccine distribution between all countries. Only 42 countries have begun administering the first doses of coronavirus vaccines, while there are over 130 countries that have not vaccinated a single person. Out of those 42 countries, 10 countries have been able to obtain and administered 75% of all of the coronavirus vaccines produced. This blog will dive into the current statistics on country vaccinations, why this problem persists, and which countries all of these vaccines are going to.

Scientists and pharmaceutical companies alike are finally nearing the ending stages of preparing a vaccine for COVID-19 for commercial use. With at least 10 vaccine candidates currently in the early phases of human testing and two candidates likely to receive FDA authorization in the coming weeks, governments and citizens worldwide are eager to begin the end of the ongoing pandemic.

Since the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors and scientists have told the public that a vaccine will be the most effective way to stop the spread of COVID-19. More than 6 months later, the United States, China, Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom all have vaccines going through testing in phase 3.

As the coronavirus continues to dominate society in the media, in professional careers, and in everyday life, interesting effects have been seen in the changing regulations across industries.  Because this virus is so unprecedented in its global reach, sweeping changes have been made across the world in attempts to best cope with the pandemic and to accommodate citizens.  Specifically, significant alterations in the regulation and allowances can be seen at banks, in the environment, in the medical sector, and in day-to-day operations like work and school.

By now, everyone has heard of the newly discovered virus called coronavirus (COVID-19). Despite its short existence, its impact has already spread to countries all over the world. There have been over 169,000 confirmed cases worldwide, including over 6,000 deaths. Being a virus that spreads from human to human, the general advice given by the World Health Organization is social distancing. As a result, many major conferences and events are postponed or canceled. People are strongly encouraged, sometimes even mandated, to avoid crowds and public events. Due to these precautionary steps, many industries are taking a hit, including the film industry.

In this blog, Melissa Kreger writes about the updated impacts of the coronavirus.

The coronavirus first outbroke in January and now has become a global health epidemic. The largest question that has been lingering for economists and large investors is, “How long will the Chinese economy be halted and how bad will it affect all economies”? The Chinese economy is the world’s second-largest economy, first behind that of the United States. China being at a halt will affect global supply chains and we are starting to see those repercussions now.

There is really no other way to put it—every day, a countless number of people shave hair off of their face and body with razors.  The image of ideal, clean-shaven men and women has become a cultural staple of a large portion of society, marking the sign of adulthood and prestige amongst much of the global population.  However, recent disruptions to the global razor industry—including the trend of facial hair and introduction of subscription blade alternatives—have changed the playing field for the first time in almost a century.

Drug prices in America have become an issue for many. Medications can cost two and three times more in the United States than they do in European countries. A drug that treats arthritis, psoriasis and other similar conditions, Humira, costs $822 dollars in Iceland but $2,669 in America.

It is no shock that developing countries have the lowest access to healthcare. According to the Global Economic Symposium, “low and middle-income countries bear 93% of the world´s disease burden, yet account for only 18% of world income and 11% of global health spending.” While this lack of access to medical services is common on the demand side of the healthcare industry due to people not being able to afford the costs of the treatment, another prevalent issue occurs on the supply side.

Research in climate change suggests that even an incremental increase in average global temperatures can trigger disastrous effects around the world. Although efforts are being made to curb carbon dioxide emissions and sustain stable environments, climate scientists warn that “there will still be consequences" if more drastic actions are not taken. Global businesses that depend on vast energy usage are now paying attention to new corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

Russia has been pushing to incorporate nuclear technology in medicine. This process, known as nuclear medicine, involves the use of radioactive substances producing dangerous radiations to gamma rays, beta particles, and alpha particles. Although it may be risky and unsafe, Russia’s increasing participation in the “international market for the production of medical isotopes” has brought tremendous success to the country in the means for fighting cancer.

Medical breakthroughs have sparked the rise of the robotics industry in the arena of medicine. Through technological advancements, robots have been gaining popularity. There are various types of robots, some are made for personal assistance or social use, but they have seen the most significant growth and evolution in industrial automation. Companies in China have been on the rise to implement the use of robotics in the medical industry to develop new products and to meet consumer demands in order to keep up with medical advancements.

Researchers have found that the quality of the air that we breathe can affect how we perform in the office. As pollution increases, labor productivity may decrease due to the fact that inhaling polluted air can hinder our “respiratory, cardiovascular, and cognitive function”.  China, along with many other industrialized countries, have experienced a decline in worker productivity due to the extensive air pollution and climate change.

Despite the fact that shares of the world's top tobacco companies reached record highs in recent weeks, AXA, one of the world's biggest insurers, has decided to sell all of its assets in the tobacco industry. Over $2 billion in assets will be divested, and AXA will cease all further investment. This huge announcement follows new tobacco laws in the United Kingdom regarding uniform packaging, as well as large graphical health warnings that will go into effect in less than a year. With investors retracting funds and government laws emphasizing health concerns, will this mark the beginning of the end for the tobacco industry? 

The World Health Organization (WHO) will convene in an emergency committee in Geneva, Switzerland this Monday, January 31. The topic of this emergency meeting will be the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which is spreading “explosively” across Latin America. Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General, addressed the executive board stating that “The level of alarm is extremely high…Questions abound. We need to get some answers quickly.” 

With multiple billion-dollar deals already announced this year, total takeover-deal announcements are on pace to reach $4.58 trillion in 2015. This mark would exceed to previous record high of $4.29 trillion set in 2007, just before the global financial meltdown.

Given the myriad of groundbreaking new biotechnology products coupled with accelerating costs of research, development, manufacturing, and regulatory mandates, the healthcare industry today finds itself at a crossroads. Consumers, hospitals, and governments are petitioning for fairly priced goods and services without compromising top-tier quality or extending risk exposure. However, the narrowing global economic environment is persuading market-leading manufactures to reevaluate not only their value chain processing, but also their premium pricing models. Under the aforementioned conditions, it is often in the best interest of suppliers, consumers, and shareholders to empower profit maximization by outsourcing core operational services for efficiency.

What is something that we have we learned from medical epidemics? Globalization is a gift and a curse. As the world continues to unite and globalize goods, services, and cultures, there is one element that is still lagging behind - the globalization of healthcare. With globalization, traveling has never been easier as you can go from and to any part of the world in 24 hours. On top of that, growing cooperation between countries has decreased the alertness on country borders. Ultimately, this has become one of the causes of the global spread of diseases and infections, since they can spread at a rapid and dismantling pace. Attempts at addressing this problem and increasing globalization have been demonstrated through medical tourism, which has made progress but also suffered some setbacks.

International trade has allowed business to grow all around the world and has created an interconnected marketplace for goods and services. However, despite these major benefits, risks have also emerged. Experts estimate that 10 percent of medicinal goods around the world are counterfeit and the sale of counterfeit medicine has risen 90% in the last five years. This phenomenon has been attributed to the increasing amount of merchandise crossing borders and the growing sophistication of counterfeit methods. How has counterfeit medicine affected the global healthcare industry?

In the global healthcare industry, glocalization is an emerging trend. Glocalization, a term derived from combining the words globalization and localization, describes the adaptation of global products and services to meet the needs of people in a specific geographic location. Many healthcare industry challenges are shared around the world; however, the effects of these challenges are generally influenced by local issues. A surge in global healthcare spending, along with glocalization, is presenting pharmaceutical companies with both great challenges and opportunities.

In some of Thailand’s poor villages, there is a new business arrangement that is becoming ever so popular. People from all over Asia are headed to Thailand to seek out surrogate mothers. These families pay Thai women between $10,000 and $20,000 for successful pregnancies, which equates to a monthly allowance hovering around $450, along with free housing in Bangkok. Thailand has publicized itself as a medical tourist destination, providing cheaper options for people all over the world. Thailand is quickly racing up to take the place of the United States as the world’s largest paid surrogacy destination.

Over the past months the Ebola virus has claimed more than 1,300 deaths in West Africa. This health crisis is continuing to devastate people in West Africa, and is also having a shattering impact on the economies of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Early estimates have shown that the economy of these countries have been deflated by 30 percent due to the Ebola virus. The mining and agriculture industries have been hardest hit by the virus outbreak. Domestic economic concerns are certainly not the only problem. In today’s globalized economy, the virus outbreak is affecting international business activity.

Generating international sales is a difficult task for many small businesses around the world. However, there are a countless number of strategies and opportunities that allow businesses of all sizes to accomplish this challenging feat. In fact, one of the best ways to drive intentional sales for your business is to attend international trade shows where you can display your product to interested buyers. The video posted below by the United States Department of Commerce uses the Health Show in Dubai to explain the benefits of attending an international trade show!

Let’s begin by contrasting two different medical experiences intended to diagnose heartburn: 1) A catheter is inserted into your body through the nasal cavity and left there for several hours while a measure of acidity is taken or 2) You swallow a pill and wait two hours while a measure of acidity is taken. Although the results of these different procedures are the same, the comfort of the patient and skills required to administer the tests vary significantly. Welcome to the age of wireless health!

Technology is always changing, causing us to play catch-up on a daily basis. A new trend on the horizon? Mind reading. Today, a variety of consumer products such as games and phone-apps use mind reading technology to captivate users. Last Christmas two new games used mind-reading technology to find the way into many homes. Mattel’s Midflex and Milton Industries Force Trainer both use brain-wave technology similar to the electroencephalograph, which is used to diagnose brain disorders. Many video games are also trying out this new technology. Next year a new Apple app is planned to be released using mind power. This app, Tug of Mind, will be the Apple’s first game controlled by the mind and can be partnered with a NeuroSky headset.

Hospitals today are fast-paced, frenzied places. The goal, of course, is to get health care to as many people as possible. Hospitals around the world suffer similar problems in that they often have too much health care to administer, and not enough adequate facilities with which to do so. Furthermore, the types of health care that need to be administered are evolving as well, leaving many places with outdated or ineffective facilities with which to handle them. However, the Compass system seeks to alleviate some of these problems.

Are you interested in learning about the growing areas of patient healthcare and water and waste management and how to take advantage as an exporter? Rapidly-growing economies, strong ties with the United States, and major public health needs put the Gulf Region among the world's most promising markets for U.S. suppliers. To help U.S. firms leverage opportunities in these markets, a senior-level Department of Commerce official will lead a trade mission to Riyadh and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and Doha, Qatar, June 5-10, 2010.

With a strong growing demand for healthcare and water and waste management this mission will be important for any exporter looking to expand into the Gulf Region. Don't miss out on this great opportunity! Apply by March 31st, 2010!

Professor and author C. K. Prahalad explores how General Electric took a local innovation in the healthcare industry, one designed to help those in the poorest and most remote villages in India and China, and turned it into a global, game-changing product. In his book, The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid, he argues that this is no anomaly, but rather the future of innovation.

The aim of reaching a broader market with the EKG turned into a more efficient, cost-friendly product. Should companies be taking more of a look at developing innovative products to help the rural poor? Could these innovations spread to the global market as well?

So this past week being sick with the flu, gave me an excellent idea. What should you do as a business as flu season approaches? There is a possibility of a widespread H1N1 outbreak, and employers around the world need to take important steps. Employees are a crucial resource at any business, and especially small businesses. There are steps you can take now, and during the flu season, to help protect the health of your employees.

In light of the ballooning global cost of providing healthcare to patients, there has been much discussion as to how operations in the healthcare industry can be implemented in a smoother and more cost-efficient manner. One major solution could lie in the efforts of various supply-chain management firms and programs to help hospitals and health care systems reduce their supply chain costs. In addition to supply chain revamps, technological revisions of documentation in the health care industry should have a significant impact in cost-cutting and time-saving.

Like all good things, globalization has some negative side effects. The current outbreak of swine flu highlights the ability for diseases to be transported quickly around the world, primarily because of how interconnected the global economy has become. It is important for both governments and international business people to arm themselves with the proper knowledge in order to be prepared and put in place the best safeguards for such an event.

A recent episode of the Oprah Winfrey show highlighted Time Magazine’s 2008 Invention of the Year: 23andMe, a Google-backed startup introducing a retail DNA test. The available-for-purchase personal test provides information on health & traits as well as ancestry, for the user to “see your genes in a whole new light.”

Medical tourism refers to people who go to foreign countries to get medical help. In recent years, the popularity of medical tourism has been increasing. There are many factors that have contributed to this – high costs of healthcare in industrialized countries, waiting lists in countries with public healthcare, ease and affordability of international travel, and better technology across the world.