Categories
General

The Plumpy’nut Precedent

Stephanie Weber at the Univeristy of California at Berkeley raises the important issue of precedent. Will we see more patents on humanitarian relief products after Plumpy’nut? Would that be a good/bad/neutral development?

Of particular interest, when does the Plumpy’nut patent expire? I had assumed a standard term of 14 to 20 years. Needs checking.

Herewith Stephanie’s e-mail (published with permission):

I just read your blog posts. Very interesting topic! Coincidentally, a
colleague and I just gave a two hour presentation on Ready-To-Use Therapeutic Foods (Plumpy’Nut) as an approach to treating children with severe acute malnutrition.

After reading your blog, I had a few initial thoughts and questions to share with you.

First – and you might want to triangulate this statement with other people – Plumpy’nut is considered to have revolutionized the way children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) are treated. Now, instead of spending 30+ days in the hospital or nutritional feeding centers, they can be treated at home by their primary caregiver. Additionally, children are recovering more quickly, and there is no preparation necessary to give them the PN (i.e., no need to add water). PN is cheaper than the traditional mode of treatment and it tastes better.

However, there is still more research that needs to be done to measure the relapse rate of children on Plumpy’nut. For example, are children treated with PN less likely to relapse than children treated with F100?

Second – have you talked with Nutriset? It would be interesting to know why they decided to patent the formula. Also, what is it about the formula that requires patenting? The proportions of ingredients?

I believe the patent is due to expire next year, so an interesting question to consider is what has been the effect of this patent for the past five years? Were more children excluded? Was PN more expensive than it otherwise would have been? To what extent did patenting limit production?

It’s possible that the implications for the future will be more interesting than the findings on cost and access. Even with some restricted access and slightly higher cost for PN, using RUTFs to treat SAM is still way more effective and less expensive than hospitalizing kids
and treating with F100.

Ex Christine: F100 is a milk-based therapeutic food for the treatment of severe malnutrition. Also, it would be good to contact Nutriset but I think a little more background research is in order first. Of course, given this highly interconnected world we live in, Nutriset may post on the blog first?

Categories
Business

How to suggest potential resources or new lines of inquiry

Discover your inner Sherlock Holmes and conduct a search, talk to an expert you just met, visit with a librarian, etc. Spend as little as ten minutes or all day, if you want, following your clue.

If you learn something interesting that relates to Nutriset, Plumpy’nut, humanitarian feeding programs or patents, summarize what you have found in a comment to this post.

Other readers are then free to comment on the quality of your information, follow up your clue or add clues of their own. Authors of the best comments will want to become writers in their own right, adding posts of their own.

(For now, the process of becoming a writer–as opposed to a commenter–is pretty informal: just e-mail Christine at cgormanhealth[AT]gmail[DOT]com. Be sure to use your real name, give real contact information and say why you want to publish your own posts on the blog and what you think you can contribute. As the community grows, the process will undoubtedly evolve.)

All posts that suggest new resources or avenues of inquiry should be tagged with the “suggested leads” category.

As noted above, the best part of collaborative reporting–you put as much or as little effort into the project as you want. The experiment is to see if the sum of all these individual intellectual efforts will amount to something valuable–something that will help more malnourished kids get fed or that provides greater insight into the way the humanitarian business gets done.

Categories
Life

5 Easy Ways to Keep Up with New Information

The healthcare industry is continuously evolving. With the wealth of information available, it can be overwhelming and tedious to stay up-to-date with the latest discoveries, developments, and information available. Fortunately, technology makes keeping up with new information easier with the assistance of social media platforms such as Hospital Hippo that provide real-time, current information for hospitals throughout the world. Whether a patient or provider, accessing information is easier than it has ever been before and it is mutually beneficial. This article explores five easy ways for people to keep up with the newest information available in the healthcare industry.

1. Apps for Access
Technology has changed the face of the healthcare industry by making information available with the touch of a button. Through the use of apps, users have access to data at their fingertips, making their healthcare experience more seamless. A variety of apps have been developed to address the needs of both patients and providers, some are highlighted here and are effective in providing current, pertinent communication. Additionally, most apps are user-friendly and do not require individuals to be extremely tech savvy.

2. Follow the Trends
There are many websites dedicated to helping users stay informed on the ever-changing healthcare industry. US News & World Report is a site encompassing a wide-range of information inclusive of research, treatments, and the overall future of healthcare. Specifically, the site has a section dedicated to hospitals, Healthcare of Tomorrow, which can be particularly useful when seeking to stay abreast of new health trends and developments.

3. Subscribe to Newsletters
Another effective way to stay informed and obtain up-to-date information on healthcare industry changes is by subscribing to digital newsletters. Electronic newsletters bring information directly to patients and providers with very little effort. By subscribing to healthcare newsletters such as the ones found here, people can obtain current news on an ongoing basis. Likewise, the frequency that the subscription is received can be customized and discontinued at any time.

4. Seek out Publications
Similar to subscriptions, health publications provide users with the ability to obtain information specifically tailored to their areas of interest, such as the best ways to go about choosing a doctor, cancer support, and advance care planning. These publications are beneficial because they often contain detailed, niche information that is not explored in other outlets.

5. Traditional Research
With the plethora of information available, it is necessary to explore multiple channels in order to gather facts, compare and contrast, and obtain multiple perspectives. Additionally, it is important to ensure the resources providing the information are valid. Often times, the material is biased and intended to persuade individuals toward a particular belief as opposed to presenting all the facts so that an informed decision can be made. Fortunately, organizations such as Health on the Net Foundation provide access to vetted, objective, scientifically sound information which is extremely useful in obtaining accurate and consistent healthcare information.

There are many ways to remain informed when it comes to health, and technology has greatly improved the access and delivery of health-related news to information-seekers. Online health information helps people increase their knowledge base. Patients are taking an active interest in their health and providers are providing them with additional resources so they are better informed and more equipped to make much-needed decisions. The flow of healthcare information is ever-changing, but on-demand access to research and information allow patients and providers to work together in order to ensure the best care is administered and received. Healthcare is rapidly changing, but technological innovations make it easy to keep up on the latest developments, discoveries, and trends.