Imagine for a moment the following scene: two smiling young women in party clothes, reclining on sun loungers in front of a swimming pool and on a perfectly manicured lawn, in one hand a cocktail glass and in the other an IV into which a serum labeled detox is connected. The scene could well be taken from a frame from the Black Mirror series, but we have it on Instagram and it is the latest in aesthetic and wellness treatments offered at home by clinics with few scruples. A scam for people who no longer know what to spend their money on.

What do these treatments consist of?

A call or a Whatsapp message is enough to make an appointment, which will be at the clinic itself, at your home or in the garden of a luxurious villa in Ibiza depending on what you are willing to pay, starting at €100.

The next step is for a health worker to channel an IV into your arm to administer a small bag of serum with almost divine properties.. The whole process lasts about 30 minutes and, after it, they promise that “your physical and emotional state will be balanced”. Almost nothing.

Where does this fashion come from?

How could it be otherwise, of the great celebrities. A couple of years ago characters like Madonna, Katy Perry or Rihanna began to share photos of themselves in their living room with an intravenous drip on social networks. In case any of their followers thought they were sick, they clarified that it was a “vitamin therapy” to be able to better carry out their hectic day to day. Today it is the national influencers who share their images to promote these treatments.

What do these miracle serums promise?

Pretty much everything you can imagine. From making you eliminate toxins from your body (as if you didn't have a liver in charge of doing it) to increasing your energy levels, going through improved circulation, getting radiant skin or having a clearer mind.

In fact, they are given names according to their purpose, and thus we have rescue me serums to recover from hangovers or jet lag, memory serums to achieve more vitality or beauty serums to combat the signs of a hectic life.

Nothing that you cannot get in a totally natural way and without spending so much money.

What do those serums actually contain?

Like all serums, they are mainly composed of water, but they also contain the following vitamins, minerals and amino acids:

– Vitamin C. Also known as ascorbic acid, it has, among many others, an antioxidant function in our body by helping to protect cells from damage caused by free radicals.. Eating a kiwi a day will provide you with more of this vitamin than your body needs.

– Magnesium sulphate. This mineral is nothing more than Magnesium salt. An essential trace element that we will get naturally and in sufficient quantities by eating legumes, nuts, green leafy vegetables or whole grains.

– B12 vitamin. A fundamental vitamin for the proper functioning of our nervous system and brain. But don't worry, if you include sardines or mussels, Serrano ham, eggs or cheese in your diet, you will have more than enough vitamins.

– Vitamin B5. This vitamin surely sounds more like panthenol to you, and it is a common ingredient in many hair products due to its beneficial effects on it.. It is found naturally in broccoli, legumes, or eggs.

– Sodium. A mineral present in the water we drink, in table salt and in a huge amount of food and condiments. Trust me, we all eat far more sodium than we need at the end of the day.

– Biotin. This amino acid has a positive influence on the health of nails and hair, but it is not only found in these serums. We have it in more than enough quantities in salmon, egg yolk, nuts, bananas or legumes.

But are they really good for anything?

To hydrate and little else. The only thing you are going to get after a therapy with miraculous serums is to have between €100 and €200 less in your current account and very expensive urine. Some of those salts, vitamins or minerals they contain will be stored in your body, as long as their reservoirs are not already full, and the rest of the serum will be eliminated through urine.

The clinics themselves trust these serums so little that they warn their clients that for them to be more effective they must be accompanied by habits such as reducing the consumption of processed foods, exercising 3 or 4 times a week, avoiding alcohol consumption and tobacco or increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables in the diet. If you do all this you will undoubtedly feel better, but with or without IV.

A quick Google search is enough to find the first bargain. On a website they promise us that for only 290 euros, in 10 days, we will know if we are “intolerant” to any of the 200 foods on the list. From beef to tomato, including spices such as thyme. On the following website they offer us the same, but with a discount of 80%.

Are these tests really useful for anything?

The reality is that, despite being so widespread, these food intolerance or sensitivity tests do not have scientific evidence. In fact, they are not used as a tool within the public health system and are discouraged by numerous scientific societies.. Among them are the Canadian Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (CSACI) and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) who have strongly criticized these tests for their lack of evidence.

What is the difference between an allergy and an intolerance?

It is common for these terms to be spoken of interchangeably and there is some confusion when in reality they are very different concepts from each other.. In the event that a person is allergic to a food, an immune response is generated. This can be really dangerous and even cause death..

Intolerances, however, occur when the body does not process or digest food properly, causing discomfort of varying severity.. A classic example is lactose intolerance, which causes abdominal distension, stomach pain, gas, diarrhea in patients…. Although “you don't die” from intolerance, it can significantly worsen the quality of life of those who suffer from it.

Some people feel similar symptoms for reasons that have nothing to do with a food intolerance and this encourages them to try these tests in search of an answer.

What do these food intolerance tests measure?

In these intolerance or sensitivity tests, serum IgG antibodies are determined against proteins from different foods in the diet.. The problem is that IgG tests lack specificity for food intolerance and do not measure any clinically valid markers..

This test has never been scientifically proven to be able to achieve what it promises. In fact, it is believed that the presence of IgG is probably a normal immune system response to food exposure.

What are the problems that the use of these tests can cause?

These tests have a high enough price to be considered “good” but without ceasing to be relatively affordable (although the “slash” they hit you goes by neighborhoods). Therefore, the patient asks himself, what can I lose? (apart from money, of course). The reality is that trusting the results of these tests can lead us to establish an erroneous diagnosis and modify lifestyle and diet without having a justification for it..

For example, if there is no reason to eliminate gluten or dairy, the fact of eliminating them from the diet in an uncontrolled way can cause nutritional deficit.

The next twist is that there are those who confuse speed with bacon and stop consuming the foods that they have been told to suppress the test because they think they “make them fat”.. Stop eating lettuce or tomato because “tomatoes make me fat” can not only lead to nutritional deficiencies but to more important behavioral disorders.

Why are they still selling if they are not effective?

Because we are willing to look for ways to feel better… but we like shortcuts. Because the human being still wants to believe in magic. And because, above all else, we need systems and laws that protect us from the legal loopholes that some find in order to put misleading tests on the market.

Few know that from here, from a production plant in San Sebastián de los Reyes, medicines for the treatment of hemophilia A and B are distributed to more than 70 countries, which means covering more than 17,000 patients from all over the world. world. This plant belongs to Pfizer, to its Spanish subsidiary. Carlos Murillo, its president since the beginning of the year, is proud of it and values it. “It's not just a factory, but a place where the latest, cutting-edge technology is,” he says of a facility where more than $100 million has been invested.

For Murillo, who sits down with EL MUNDO to explain the plans of the US laboratory in Spain, its meaning is clear: “It is a sign of Pfizer's commitment to Spain, a very important country for the company”. And he assures that this treatment is only the first of many that are yet to come to be manufactured here.. “This is a country with clinical research potential. Currently, we have this infrastructure for the hemophilia area, but we are also starting to bring, for example, gene therapy. From here it will be distributed to the rest of Europe. This creates a greater opportunity for the country's development potential.”

This is in line with the ideas of Europe, and Spain, of being able to attract the production of medicines to the soil of the old continent, to be independent of third countries such as India and China, and to be able to increase the presence of a strong industry, which, in addition, offers highly qualified work.

Carlos Murillo has just landed in our country. He has been with the company for 17 years, but on the other side of the Atlantic. His last position, before crossing the pond, was the regional presidency of Latin America, since October 2020, and which he assumed after having led Pfizer Brazil as country manager, a role he also held at Pfizer Chile.

You did not study anything related to Medicine or Science, but your entire executive career has been spent in this area. Why? I'm not a scientist [laughs]. But I share the purpose of making great strides that improve people's lives.. I do not have the capacity, nor that scientific mind to cure people. But somehow I am part of an organization that has people of an impressive level committed to these objectives.. He is part of a company that for ordinary mortals manufactures the famous blue pill, Viagra, and developed one of the Covid vaccines in record time. How do you explain what Pfizer is beyond the topics? yes we are more. [He smiles again, although he immediately turns serious when talking about the impact of the pandemic]. Indeed, what has happened with the pandemic highlighted the importance of health in society. Something we all took a little for granted. We only remember her when one is facing an illness or something happens to a relative. And collectively the issue is also given as a fact, but it was made clear that in the end there is nothing without health. That is why research is important, investment in the development of Science. Without all that homework done, wouldn't you have gotten the vaccine in eight months? No. The work of all that research that was being done allowed a solution to be obtained in absolutely record time, as was our vaccine. But it also happened with the others. Without them, we would probably still be living through such a difficult period today, or the impact would have been much worse. And here it could have happened like the Spanish flu epidemic of 1915-16, with the millions of people who died. Now we are out of that in almost two years. This highlights the value of science, of investment. Here Pfizer was able to be very present, showing its commitment to research. What are your plans once the pandemic is over? We have more than 100 potential candidates in different stages of research in different therapeutic areas. They are great innovations. We have learned a lot from these years ago. If you had to choose something from the company's current pipeline with the potential to mark a turning point, what would it be? Gene therapy. It is already a reality. We are expecting the launch of different products in the coming years. That is a clear example of the advancement of science. How has it been achieved? Thanks to the decoding of the human genome, identifying specific genes that trigger the disease or that, if you manage to control them, will cure the disease. This shows us a world very different from the one that existed before. It is one more step to control the symptoms, we could even reach the level of anticipating the development of a disease. It is fascinating to think how far science has come in this regard.. An example of this? The most recent: messenger RNA technology, used in vaccines. Great possibilities for the future are being prepared here. But the problem with all these advances is that you have to pay for them. The cost for health systems is high. Are we prepared for it? Indeed, all this innovation, which is a great investment, has to show the real value for society. Many times the data shows it and we get them to reach the patients. But you have to do an exercise that requires you to see new ways to measure the value of many of these innovations. How do you measure the value of a life through the impact of a drug? We have to be able to adapt to respond to this. Also generating these solutions collectively in an environment where the value of innovation is recognized.. With ways to measure that value over time. But it is not only a challenge for the industry, for my company, for Pfizer, but also for health systems and their governments.. We have to be able to create a new way of looking at the health system to the needs of today's society and its diseases.

The price of vaccines against Covid generated a great debate. Murillo knows it well. While in Europe the relationship between the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the global CEO of Pfizer, Albert Bourla, was questioned and the contracts of AstraZeneca and the American company were made public, Murillo rendered accounts in Brazil. He had to go to the Senate to explain the contracts that were assumed during his administration in the carioca country.

The vaccines arrived quickly, but along with them the debates and controversies about the transparency of contracts here in Europe and in Latin America. How should transparency exercises be in this type of process in which many factors intervene? Transparency is indeed important. Companies, society and governments have to continue making progress in this. We also have to understand that in the area of medicines certain conditions allow greater accessibility. It is necessary to consider the different economic realities of the countries. I come from a very different part of the world than Europe. And as a company, we have gone to great lengths to make our medicines accessible to patients in these countries.. In these cases, is the confidentiality of the contracts justified? All these processes are based on the principle of confidentiality, the price adjustment to the country in which it is sold allows conditions that make them accessible. If this principle of confidentiality does not exist, those mechanisms fail and we really begin to limit more and more the possibility of making the medicine accessible to economies with fewer resources.. Because, in reality, the medicine would only be accessible to people with more resources or more advanced economies. This is important, companies really keep them because there is a fundamental reason that adjusts accessibility to each economy.. If we published the net prices of the medicines, I assure you that many products that are destined for countries like the one where I come from would not reach those patients. What problems would arise? The wholesalers or distributors would take those products there and bring them to Europe or other parts. But, we must also maintain transparency processes and also understand the need for the confidentiality of the agreements. Trade agreements are also very important to create mechanisms to facilitate access. Understanding that there are too large differences between the economies of countries, even within the same countries

In Murillo's conversation, in addition to the twists in the language that he tries to correct due to his Bolivian nationality, an awareness of these inequalities in access to health systems, among others, is perceived. One of the reasons that, together with the professional challenge, led to his transfer to Spain.

«I admire, for example, the Spanish health system; how egalitarian it is,” he insists.. “Here everyone has access to innovation, to new medicines in an equitable way. As a society it has a very important value that you who have always been inside do not perceive it.

In an interview for the Mexican edition of Forbes, he said that “the pharmaceutical industry has changed and will continue to change” and that “one of the main lessons learned was the need for collaboration between companies,” such as with its strategic partner BioNTech and later with alliances in production of the vaccine by other laboratories. Is it a positive lesson from the pandemic? As an industry, as a company, we were already on this path. Our relationship with BioNTech was previous. It had already begun to be observed that all innovation cannot be carried out inside the home. Much of it is outside the companies, but it can be complemented very well with our work and that is indeed what happened with the Covid vaccine.. We showed that the technology that was going to be developed for a flu vaccine was useful against Covid. And BioNTech arrives with its technology as a biotechnology company and together with Pfizer they put everything into motion. We put all the experience in testing, manufacturing and distribution. In addition to the alliances, it is necessary to take into account all the previous basic research that is needed. How is the failed bet measured? Basic research is always necessary because it is the basis of everything. We say that it is an industry in which there are many risks. What reaches the patient is the tip of the iceberg. What is not seen is that infinity of molecules, of compounds, of previous analyzes that are carried out only to reach potential candidates.. Investment in basic research is essential; as a company we do it, we have to keep doing it. But we also have to start making more external collaborations, because a lot can also come from there, such as new developments, new technologies.. This is critical to continue to have positive incentives to generate new research.. We achieved a vaccine in eight months than by the accumulation of knowledge of years ago. And artificial intelligence. What role does it play in your sector? The changes that they can bring can be so profound and have so many edges that it is difficult to define it.. Within the same research, simulation models have already been used a lot for the more efficient development of potential candidates for better treatments.. To a large extent it has to do with the reduction of time in data filtering and analytical capacity. But it is not as easy as some believe: we are not going to put ourselves in the hands of the AI to ask it “hey, discover me the medicine to cure this”. In Medicine, do we still need the human factor? Without a doubt. There are a lot of scientists dedicated to having such rigorous processes in place to make sure that what comes out is really good for patients. Rigor in quality and process safety.CieCi