By Mary Gabb ([email protected]) January 1, 2009 – typically a day of new beginnings – marked the beginning of the end of SWAG (stuff we all get, or freebies) for doctors from pharmaceutical companies in the United States . This change was the result of new voluntary industry guidelines published by the industry group, Pharmaceutical…
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By David Woods ([email protected]) The European Union is moving to strengthen rights of EU patients to seek care in countries other than their own, while the UK government has stated that the National Health Service definitely won’t fund medical tourism. At the same time, India , Thailand , Korea and Thailand are all ramping up…
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With President-elect Obama’s proposed plan to reform the US healthcare system, this will be the closest the US has gotten to universal health coverage. We provide a snapshot of the Obama healthcare plan and highlight some of the criticisms it has received from health economists.
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By David Woods ([email protected]) With healthcare in the US consuming about 16% of GNP, or around 2 trillion dollars a year, and still leaving an estimated 47 million people uninsured, is it time for Americans to adopt a universal, government-run health system? Dr Walter Tsou (pictured right) certainly thinks so. A tireless advocate for such…
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By Mary Gabb ([email protected]) The UK ‘s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has recently ruled that four drugs used to treat advanced kidney cancer are not effective enough to warrant their coverage by the National Health Service (NHS). NICE estimated that the drugs cost between £71,500 and £171,300 per QALY, far exceeding…
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By Ruth Whittington ([email protected]) Rx Communications has just returned triumphant from the 11th annual European Congress of ISPOR. ISPOR is a great place to meet old friends, find new ones, and discuss current issues with competitors, clients and collaborators. This year’s venue (Athens) provided an interesting reminder of how far we have moved in some…
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By Julie Stauffer ([email protected]) Pharmaceutical companies produce hundreds of life-saving drugs every year. Yet each year, millions of people in developing countries die from preventable and treatable illnesses – diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis – because they can’t afford to buy the drugs they need. In an era when businesses are scrambling to…
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By Robert Hand ([email protected]) Under the title “Setting the Pace,” the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) held its 68th Annual Conference on October 23–25 in horse country, Louisville , Kentucky . More than 1000 medical communicators with a wide range of expertise and interests attended. This year, AMWA offered a full programme of 97 certificate…
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By David Woods ([email protected]) Drug company Eli Lilly has said that it will start disclosing the amounts of money over $500 that it pays to physicians – and other firms are likely to follow suit one jump ahead of a US Congress that is planning to mandate such transparency. Research has shown that payments to…
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By Mary Gabb ([email protected] ) Since 1996, DTCA has existed only in the USA and New Zealand , but recent declarations from the European Commission (EC) suggest that the rules governing pharma communication with patients may be loosened. In October, both the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and the Financial Times (FT) reported intriguing recommendations from…
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