By David Woods ([email protected]) Whether it’s because of a shortage of primary care physicians, impatience at the length of time it takes to see one, or simply increasing costs, the so-called big-box companies are getting more involved in health issues. Steven Burd, CEO of Safeway, told attendees at the World Health Care Congress (WHCC) in…
Details
By John F P Bridges While outcomes for any given treatment differ significantly among patients, national healthcare systems continue to take a top down population perspective in reviewing not only epidemiologic data but to evaluating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of new medicines. This top down approach, coupled with a growing need for cost containment, has…
Details
By Mary Gabb ([email protected]) In a previous issue of HOC , we outlined some of the commonly expressed pros and cons of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA), which is currently allowed only in the United States (US) and New Zealand but under consideration for Europe . On May 5, 2008, three executives, from Pfizer, Schering-Plough/Merck and Company,…
Details
By Julie Stauffer ([email protected]) Pharmaceutical companies depend on data – and lots of it – to develop drugs and measure their effectiveness. And many patients are eager to supply that information if it might mean better treatments or better quality of life. That’s the premise of PatientsLikeMe.com. Launched in 2006, it connects patients to other…
Details
By Ruth Whittington ([email protected]) Many of us in health economics and outcomes research look at Canada as one of the leaders in the field; along with Australia , Canada was one of the first countries to demand evidence of cost-effectiveness as a prerequisite for drug approval. To those of us not intimately acquainted with its…
Details
By Julie Stauffer ([email protected]) Staying on top of new developments can be a daunting task in today’s hyper-connected world. If you’re feeling swamped in a sea of information, make the most of your reading time by zeroing in on these top picks. To compile this list, we’ve drawn on different rankings from researchers around the…
Details
By David Woods ([email protected]) While the Golden Age of the pharmaceutical industry is over, and its reputation similar to that of the tobacco and oil industries, there is hope at hand – according to former Merck CEO Roy Vagelos. In a keynote address to the third annual meeting of the International Society for Medical Publication…
Details
By David Woods ([email protected]) Speaking at the March World Health Care Conference in Washington , DC , Joshua J Ofman, MD, vice president, global coverage and reimbursement for Amgen, said that the value of drug information is poorly understood. Part of the reason for this, he said, is that we’ve traditionally viewed value as being…
Details
By Ruth Whittington ([email protected]) According to Michael Wilks, Chairman of the Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME; an organisation facing the challenges of its current 2 million doctors in 27 countries being expanded by an ever-growing EU), these are two major influences of healthcare provision. The CPME has subcommittees that deal with four areas concerning…
Details
By David Woods ([email protected]) A meeting, according to my dictionary, is an assembly of persons for a specific purpose. Perhaps a more whimsical definition might be that of an anonymous author who said that a meeting is an event where minutes are taken and hours wasted. Why is it, I wonder, that meetings have assumed…
Details