This article is important in that it describes a worrying trend for branded  pharmaceutical companies. As copays for branded products go up and the patients economic status worsens, the use of these drugs will fall. This may be especially true for medications in dermatology, where the perceived need may be less than that for a cardiac drug. The pipelines in dermatology are smaller due to high...

The issues associated with expensive therapeutics are multifaceted and involve personal, professional and societal components. Value related to medical treatment is uniquely assessed by each individual with respect to his/her financial burden, overall lifestyle and quality of life, societal role, and belief structure. Society itself is beset with contrary stakeholders in the insurance, governmental,...

-The new code will limit all gifts and meals to healthcare professionals, thus reducing pharmaceutical representative contact time. -Medical education programs will follow guidelines established by professional education groups -The guidelines do not go far enough for sales representative-healthcare professional interactions

BD GeneOhm's recent CE Mark for its molecular diagnostic test for the rapid diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infection will likely intensify the competition between BD and Cepheid.  Both companies market tests for the $1 billion dollar Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) market.

A new test form AspenBio could revolutionalize the diagnosis of appendicitis.  Over 6 million patients present to Emergency Departments each year with abdominal pain, resulting in approximately 700,000 appendectomies.  Over $5 billion is spent each year in the US on CT scans, the currently available diagnostic method for appendicitis. 

1. This study may not have a big impact on the prescriptions of alendronate in the short term unless this problem is found to be more wide-spread. With the increased incidence of jaw necrosis reported earlier, physicians will carefully weigh the benefits before starting alendronate. 2. The fractures were found to be in patients who had taken alendronate for an average of 6.9 years. Physicians may...

Patients may ask about this.  Haven't heard anyone yet.

Tacrolimus is used either alone or with topical steroids in acute stages while tacrolimus alone is preferred for maintenance so as to reduce the side effects of steroids. Relapses are a rule rather than exception in atopic dermatitis. Use of moisturizing cleansers, emollients and avoidance of irritants like woolen fibres are very important yet flares do occur. The study proposes a regular thrice weekly...

The second national scorecard shows that the U.S. spends more than twice as much on each person as most other industrialized countries.  But it has fallen to last place (out of 19) among major industrialized nations in preventing deaths through the use of timely and effective care, according to a report just released by the Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit research group in New York.

Prescription drugs provide the greatest cost-to-benefit ratio  in health-care.  Decreased prescription drug use likely will lead to increasing severity of health problems.  This may lead to increased sales opportunities for helotage related companies but have serious consequences for tax supported health-care systems.