GLG News in Healthcare

Salmonella typhimurium, as well as several other less studied bacterial species, has a remarkable ability to localize to tumors in vivo and exert anti-tumor effects.   Importantly, because the bacteria seem to localize to hypoxic microdomains (the most radiation resistant parts of the tumor), they may be engineered to target the most treatment-resistant parts of cancer.   ...

10% increase in medical spending when the overall cost of living is 1/2 of medical costs and we are happy??

Finally, a recommendation that an available test and treatment NOT be used, under circumstances where there is little to be gained and much to be lost.

Just like expensive, do-everything end-of-life care, like unlimited imaging studies, like newest drugs, patients want it all. This is one of the attitudes which causes the US to spend far more than other developed countries for far less efficient and cost-effective health care.

Shorten the Approval process Increase the market exclusivity Implement New Technology

Posthoc analyses are notorious for turning up observations that cannot be confirmed when formally tested Clinicians should base their treatment choices on facts not supposition In the unlikely case that Byetta does turn out to confer a survival advantage it is likely that oral DP4 inhibitors like Januvia will have the same benefits Hence this doesnt take away the problem that Byetta is injectable...

1. The efficacy is not not know about life exdending ( may be the results are coming from heakthy person), so it is not clear. 2. Patient taking injection 2 times is not feasible for long run basis. 3. It  is not monotherapy.

Given the increased awareness for toxicities related to SSRIs, this article is quite important.

Pfizer’s Sutent, Wyeth’s Torisel, Bayer’s Nexavar and Avastin, sold by Roche and Genentech have been deemed too expensive to be paid for by UK agencies

Insured patients believe they should have access to any and all treatments regardless of cost.As limited resources must be shared, some will be unhappy with the allowances.These drugs could command as much as 0.3% of the NHS budget.