Category Archives: in the news

Dear pharma: I’m sorry but I don’t trust you anymore

Posted on May 9, 2012 | 12 Comments

Abbott Laboratories has pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $1.6 billion to resolve its criminal and civil liability arising from the company’s unlawful promotion of the prescription drug Depakote, the U.S. Justice Department said Monday.  In the meantime here in California lawyers have been running commercials for a class action lawsuit against the makers of Pradaxa at the same time Pradaxa is running DTC ads.   Are pharma marketers deaf, dumb and blind ? Continue reading →

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Surgery to reverse Type 2 diabetes ?

Posted on March 28, 2012 | Leave a comment

New research gives clear proof that weight-loss surgery can reverse and possibly cure diabetes but what are the implications of offering surgery as a “fix” rather than working with patients to change their lifestyle and eating habits ? Continue reading →

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Patients caught in the middle of debate around statins

Posted on March 5, 2012 | 3 Comments

“We’re overdosing on cholesterol-lowering statins according to Eric Topol, a well-known cardiologist and professor of genomics at Scripps Research Institute. He has broken ranks with many other heart doctors with a New York Times Op-Ed in which he writes, “and the consequence of overprescribing statins could be a sharp increase in the incidence of Type 2 diabetes.”  Caught in the middle of all this are patients who don’t know where to turn. Continue reading →

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Is Novo breathing a sigh of relief with Paula Dean ?

Posted on March 1, 2012 | Leave a comment

Paula Dean has dropped two pants sizes as she is embracing a “healthier” life style to help manage her Type 2 diabetes.  Surely is has to be welcome news to Novo who signed her as their spokesperson and NOW this sends out a great message but she still needs to communicate to people that her unhealthy recipes were probably a large reason why she got diabetes in the first place. Continue reading →

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Bad journalism paints unfair picture of pharma industry

Posted on February 2, 2012 | 10 Comments

Over the years I have pointed out the mistakes that most pharma companies have made and believe that there is no excuse for illegal marketing of pharmaceutical drugs.  However I also understand that the pharma industry is a  business and they have a right to make money.  Paul Blumnenthal’s piece, however, in the Huffington Post is shortsighted and inaccurate at best. Continue reading →

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Another indication for antidepressants ?

Posted on January 26, 2012 | Leave a comment

Psychiatrists are debating whether or not to change the definition of depression in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.  With 1 in 10 Americans currently on some type of antidepressant medication one has to wonder if this change would lead to another indication for Rx medications and expand the 11 billion market. Continue reading →

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Complacency of pharma marketing claims another victim

Posted on January 12, 2012 | 1 Comment

The pharma community is very well connected including Bloggers like Ed Silverman, John Mack and myself.   I try and read most of these Blogs because I am passionate and love healthcare marketing so it was with great sadness that I learned yesterday that Jonathan Richman, author of Dose of Digital is leaving the industry for better things.   We are loosing a valuable voice of change because of complacency. Continue reading →

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Over use of anti-depressants ?

Posted on October 5, 2011 | 4 Comments

According to AMED News:  When patients visit their physicians for common health issues such as fatigue, headaches and premenstrual problems, they increasingly are getting a prescription for the same type of medication.  An antidepressant. Continue reading →

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Posted in Focus on patients, in the news

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Novartis asks for your help

Posted on September 27, 2011 | 1 Comment

For the 1 in 3 Americans who suffer with high blood pressure, taking an active role in managing their own health could mean healthier, longer lives.  Create a game-changing way for patients to better manage their cardiovascular health.  Create an interactive solution which enables patients to better manage their cardiovascular health through a customizable, user-friendly interface. The solution should be holistic and help organize and provide easy access to personalized health information, relevant public data, and aggregated content (ie education, treatment, diet, exercise and social network).  The goal is to empower patients to easily and effectively manage their cardiovascular health. Continue reading →

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Friday healthcare news summary

Posted on September 23, 2011 | 1 Comment

New technologies are flooding into the healthcare world, but the industry is not adequately prepared to protect patients from data breaches, according to a report published on Thursday. A vast majority of hospitals, doctors, pharmacies and insurers are eager to adapt to increasingly digital patient data. However, less than half are addressing implications for privacy and security, a survey of healthcare industry executives by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP found Continue reading →

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2010 Clinical trials by therapy class

Posted on September 8, 2011 | 1 Comment

Clinical Trial participation by the GPs and Specialists in CSD’s US promotional audit has increased by 10 to 15% over the last 2 years. Cegedim now project total US trial participation by office-based doctors to include about 40,000 community physicians in any given month (including post-marketing studies). Continue reading →

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