Anti-vaxxers continue to invent new harms caused by vaccines and spread these claims on social media. Some of these claims catch on even with no evidence because the Internet is largely unregulated.
Month: January 2023
Healthcare in the U.S. is costing us all more. Americans can’t afford to get sick from the increases in employee health insurance to the 1000 drugs that raised their prices. . Four in ten Americans report difficulty paying for medical care, and about half carry medical debt.
I’m not sure where to start. Yesterday I read a post on LinkedIn from someone who retired from our industry and is fighting MLS. She’s fighting with Medicare Advantage over treatment which will cost her $9,300 out-of-pocket. She asks, “why develop new treatments and make them only accessible to commercially insured patients?” She says, “as a past Pharma exec, we say a lot about putting the patient at the center of all we do and being patient-focused. But, I can tell you – sitting on the other side, being a patient with ALS – and constantly fighting for care – patients are not the most important priority. Sad to realize this.”
Months into the weight-loss-drug bonanza, various medical, cultural, and political challenges have materialized. Doctors are reporting rampant use of these new weight-loss drugs among the rich. To make matters worse, as use expands, more people report unwanted side effects.
When TODAY.com asked doctors about Wegovy’s long-term use, some said they were comfortable prescribing Wegovy knowing a patient might take it for years, while others had major concerns. There are no long-term studies on Wegovy, and patients should be prepared to take Wegovy for years since there isn’t an antibiotic for weight”.
People are living longer despite the downturn because of COVID but has anyone asked if they want to live longer? Unless you stay in shape, getting older can be a challenge because of physical and financial problems. We must evaluate whether patients want to live longer with limitations or let nature take its course.
Sales continue to soar for all the weight loss drugs in 2023. Earlier this month, Novo Nordisk told the CBS news program 60 Minutes that the company can finally supply all dose levels of Wegovy. Social media and celebrities drive demand for a drug whose side effects are not yet completely known and cost over $1000 a month.
What happened to journalists that actually think? The latest is “fewer than one-third of the most common drugs featured in direct-to-consumer television advertising were rated as having high therapeutic value.” Really? Did they ever think patients have a choice about what’s considered “therapeutic value”?