I admire President Biden for trying for a cancer cure moonshot, but unfortunately, cancer is not just one disease; it’s many with a range of different causes, physiologies, and treatments. What treatment works in one patient may not work in another, but we must keep trying to beat cancer any way we can.
Category Archive: As I See It
Apple’s Health app gets new capabilities with iOS 16. The Health app adds Medications, allowing users to conveniently build and manage a medications list, create schedules and reminders, and track their medications, vitamins, or supplements. Will it matter?
Wall Street wants growth, as do investors, but that may be impossible for pharmaceutical companies. In pharma, growth depends on new products with hefty price tags when over 80% of voters want lower costs for their prescription drugs.
The United States has dramatically higher healthcare prices than other advanced economies. This is the case for surgical procedures, diagnostic tests, prescription drugs, and almost any other type of healthcare service. Administrative healthcare costs are higher as a share of GDP in the United States than in other countries. These administrative (i.e., nonclinical) costs take several forms: claims processing and payment, prior authorization and eligibility determinations, and quality measurement, among others.
The data are stark: the typical American diet is shortening the lives of many Americans. Diet-related deaths outrank deaths from smoking, and about half of U.S. deaths from heart disease – nearly 900 deaths a day – are linked to poor diet, yet politicians around the country are telling voters they will take on “big pharma.” What we have here is failure to communicate.
According to STAT News, “Americans born in 2021 can expect to live for just 76.1 years — the lowest life expectancy has been since 1996, according to a new government analysis published Wednesday. This is the biggest two-year decline — 2.7 years in total — in almost 100 years.” It’s only going to get worse too.
DTC marketers spend a lot of time and money gaining insights into patients and caregivers. That information should be shared with HCPs and insurers to understand better the barriers and opportunities of treating patients.
Research has shown that 74% of all U.S. adults use the Internet, and 61% have looked for health or medical information on the Internet. Additionally, 49% have accessed a website that provides information about a specific medical condition or problem. Many people get health information from the Internet but are left on their own to determine if it’s credible. This is one area where pharma companies can restore trust and excel.