The body is a brilliant machine designed to be strong and resilient. It heals wounds and fends off sickness. It provides T cells, which patrol the body to recognize and destroy abnormalities and invaders. Most of the time, the system self-regulates without us even being aware of its work. But sometimes, the system glitches: Cancer happens.
I’m sorry I’ve become too used to working in the pharma industry, where calendars fill up with unnecessary meetings when an email would do fine. As a consultant, I’m used to having a LOT of meetings to review research findings and actionable insights, but the industry’s culture is one of its most significant weaknesses. This is an edited email I received from someone I met in Cambridge. Amy has an MBA from MIT with a minor in pre-med. It shows an industry in deep trouble.
The American healthcare industry is facing unparalleled challenges. An aging population, physician burnout, and lack of trust in government healthcare agencies are part of a huge problem that can’t be solved with bigger budgets.
TikTok is full of influencers showing off their stunning before-and-after shots and their weight loss after using the new class of weight loss drugs, but too many patients see this as a “quick fix” without the possible downsides.
BIO and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America continue to push their big lie that having the government negotiate prices for medicare will continue to hurt investment even though 83% of the public say they favor allowing the federal government to negotiate with drug companies to lower drug prices on behalf of people enrolled in Medicare. It’s part of PhRMA’s big lie used to buy politicians.
Sometimes things happen that are beyond human decency. When these things happen and it causes others to lose their lives, we must learn to act to punish those responsible and ensure it never happens again. For more than two years, the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis has been investigating the federal government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic to ensure the American people receive a full accounting of what went wrong and to determine what corrective steps are necessary to ensure our nation is better prepared for any future public health crisis.
When it comes to DTC TV ads, most DTC marketers are clueless, illustrated by a product. Tepezza, which defies proven research of reach & frequency, not to mention that the incidence of TED is only 16 per 100,000 women. It’s a colossal waste of money demonstrating how lousy pharma DTC is.
Under current law, national health spending is projected to grow at an average rate of 5.5 percent per year for 2018-27 and to reach nearly $6.0 trillion by 2027. However, given the poor health of Americans, I believe this projected spending is unrealistic.