Posts Tagged ‘Pharma’
The Devil Effect and Patients with Pain
The belief that Big Pharma is inherently bad makes it difficult to appreciate the good things (such as vaccines and cures for diseases) that come from Pharma and separate them from the bad things (such as the negative consequences of some drugs and apparent greed).
Read MoreWhy Does It Take So Long to Find a Cure for COVID-19?
Currently, there is no cure or vaccine proven to be effective against COVID-19. There simply hasn’t been enough time to conduct the required research. However, as the above figure illustrates, there is a gallant worldwide effort to find effective treatments and vaccines.
Read MoreCan Francis Collins Help Solve the Opioid Crisis?
The problem of opioid addiction is more complex than lawmakers, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the media would have us believe. Pressuring doctors who treat pain patients to prescribe fewer opioids may reduce the amount of opioids prescribed. While that doesn’t decrease the need for opioids, it may drive people who need…
Read MoreResponse to Stat News Article
Open Letter to Stat News In Stat News, David Armstrong’s article on March 24, “TV documentary on pain treatment funded by doctor with industry ties,” misrepresented the purpose of the film, “The Painful Truth“; ignored several of my detailed answers to his questions; and unfairly criticized my professional associations. Armstrong suggested that the TV documentary…
Read MoreBecause of Pharma, We Take Aspirin for Headaches Instead of Chewing Bark
A July 8, 2016 Baltimore Sun article was titled, “Painkiller panel drops experts linked to pharma industry.” This story described how Dr. Mary Lynn McPherson, who teaches in the School of Pharmacy and specializes in hospice and end-of-life care, was removed from an FDA medical advisory panel. Three other doctors were similarly dismissed from the…
Read MoreSolving the Opioid Crisis Won’t Be “Cheap, Quick, or Easy”
“Last Week Tonight” is a late-night television show that satirizes the news. Therefore, you probably wouldn’t expect the show’s host, John Oliver, to make the news. Yet he did (see Rolling Stone, Time, Newsweek, Slate, and more) when he did a segment about the opioid crisis. Using Humor to Discuss the Opioid Crisis Oliver tackled…
Read MorePreparing for an FDA Advisory Committee Meeting: What You Need to Know
Mark Twain is quoted as saying: “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.” What Is an FDA ADCOM? Pharma and device companies seeking approval for their products are often required to present their data to an FDA advisory committee meeting (ADCOM). They have a limited time in which to tell…
Read MoreThis is the Reason Harvard Business Review Got Opioids Wrong
When a publication of Harvard Business Review’s caliber prints something, it stands as fact unless an authoritative voice corrects it. Therefore, I feel obligated to comment on Christopher Bowe’s recent HBR article, “Fixing Pharma’s Incentives Problem in the Wake of the U.S. Opioid Crisis.” I’m disappointed in (although hardly surprised by) the misleading content of…
Read MoreWhen to Say No
An article called “7 Words That Could Have Biotech and Big Pharma Very Worried,” written by Sean Williams and recently posted on The Motley Fool, tells both sides of the story. Pressure on price for pharmaceuticals is a real concern. Affordability is important. A drug can only work if patients can afford to pay for…
Read MoreShame on an Intolerant Firefighter
I was flabbergasted to read the comment made on Facebook by the firefighter in Weymouth, Massachuestts who said “we should just let heroin addicts die from overdose rather than give them the rescue antidote, naloxone.” This would be like saying the obese diabetic should not be treated because they ate too much, or the disease…
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