Monthly Archives: April 2011

Pharma Feels Delayed Effects of Economic Crisis

By Jennifer Ringler | Published: April 20, 2011

A new study from the IMS institute for Healthcare Informatics reveals that the spending increase on prescription medication in 2010 was the second-lowest increase in more than half a century. According to the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics, spending on prescription medications increased 2.3 percent in 2010 — a lower increase than the 5.1 percent [...]

Should Doctors Shoulder Healthcare Costs?

By Jennifer Ringler | Published: April 20, 2011

As the debate over the rising costs of new drug R&D and brand name medications rages on, physicians are increasingly doing their part to minimize collateral damage inflicted upon the patient. A new report from Bain & Company — The new cost-conscious doctor: changing America’s healthcare landscape — reveals that, increasingly, physicians believe that part of [...]

Posted in healthcare | Tagged Bain & Company, doctors, healthcare costs, healthcare reform, physicians, value | Leave a comment

Another Big Run on Pharma's Bank Account

By Ben Comer | Published: April 19, 2011

What exactly did that $80 billion deposit for health reform buy? Lots of industry CEOs traveled to the White House and shook hands with President Obama during the spring and summer of 2009, and while the specifics of those conversations haven’t been made public, the result was industry support of healthcare reform, and a pledge of [...]

Posted in Regulatory, healthcare | Tagged CMS, Health Reform, Medicaid, Medicare, Obama, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, PhRMA | 2 Comments

Lives of Patients Keep Sales Reps off Life Support

By William Looney | Published: April 19, 2011

Pharm Exec’s sister conferencing unit explores the future of the US sales rep, including the implications of GSK’s new value-based compensation model Last week brought a small but dedicated group of sales professionals to a CBI conference in San Diego with a clear mandate: to rate the future of the “detail man” — dead or [...]

Posted in Sales | Tagged e-detailing, GSK, Reps, Sales, value-based compensation | Leave a comment

Inspector General Puts Forest CEO in the Crosshairs

By Ben Comer | Published: April 15, 2011

Forest Laboratories’ CEO Howard Solomon was no doubt surprised to receive a form letter from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) on April 8, which, if acted upon, would exclude him from doing business with federal healthcare plans, including Medicare and Medicaid. Solomon has 30 days to explain to the OIG why he should not be [...]

Posted in Strategy | Tagged Celexa, Forest Laboratories, Howard Solomon, Levothroid, Lexapro, Medicaid, Medicare, Office of Inspector General | Leave a comment