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Basel, Switzerland -Novartis plans to provide its malaria drug, Coartem (artemether/lumefantrin), at cost to developing countries in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO). The effort is only the latest in a series of moves intended to increase access to essential medicines after Big Pharma’s South Africa debacle.

Basel, Switzerland—Roche, which recently slashed its work force by 3,000, maintains that it will remain independent even after the sale of 20 percent of the company to Novartis. Franz Humer, the troubled company’s chairman, says the founding family supports Roche’s strategy.

The digital revolution is knocking at the doors of the clinical research industry, and CROs are increasingly, if reluctantly, letting it in. Although the biotech industry revels in the promise of wireless solutions, Internet applications, and genomic discoveries, CROs have largely shunned opportunities for technological improvements and remain insulated from such advances in other health sectors.

European Union-The European Commission’s ban on GlaxoSmith–Kline’s dual pricing policy in Spain halts one of Big Pharma’s attempts to prevent parallel imports in Europe.

Is the pharmaceutical industry surrounded by its critics? Can the industry be liberated from the moral bind others want to impose on it? Those are questions I asked and attempted to answer in two recent editorials (PE April and June 2001). Actually, the simple answer was yes to both. But other answers prove more complex.

Epsom, Surrey, United Kingdom—Pharmaceutical companies struggle to be taken seriously when they talk of facing pressures. A quick look at the bottom line often suggests they are overstating their worries. But new evidence shows they are being squeezed by generic competition and falling R&D output.

Given the colossal revenue generated by just one blockbuster drug, it's no surprise that R&D always finds its way to the top of management's agenda. But now more than ever, pharmaceutical companies can't thrive on discovery alone. Price pressure from the public and private sectors drives companies to create savings through operational efficiencies. One of the biggest areas for financial gain"better management of capital assets"is often overlooked.

The perception of the Internet as a useful resource has steadily increased among physicians since 1997, according to a study released by the Chicago-based American Medical Association.

Physicians tell what it takes to open their doors.

A study sponsored by Cyberonics Inc., Houston, TX, shows that patients with treatment-resistant depression are very costly to the healthcare system due to extremely high use of both depression-related and general medical services. The study analyzed medical and prescription claims data from the 1995-1998 MEDSTAT MarketScan® Databases to evaluate healthcare utilization and costs of patients with treatment-resistant depression.

A new report released by the Washington-based National Institute for Health Care Management reveals that spending on retail outpatient prescription drugs rose 18.8% from 1999 to 2000, from $111.1 billion to $131.9 billion. The report attributes the bulk of this growth to "increased expenditures among a relatively small number of drugs and therapeutic categories of drugs." The report also noted an increase in the number of prescriptions overall and a shift toward the use of costlier drugs.

The Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act is working just as Congress intended for the benefit of patients, according to Tim Franson of Indianapolis-based Lilly Research Laboratories, who testified in front of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health on behalf of the Washington-based Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

Information consumers find on Web sites is generally accurate, but usually incomplete and hard for many readers to understand, according to a report featured in the Journal of the American Medical Association (vol. 285, no. 20).

Study authors Asbjorn Hrobjartsson and Peter C. Gotzsche looked at 114 clinical trials - covering 7,500 patients with 40 different clinical conditions - in which patients were randomly assigned to placebo or no treatment. For the purposes of the study, the placebo could be "pharmacologic (e.g., a tablet), physical (e.g., a manipulation) or psychological (e.g., a conversation)." The authors found that "as compared with no treatment, placebo had no significant effect on binary outcomes, regardless of whether these outcomes were subjective or objective."

A recent survey commissioned by Atlanta-based Consortium Health Plans, which comprises 14 member Blue Cross Blue Shield plans operating in 26 states and the District of Columbia, found that health benefits play an increasingly important role in Americans' employment choices and job retention. Furthermore, for the first time, almost two-thirds of employees surveyed said they were willing to pay extra for key services, including continued access to prescription drugs. Employees are deeply committed to passage of The Patients' Bill of Rights, to the point of being willing to pay extra for it. Employees indicated that government involvement in healthcare reform is very important; however, they are split on whether the new administration will be successful in bringing about reform.

When presented with a list of products and services and asked what they would most like to find in the pharmacy of the future, 30% of respondents chose an on-site nurse practitioner, according to the AmeriSource Index, a survey of 1,034 consumers nationwide released by AmeriSource Health Corp., Valley Forge, PA. When asked what their second choice was, nutrition counseling and a nurse practitioner tied at 15%. A specialist on different diseases came in next at 14%. Other top contenders for second place were kiosks with medical or diagnostic information, at 12%, and weight loss counseling, at 8%.

The National Cholesterol Education Program has issued new clinical practice guidelines on the prevention and management of high cholesterol in adults. The guidelines are the first major update from the NCEP in nearly a decade.

The First Circuit Court of Appeals has overturned a lower court ruling and will allow the Maine Rx program to proceed.

The key to success is to become a value-added resource, a rep that delivers tangible benefits to physicians.

Sens. Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and John McCain (R-AZ) have introduced the Greater Access to Affordable Pharmaceuticals Act, bipartisan legislation to improve access to generic drugs.

Kerri Botsonis likes to help people, and she likes to stay busy. Since joining Milwaukee, WI-based Schwarz Pharma Inc.'s sales team two and a half years ago, she has been national Rep of the Year twice. Before that, she worked to put herself through school, then spent five years as a stay-at-home mom. During that time, in addition to caring for her family, she was involved with the Bridge – Children's Advocacy Center, which provides services for abused children, the March of Dimes, the American Diabetes Association Amarillo Chapter and the PTA, among others. Said Botsonis, "You always try to help, but there's only so much financial assistance you can give. So volunteering your time is a way to give back to the community and say thank you."

Roundtable discussions can be some of the most valuable opportunities for learning and team building.

Three steps to career success.

Information consumers find on Web sites is generally accurate, but usually incomplete and hard for many readers to understand, according to a report featured in the Journal of the American Medical Association (vol. 285, no. 20).

Forming a physician meeting group.

Whether you are a new or tenured pharmaceutical sales representative, missing-in-action doctors can put a cork in your flow of cash, bonuses and commission.

Aside from helping the prospects and customers succeed at what they do or want to do, salespeople are most interested in one specific behavior change: compliance to a request. In generating a positive response, six basic tendencies of human behavior take the stage: reciprocation, consistency, social validation, liking, authority and scarcity. The more of the six following persuasion influencers a salesperson uses in his or her presentation and selling approach, the greater his or her chances of closing the sale:

New drugs, the increasing use of drug therapies and the emergence of consumer healthcare education have profoundly affected healthcare delivery, according to "Managed Care Trends 2000," a 15-year study of healthcare industry benchmarks sponsored by Aventis Pharmaceuticals Inc., Bridgewater, NJ.

The Nonprescription Drugs and Pulmonary and Allergy Drugs Advisory Committees of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have voted that the agency switch the allergy drugs Claritin® (loratadine), Allegra® (fexofenadine HCl) and Zyrtec® (cetirizine HCl) from prescription to over-the-counter status. The panel convened in response to a petition filed by Blue Cross of California, a subsidiary of Thousand Oaks, CA-based WellPoint Health Networks, requesting the switch.

Making the most of less than two minutes.