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The art of reception.

In response to the growing problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the safety risks and unnecessary treatment costs posed by these "superbugs," the Coalition for Affordable Quality Healthcare, a group of 24 health plans and insurers, has joined with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to initiate a broad-based campaign to preserve the strength of existing antibiotic treatments. The Save Antibiotic Strength campaign aims to decrease overuse and misuse of antibiotics by reducing the number of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions and by promoting the use of first-line antibiotics.

A new study published in the journal Health Affairs (vol. 20, no. 3) warns that the nursing profession seriously lags when it comes to reflecting some racial and ethnic populations. A University of California review of registered nursing trends shows that gaps in educational attainment account for much of the nursing profession's lack of diversity, gaps that need to be addressed. The authors examined nursing and general educational attainment in California and reviewed 1996 demographic data from the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, evaluated the educational level attained by Californians according to racial and ethnic group, and examined degrees awarded to college students in the state.

FDA district offices may conduct site investigations to establish baseline information for sampling programs and tracking systems.

The world's steadily growing oncology market features key elements that are common to all competitors in the category: a highly respected sales forces, sophisticated and deeply involved patients and caregivers, clinically entrepreneurial physicians, and a dynamic global regulatory environment. Yet the uncharted territory of cancer breakthroughs demands that pharma marketers temper a strategy of progressive risk with caution.

Driven by the quest for innovation, the intensity of competition, and the pressure to create megabrands and megamergers, pharmaceutical executives are exploring an influential force still untapped by most marketing and communication departments-the power of emotion.

MMRF is run more like a Fortune 500 company than a foundation. It is defined by a mission, short- and long-term goals, a business plan for growth, a board of directors, and a scientific advisory board. The mix works. Under Giusti's stewardship, MMRF has exceeded fundraising expectations while remaining a model of efficiency-less than 5 percent of capital raised has been spent on administrative costs.

Cancer makes neurology seem almost simple by comparison. Cancers come in a nearly infinite variety. Yet their mechanisms, scientists now surmise, may reside in the same place-deep inside the cell. DNA, genes, and cellular proteins play key roles in both disease areas.

Hosbjor, Norway-Away from the media glare in South Africa, a three-day workshop sponsored by the World Health and World Trade organizations sought to improve access to life-saving medicines in developing countries. Also backed by the Norwegian Foreign Ministry and the Global Health Council, the workshop brought together 80 experts from 23 countries and highlighted the use of differential pricing as a means of improving access.

Driven by the quest for innovation, the intensity of competition, and the pressure to create megabrands and megamergers, pharmaceutical executives are exploring an influential force still untapped by most marketing and communication departments-the power of emotion.

Washington, DC-An FDA advisory committee voted overwhelmingly to recommend that Claritin (loratadine), Allegra (fexofenadine), and Zyrtec (cetirizine) be changed from prescription to over-the-counter products. Although the vote is not binding, FDA usually follows such panels’ recommendations.

The founder of five biotech companies rarely pauses, even to rest. "I can do a lot of work when the rest of my family is sleeping," he reports. "Early in the morning or late at night, there are no phones, so I needn't divert my attention." His affable tone seems contrary to the relentless drive needed to support a lifelong pursuit of excellence, but his achievements speak for themselves.

The founder of five biotech companies rarely pauses, even to rest. "I can do a lot of work when the rest of my family is sleeping," he reports. "Early in the morning or late at night, there are no phones, so I needn't divert my attention." His affable tone seems contrary to the relentless drive needed to support a lifelong pursuit of excellence, but his achievements speak for themselves.

Berlin, Germany-Putting the US market at the heart of its bid to maintain double-digit growth, last month Schering began to relocate its therapeutics headquarters to an existing facility in Montville, New Jersey.

Schering’s commitment to biotechnology in the early 1990s was a landmark decision for the company, says Dr. Guiseppe Vita, who is stepping down as chairman of the Berlin-based company. The result of that commitment was Betaferon (interferon beta-Ib), one of the first biotech products on the market in Germany. It is now Schering’s biggest product and one of the top ten best selling biotech therapies in the world.

Buckinghamshire, UK-The pharma industry may be countercyclical, but it’s not immune to market trends. Nycomed Amersham recently postponed a partial US stock flotation of its life sciences company, ABBiotech, because of market weakness.

I intended to write an entirely different column this month. Something like, What the Bush administration has done for you-the pharmaceutical industry-lately. Such as making it harder to do stem-cell research and pursuing an investigation into antigeneric activities. But something else happened. My father died. Now I have no room left in my mind or heart for other matters.

Widely prescribed pain killers that provide relief with minimal side effects may have more pain-relieving properties than previously identified. A new study funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke shows that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs not only relieve pain at the local site of inflammation, but in fact affect the entire central nervous system.

This information will help prepare you to secure your perfect job.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse and several national organizations have announced a public health initiative to raise awareness about recent trends in the misuse and abuse of prescription drugs in the United States.

The Society of Pharmaceutical and Biotech Trainers is the key organization to help representatives and managers interested in such a career path.

Can George W. Bush, Tommy Thompson and Congress agree on how to move forward?

The language of sales is not so much about what is said, but rather what the customer hears and believes.

To excel as a competitor, you must be hungry - hungry for success, for results, hungry simply to become the best at what you do.

Sen. Jim Jeffords (R-VT) has introduced the Relief, Equity, Access and Coverage for Health Act, a bill that would provide refundable tax credits and other measures designed to reduce the number of uninsured and make health insurance more affordable for millions of low- and moderate-income working Americans.

How managers can win the battle of sales forc turnover.

While hospitals and physicians are using new-found bargaining clout to win payment increases from health plans, increased consumer demand fueled by the managed care backlash is hampering health plans' cost-control efforts, according to initial findings from the Washington-based Center for Studying Health System Change's latest round of community site visits.

Pharmaceutical meetings and events continue to grow as integral elements in overall promotion of prescription drugs, according to Newtown, PA-based Scott-Levin's "Physician Meeting & Event Audit," a survey of more than 3,400 doctors. The survey found that pharmaceutical companies spent $1.9 billion on events for physicians in 2000, 14% more than in 1999.

Pharmaceutical researchers are developing 402 new weapons to target cancer, many of which will be alternatives to standard radiation and chemotherapy treatments that are frequently destructive to healthy tissue as well as cancerous cells, according to a new survey by the Washington-based Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

The Philadelphia-based American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine has released new guidelines that state that antibiotics are not needed for most respiratory tract infections. According to these guidelines, for most healthy adults, the best treatments for bronchitis, sinusitis, sore throat and non-specific upper respiratory tract infections are over-the-counter cold remedies and saltwater gargles to relieve symptoms.