Author's posts
Incorporating The Patient’s Voice In Value Assessment And Decision-Making Regarding Use Of Medical Technologies
It’s important that health technology assessment entities incorporate patient-centric measures of the benefits conferred by medical technologies, and permit the patient’s voice to be heard more incisively, both as an input for value assessment, and wit…
Political Preoccupation With Prescription Drug Costs May Distract From Larger Problem Of Hospital Costs
The rising costs of prescription drugs regularly feature as news items in the media. At the same time, increasing hospital and medical professional service costs rarely do. Political preoccupation with drug costs may distract from the larger problem of…
Ivermectin, A 40-Year Old Anti-Parasitic Now Embedded In A Covid-19 Culture War
The fact that ivermectin has become a lightning rod embedded in a Covid-19 culture war should surprise no-one. The pandemic has been replete with politicized discussions of non-pharmaceutical interventions, treatments, vaccines, and even the virus itse…
Genomic Diagnostic Tests Face Persistent Pricing And Reimbursement Challenges
Genetic and genomic testing will continue to grow in importance. But, pricing and reimbursement challenges persist and impede uptake. While precision medicine has the capacity to revolutionize clinical practice, payers need to be on board with coverage…
Aduhelm Could Breathe New Life Into Alzheimer’s Diagnostics Such As Amyvid
As CMS pursues a National Coverage Determination for monoclonal antibodies targeting amyloid beta plaque, such as Aduhelm, this could result in a boon for brain scans – such as Amyvid, an amyloid PET imaging scan – that evaluate amyloid beta neuritic p…
Delta Variant Wave’s Trajectory Bodes Poorly For The U.S.
If the U.S. Delta wave follows a course analogous to the U.K., this could spell trouble as autumn and winter approach. A rapid rise in cases followed by a quick decline and then a rebound to a plateau at an appreciably elevated level constitutes a worr…
Approval Of First Interchangeable Biosimilar, Semglee, Is Sign Of An Improving U.S. Biosimilars Market, Despite Challenges
On July 28th, the FDA approved the first interchangeable biosimilar, Semglee (long-acting insulin glargine), which implies that it can be automatically substituted at the pharmacy counter. This will usher in more competition into the insulin glargine m…
U.S. Maternal And Infant Mortality: More Signs Of Public Health Neglect
The U.S. is the only industrialized nation in the world where maternal mortality is rising. And with respect to infant mortality, the U.S. ranks 33 out of 36 OECD nations, with 5.9 infant deaths per 1,000 live births. In the U.S. in 2018 21,000 infants…
Among Fully Vaccinated, Breakthrough Covid-19 Infections Are More Common Than Previously Thought: Does It Matter? [Update]
Breakthrough infections are more common than previously thought. Does it matter? The answer is yes. First, though breakthrough infections usually don’t lead to severe illness, they can. Second, vaccinated individuals who get breakthrough infections can…
India Is Experiencing A Devastating Wave Of Covid-19: Impact To Reverberate Around The World
The Covid-19 emergency in India isn’t merely a humanitarian crisis of potentially monumental proportions. It also has negative repercussions for global economic growth, international reopening plans, and supply chains for a wide variety of products, in…
