As US Attorney, Labor Secretary Nominee Enabled Drug and Biotechnology Executives' Impunity
The new Trump administration nominee for US Secretary of Labor is a former US Attorney for the southern district of Florida. In that role, he seemed to uphold the ideas that certain big corporations, particularly big pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporations, are too big to jail, and that top executives of big corporations should not be held accountable for their corporations ' actions.He had central involvement in three bigsettlements of charges of corporate misbehavior which held no individuals accountable for enabling, authorizing, directing or implementing the bad behavior. The settlements imposed only ...
Source: Health Care Renewal - February 21, 2017 Category: Health Management Tags: bribery Bristol-Myers-Squibb deception Donald Trump Genzyme GlaxoSmithKline impunity kickbacks legal settlements manipulating clinical research Sanofi-Aventis Source Type: blogs
More Health Care Professionals and Trainees Provoked to Resist - Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Protest of Leaders' Acquiescence to Trump's Muslim Travel Ban
The executive order by President Trump that temporarily banned immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries provoked health care professionals and trainees to challenge another health care leader whom had not been so challenged previously.We recently described how professionals and trainees protested the decision by Cleveland Clinic CEO Toby Cosgrove not to cancel a fund raising event a Mar a Lago, the resort owned by President Trump, even though Mr Trump ' s ban had resulted in the deportation (since reversed) of a Cleveland Clinic physician trainee, and Cleveland Clinic health care professionals and trainees had...
Source: Health Care Renewal - February 9, 2017 Category: Health Management Tags: anechoic effect boards of directors Bristol-Myers-Squibb conflicts of interest Donald Trump Harvard Medical School logical fallacies Source Type: blogs
Medications that Increase the Risks of Falling
Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries for adults 65 and older, and research suggests that those taking four or more medications are at an even greater risk than those who don ’t.ByAlzheimer's Reading RoomWhat ’s the Difference Between Alzheimer’s and DementiaHow to Test Your Memory for Alzheimer's and DementiaHow to Get Answers To Your Questions About Alzheimer's and Dementia“Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries for adults 65 and older, and research suggests that those taking four or more medications are at an even greater risk than those who don’t – perhap...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - February 1, 2017 Category: Neurology Tags: alzheimer's care care of dementia patients dementia care health help alzheimer's help with dementia care medications falls Prescription Medications Risks risk of falling senior care Source Type: blogs
Updated Medicare and Medicaid Drug Spending Data Released
On November 15, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released updated Medicare and Medicaid drug spending data, to include information for calendar year (CY) 2015 through its online interactive dashboards for Medicare and Medicaid. The inclusion of the Medicaid drug spending data on the public dashboard is new this year, as is the addition of high-level (aggregated) Medicare drug rebate data.
CMS noted that “there is significant growth in spending on prescription drugs, representing a significant burden.” In CY 2015, total prescription drug costs amounted to roughly $457 billion – an estimated ...
Source: Policy and Medicine - December 14, 2016 Category: American Health Authors: Thomas Sullivan - Policy & Medicine Writing Staff Source Type: blogs
Study: For good and bad, TV ads promote higher prescribing volume of psychiatric medications
Conclusions: Findings suggest that DTCA requests are typically accommodated, promote higher prescribing volume, and have competing effects on treatment quality. More methodologically strong studies are needed to increase confidence in conclusions.
Related articles:
Systematic evidence review finds cognitive behavioral therapy as effective as antidepressant medicines in treating depression
Next: Harnessing information and communications technology (ICT) to address mental health challenges affecting 700 million people today (Source: SharpBrains)
Source: SharpBrains - November 11, 2016 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Cognitive Neuroscience Health & Wellness anti-depressants bipolar depression FDA medications Mental-Health prescription prescription medications psychiatric medications psychiatry public-health Source Type: blogs
Dementia Care, Which Drugs Increase the Risk of Falling
Medications can increase the risk of falls and falling; and, are a major cause of injuries and death in older adults.By Bob DeMarcoAlzheimer's Reading RoomDuring the entire 8 and a half years, 3,112 days, that I was taking care of my mother, I worried about her falling.Falls can result in hip injuries, head injuries, or something worse.If you loved one is falling, or complaining of "dizziness" check out the list of medications below; and then, consult with your personal care doctor.Problems with Balance, Walking, Falling an Early Sign of DementiaThe drugs older people take can make them more susceptible to falling.Research...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - September 7, 2016 Category: Neurology Tags: alzheimer's care Alzheimer's Dementia dementia care dementia falls dementia help for caregivers family caregiving help alzheimer's help with dementia care memory care searches related to falling Source Type: blogs
CMS Releases New Prescription Drug Cost Data
On August 18, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released new prescription drug data, physician-level data on prescriptions for drugs paid for by Medicare Part D in 2014. This new data set “describes the specific medications prescribed for 38 million Medicare Part D enrollees, who represent about 70 percent of all Medicare beneficiaries.” This is the second annual release of the data.
According to Niall Brennan, CMS Chief Data Officer, “With this data release, patients, researchers and providers can access valuable information about the Medicare prescription drug program. Today’s release jo...
Source: Policy and Medicine - September 1, 2016 Category: American Health Authors: Thomas Sullivan - Policy & Medicine Writing Staff Source Type: blogs
Dear Boston Globe Spotlight Team: Access to Care is About So Much More than Public Safety
The Boston Globe Spotlight Team -- the investigative reporting team featured in the Oscar-winning, best pictureSpotlight -- is doing a six-part series on the shambles the mental health system has become in Massachusetts. And make no mistake, their system is a shambles. The series is called The Desperate and the Dead, and while I understand that journalism involves sensationalism to get people to read, the emphasis on violence in these articles is striking, and unnecessarily provocative. It's stigmatizing and distracts from the real issues. This from an author who has abook coming out shortly about p...
Source: Shrink Rap - August 27, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Dinah Source Type: blogs
Ode to the Duke
I saw my shrink today. I call him “The Duke.”
We had a perfectly fine half-hour meeting. He wrote me some scripts and listened to my current take on my life. Mainly, we talked about my son Tommy’s fear of entering sixth grade. The Duke warned me that the junior high years are awful and to brace myself. The Duke is a straight shooter. At the end of the appointment, I asked him how he thought I was doing.
“Fine,” he said. “You’re doing fine.”
“I think I’ve licked bipolar illness,” I said.
“Don’t say that,” he replied quickly.
Perhaps he was worried that I wasn’t taking my illness seriously en...
Source: World of Psychology - August 18, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Laura Yeager Tags: Bipolar Caregivers Disorders General Personal Psychiatry Treatment Bipolar Disorder Love Medicine Patient Sigmund Freud St. Dymphna Source Type: blogs
Law and Order? - Bristol-Myers-Squibb Settles Case Alleging Fraud and Kickbacks, No Admissions of Guilt, No Individuals Charged
< b > Introduction & nbsp; < /b > < br / > < br / > Donald Trump, Republican candidate for the US presidency last week announced he is the " law and order " candidate, accompanied by then vice presidential contender and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. < br / > < br / > < iframe allowfullscreen= " " frameborder= " 0 " height= " 315 " src= " https://www.youtube.com/embed/NxDmUcRYe9o " width= " 560 " > < /iframe > < br / > < br / > I wonder if all this interest in law and order will lead to increasing the effectiveness of enforcing laws when large US health care corporations are accused? < br / > < br / > For years, ...
Source: Health Care Renewal - July 21, 2016 Category: Health Management Tags: Abilify Bristol-Myers-Squibb crime impunity kickbacks legal settlements logical fallacies Source Type: blogs
The Rigid Patient
A 24-year-old man with a history of schizophrenia presented with altered mental status. His mother said he had become more catatonic and rigid over the previous two days. She reported that he was prescribed Abilify 5 mg by mouth daily for three years, but a long-acting depot of Abilify 400 mg had been administered two days before by court order. His vital signs include a heart rate of 120 bpm, blood pressure 140/90 mm Hg, temperature 38.5°C, respiratory rate is 14 bpm, and SPO2 is 98% on room air. The patient is alert and diaphoretic. Pupils are 3 mm. Cogwheeling, rigidity, and two beats of ankle clonus are also o...
Source: The Tox Cave - June 2, 2016 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs
A Year in Review: FDA 2015 New Drug Approvals
The approval of first-of-a-kind drugs rose last year to forty-one, resulting in the highest level of newly approved U.S. drugs in nineteen years. The total number of new drugs approved last year was even higher at sixty-nine. The rising figures reflect an industry-wide desire to research and develop drugs for rare and hard-to-treat diseases.
The newly approved drugs serve to advance medical care and the health of patients suffering from many ailments, including various forms of cancer, heart failure, and cystic fibrosis. Additionally, more than 40% of the new therapies were approved for treatment of rare or "orphan" dise...
Source: Policy and Medicine - January 13, 2016 Category: American Health Authors: Thomas Sullivan - Policy & Medicine Writing Staff Source Type: blogs
FDA Approves New Drug Vraylar
A new antipsychotic drug that can be used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in adults has been approved by the FDA. Vraylar belongs to a class of drugs known as atypical antipsychotics. Others in this group include Abilify (aripiprazole), Seroquel (quetiapine) and Risperdal (risperidone). (Source: Weird Cake: Myopic musings from a bipolar survivor)
Source: Weird Cake: Myopic musings from a bipolar survivor - September 29, 2015 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: blogs
FDA OPDP Issues Fifth Letter of Caution for the Year, Cites Oak Pharmaceuticals For Exhibit Banner
Almost like clockwork, the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Prescription Drug Promotion (OPDP) has released its fifth enforcement letter of 2015—they have issued one letter in January, February, March, April, and now, as of the past week, one in May. OPDP sent the Untitled Letter to Oak Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (a subsidiary of Akorn, Inc.) regarding the company’s barbiturate anticonvulsant, Nembutal. View the promotional material here. The agency found that Oak’s table exhibit banner was misleading because it omitted “important risk information associated with the use of Nembutal,” and also omitted materi...
Source: Policy and Medicine - May 21, 2015 Category: American Health Authors: Thomas Sullivan Source Type: blogs
