Thursday, February 05, 2004

Controversial changes to Medicare
Article in the February APA Monitor - "The prescription drug benefit and other proposed changes to Medicare sparked a national debate in 2003. The bill Congress passed last year could significantly change the health-care landscape, giving managed care even more influence. Perhaps the most controversial changes are components of the law that introduce incentives for private competition in an attempt to control the costs of the Medicare system..."  
  

Making Drugs, Shaping the Rules
A February 1 New York Times feature article on coordinated efforts by the pharmaceutical industry to influence guidelines for the treatment of schizophrenia - "The drug industry has created vast markets for products like Viagra, Celebrex and Vioxx by spending billions of dollars on consumer advertising. But to sell medicines that treat schizophrenia, the companies focus on a much smaller group of customers: state officials who oversee treatment for many people with serious mental illness. Those patients - in mental hospitals, at mental health clinics and on Medicaid - make states among the largest buyers of antipsychotic drugs. Advertisement For Big Pharma, success in the halls of government has required a different set of marketing tactics..." [Viewing New York Times resources requires registration, which is free].