Virtual Vantage Points » Health Care

The FDA Encourages Pharmaceutical Companies to Keep Off-Label Discussions Off-line

Virtual Vantage Points — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 23:12:53 +0000

The FDA offers guidance for drug companies on responding to unsolicited requests for information on off-label product use.

The FDA provided marketers and communicators in the pharmaceutical industry a holiday gift last week by releasing guidelines on how to respond to unsolicited requests for off-label product information. The FDA issued guidelines for both “private” and “public” requests, drawing a distinction between “private” and “public” for the first time.… Read more »

SCOTUS Takes Up Health Care Law

Bill Pierce — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:09:20 +0000

Earlier today, the Supreme Court of the United States announced that it would take up the case of the constitutionality (among other issues) of President Obama’s health care law. This will likely be not only the case of the year, but also perhaps the most important case in decades. Oral arguments are expected to be heard sometime this spring, and a decision is possible in late June – right as the 2012 presidential campaign really starts to heat up.
Just like the political and legislative path of the law, the decision to hear this case has a few interesting twists and turns. The basic case taken up by the Supreme Court is the Florida-based lawsuit brought by 26 states and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). But the Court also gave itself an out, if it chooses. One of the issues it wants argued for and against is the Anti-Injunction Act, which two lower courts have used to dismiss cases against the law.… Read more »

Food Day in the U.S. Highlights the Hunger-Obesity Paradox

Melissa Musiker — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 15:56:48 +0000

Today is Food Day in the United States. Food Day is an event coordinated by the Center for Science in the Public Interest with the goal of bringing together eaters of all types “to push for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way.” According to its organizers, Food Day is a nationwide grassroots mobilization for healthier diets and improved food policies. With literally thousands of events big and small being planned for today, it is clear that people are thinking about their food more than they ever have before.… Read more »

Strong Economy, Healthy Population

Virtual Vantage Points — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:01:08 +0000

Good health is good for business. The statistics speak for themselves:

Influenza costs the US economy $16 billion each year in lost earnings.
Diabetes costs a staggering $116 billion and could reach $336 billion in the next two decades.
Workers who experienced hunger as children create a workforce pool that is less competitive, with lower levels of educational and technical skills. … Read more »

Health Care Reform: Another Step Toward a Supreme Court Showdown

Bill Pierce — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 19:42:14 +0000

The recent 2-1 ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit Court in Atlanta that the individual mandate in the health reform law was unconstitutional brought us closer to a legal resolution of various challenges.

However, what is not yet clear is what that resolution will be. The reason is that this ruling comes on the heels of a June decision, which ruled the mandate as constitutional. That decision was made in a separate case before the Circuit Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit Court in Cincinnati. A third challenge to the law is pending in the 4th Circuit Court. What these contradictory decisions have done is guarantee that the Supreme Court will have to settle the issue.… Read more »

IPAB: Beyond Repeal

Bill Pierce — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 19:44:57 +0000

The Independent Payment Advisory Board, or IPAB, has emerged as the latest target in the ongoing war over healthcare. Like many of the flash points in the debate, what the IPAB is and what it is designed to do has gotten lost in a steam of increasingly inflamed rhetoric.

Republicans have called it a “rationing board” while Democrats who favor repeal have expressed concern it usurps Congressional authority and worry that it will hurt the quality of care in Medicare. In a July 26th piece for the Huffington Post, Democratic pollster Doug Schoen jumped into the fray when he called for President Obama to “subtly” signal Democrats it was okay to repeal the IPAB. He wrote,… Read more »