Tag Archives: PhRMA

Fat Matters and Marketing

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On January 1, 2023, the CBS news magazine 60 Minutes aired a segment  on Obesity.  It featured a promising new weight loss medication that is in short supply and often is not covered by insurance.  This was a good piece, but it made me a uneasy.  Is weight loss as simple as taking a shot once a week?  The medication is semaglutide and it comes as Wegovy and Ozempic.  Wegovy is approved for weight loss and Ozempic for Type 2 diabetes; although both are the same drug. The 60 Minute section reminded me of the quote,  “There’s a pill for every ill.”  Wegovy’s price on GoodRx is ~ $1400 per … Continue reading →

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On Infomercials and Experimercials

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Dr. Bernard J. Carroll, an academic psychiatrist, died on September 10, 2018. His work demonstrated that the psychiatric drug literature had become so polluted as to be virtually meaningless, He called most drug trials “infomercials.” See his NY Times Obituary. Over the years, I have observed in my specialty, dermatology, the same is true. The Biologics are being aggressively and venally marketed. The result is that Humira, with sales of $18.5 billion in 2017, is the top selling drug in the world thanks to AbbVie’s multi-pronged marketing strategy. Where are the other Dr. Carrolls in medicine? Does dermatology have one? So many of our academic “stars” have been co-opted and feed … Continue reading →

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AMA – Industry Link

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We have observed an exciting new trend.  Professional journals have started arriving with adverts glued to their covers.  First, the Academy of Dermatology’s flagship journal, the JAAD, recently touted Topicort Spray.  Now, the July 2015 issue of the the AMA’s journal JAMA Dermatology has its table of contents obscured by a cover ad for Cosentyx, a new biologic for psoriasis.  At ~ $44,000 per year per patient, if prescribed by one busy dermatologist, that might come close to the revenue the AMA gets for prominent placement  of this annoying drug promotion.  All one cay say is WTF!  We can’s wait to see the Direct To Consumer Advertisements on TV!! Cover … Continue reading →

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Academy-PhRMA Liason

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This flier came attached to the July issue of The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.  Topicort Spray is hardly a unique product and it will run a patient ~ $600 for what appears to be a 60 ml bottle.  The business of PhRMA is business.  The business of a professional society should be knowledge and service. Sir Thomas Browne famously wrote:  No one should enter the Temple of Science with the soul of a money changer. The leaders of our professional societies should follow that precept. Also see AMA-Dermatology July 2015 cover. July 29, 2015:  Late Breaking! The Topicort rhino was seen today on two new publications. 1. … Continue reading →

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A Fish Named Heather: Another casualty in the drug wars

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We have had a crazy drug policy in the U.S. since 1914, and we dictate it to most of the world. The War on Drugs is masterfully covered in Johann Hari’s important new book, “Chasing the Scream.” The small players in the drug wars are easily entrapped. Witness the sad case of Heather Alfonso, a Connecticut nurse practitioner who has been indicted for getting kickbacks from Insys Therapeutics, the maker of the powerful pain medication, Subsys. Ms. Alfonso is being pilloried while thousands of physicians give worthless CME lectures on medications every day in the U.S. She was a dupe to her handler (a PhARMA product manager) in the company’s … Continue reading →

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