Worried about our persistently high rate of unemployment (and his bid for re-election), President Obama is urging Congress to pass portions of his jobs bill. In addition to aiding the economy, creating jobs could help reduce the number of people who are forgoing medications, which would be a boon for the pharmaceutical industry. Perhaps with this in mind, the Association of Clinical Research Organizations (ACRO) has thrown its weight behind a bill it says would create American jobs.

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Drug shortages are an acute problem that keeps getting worse. Last year, about 211 drugs were in short supply, which was a new record. This year, the number of new drug shortages already has reached 213, according to the University of Utah Drug Information Service. As a result, many patients now have limited access to crucial drugs, such as cancer therapies and medicines for potentially lethal infections. And a Congressional committee is now investigating what appears to be an insult added to this injury. Read more »

Immunology was the focus of the 2011 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine with the October 3 announcement that the award will be shared by three whose work has been seminal in the understanding of immune system function.  Half the award will go to Drs. Jules A. Hoffmann and Bruce A. Beutler for their discoveries concerning the activation of innate immunity, and the other half will go to the estate of Dr. Ralph M. Steinman for his discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in adaptive immunity. Read more »

A few weeks ago, Representative Michele Bachmann (R-MN) made waves by claiming that the vaccine for human papillomavirus could have dangerous side effects. She retreated from her remarks after the American Academy of Pediatrics said that they had no scientific validity. Makers of biopharmaceuticals might feel vindicated, but a recent poll emphasizes that Bachmann is not alone in her views. Read more »

The senate appropriations bill released on September 20, 2011 contained a modest $190 million cut in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), but also contained language creating the National Center for Advancing Translational Research (NCATS), a branch of the NIH devoted to translating basic science into treatment and cures for diseases. The purpose of the new center is not to develop new therapeutics, but to develop innovative tools and methods for drug development that will accelerate the development of medical products. In this way, NCATS will complement, and not compete with, the work of the private sector and other NIH translational science efforts. Read more »

As I wrote last week, the market for vaccines is expanding, and the newswires have stories about these products almost daily. Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline, to name just two major players, are increasing investments in research and manufacturing capacity for these therapies. Kalorama Information predicts that sales of pediatric vaccines will grow even more quickly than sales for adult vaccines. Yet drugmakers have surely noticed that not all publicity about vaccines has been positive. Read more »

At a time when the headlines have been screaming about the inability of the two political parties to compromise on issues of taxation and government spending, I was gratified to read that the US legislative bodies are, in fact, still capable of passing legislation. The America Invents Act, the first comprehensive reform of patent law in 60 years, was passed by the Senate by a vote of 89-9, on September 8, 2011. The bill has been sent to President Obama, who is expected to sign it into law on September 16, 2011. Read more »

When natural disasters such as Hurricane Irene strike, obtaining food, water, and supplies tend to be at the top of at-risk residents’ minds. Having necessary medication—and enough of it—is also crucial. Even before Irene hit the US coast last week, PhRMA issued an alert to the public about documenting existing prescription medications with the RxResponse online medication card tool. Read more »

At least once a week, my spam inbox contains mail from one or more online pharmacies, promising me a great price on a particular drug that is not medically necessary, nor is it meant to be dispensed to someone of my gender. Hospital pharmacies, in the business of dispensing medically necessary drugs to hospital patients, receive email from distributors with lists of drugs and prices, and also receive offers from so-called gray market distributors, unofficial sellers who are now taking advantage of drug shortages to resell scarce products at inflated prices. Read more »

Stock prices have fluctuated wildly in response to factors such as persistently high unemployment, impending cuts in federal spending, and the downgrade of America’s credit rating. The already conservative pharmaceutical industry is hunkering down and socking away cash to be safe. Since January, Merck has saved $1 billion in cash, and Johnson & Johnson has saved $3 billion. The savings have come at the expense of R&D budgets, making observers wonder where the new drugs will come from.

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