Pharma Talk

While attending an eyeforpharma Philadelphia conference, Pharmaguy interviewed Jeff Usewick, Director for Healthcare Business Development at SoftServe, about how the drug industry should focus on using Internet of Things technology to improve health outcomes. Better adherence and profits will then follow.

This is the speech I intend to make at the March for Science in Doylestown PA on April 22, 2017.

More user fees paid to the FDA by the drug industry and the push for less rigorous scientific proof in clinical trials may lead to faster drug approvals, but also more deaths due to side effects. Where’s the balance between speed and safety?

“Patient Centricity” is finally paying off for drug companies in a BIG way, but it has nothing to do with designing more effective clinical trials or better marketing. It has everything to do with influencing lawmakers and especially the FDA.

Where’s the balance between drug safety and speeding up clinical trials to bring drugs to market faster? That was a major issue underscoring the testimony of Dr. Scott Gottlieb, president Trump’s nominee to head the FDA, before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts challenged Dr. Scott Gottlieb about his views of FDA's drug review process at Gottlieb's April 5, 2017, confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, & Pensions.

At his April 5, 2017, Senate Hearing, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, President Trump's nominee for FDA Commissioner, answered questions about the opioid epidemic by Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen. Michael Bennet, and Sen. Al Franken.

Data about how much money the U.S. pharmaceutical industry spends on promoting drugs to consumers come from several sources, which often report different numbers. That makes it difficult to ferret out what portion of the total is spend on TV and digital, the two most interesting channels.