A healthcare backlash against Jim Carrey? I didn’t stop watching Tom Cruise movies because of his bizarre behavior and Scientology background. I didn’t stop listening to the Dixie Chicks after their 9/11 comments. But every time I see an ad for Mr. Popper’s Penguins I can’t get Jim Carrey’s ludicrous vaccine perspectives out of my head. And that cuts down on the chances I’ll take my kids to see the movie, too.
Unfortunately, opinions about medical research and science don’t have the show-stopping clout that religion or politics have. But maybe that time is changing. Carrey’s comments – teamed with those of Jenny McCarthy and other vaccine denialists – did more damage than the Dixie Chicks or Tom Cruise. Vaccinations dropped, exposure to mumps and other preventable diseases have increased in recent years.
Maybe that’s why it’s hard to get the Carrey-Popper-autism connection out of my head. This is a kids movie. Carrey’s vaccine statements did real damage to children.
When Investment Rhymes with Canada
Canada has a proud history of achievement in the areas of science and technology, and the field of biomanufacturing and life sciences is no exception.
Plus, the timing for Carrey couldn’t be worse. Bill Gates and the UK have just announced they’ll spend $2.3 billion to proliferate vaccinations worldwide.
More vaccines, suddenly, are cool again.
Medicare: No one knows what they really want. This is a real sentence from the latest poll about Medicare reform: “While 53 percent say the program needs fundamental changes, 58 percent say it should continue the way it is set up now.”
Perkin Elmer acquires Delexa.The deal expands Perkin Elmer’s imaging portfolio into areas including surgery, dental CT, cardiology and mammography.
The new acquisition landscape. What does the following mean for healthcare investing?
While acquisition activity among medium-sized companies is returning to near-normal levels, today’s transaction landscape has undergone epic changes. The dynamics have shifted as buyers aggressively hunt strategic acquisitions; they’re making more unsolicited offers, looking to close deals quickly, and scoping out attractive companies that can be acquired without a competitive process.
More da Vinci backlash. Questions from the public over the need for robotic surgery continues to grow. But is it really time to blame the marketers? “Either a technology works or it doesn’t, and I believe the data eventually will show the robot is good. The marketing has taken away from that,” said Dr. Khurshid Guru, director of robotic surgery at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
Hospital donations up. Non-profit health systems increased donations by 8 percent last year compared to 2009. However, they still didn’t catch up to 2008 or 2007, according to the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy.
