Highlights of the important and the interesting from the world of healthcare:
Return of the public option? Don’t bet on it: Nearly 130 House Democrats are pushing to restore the once-proposed “public option“–essentially a government-run health plan. Fueling the drive is a report from the Congressional Budget Office that said a public option would shave $68 billion off the deficit between 2014 and 2020, thanks in part to lower administrative costs. So does it have a chance? Hardly. It makes too much sense and it’d never get past all the D.C. lobbyists.
NuPathe on the IPO path: Philly-area drug developer NuPathe has set the terms for its planned IPO. The company will offer 5 million common shares at $14 and $16 per share. NuPathe is developing a transdermal patch version of the popular migraine treatment Imitrex.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
Secession in Florida: Florida’s state doctors’ association is considering severing its ties to the American Medical Association over the latter’s support for federal health reform. The secession proposal says the AMA “failed to achieve one single concession” in the legislation, despite lending its support.
Tough times for Roche: “The financial crisis has arrived for the pharmaceutical industry,” says Roche’s CEO. But as the In Vivo Blog points out, it’s possible that the company was merely playing to analysts who doubt whether it has the stomach to impose big cuts.
First the national championship, then the iPad: Duke University plans to launch a pilot project that would put iPads in the hands of its Global Health Institute Master’s students for field research. Sounds fine as long as it doesn’t involve J.J. Redick’s poetry.
TweetFired: A short, humorous and occasionally profane video on the dangers of tweeting (kind of) about your employer. Sample quote: “You are painting a very negative picture of working here in 140 characters or less.” TechCrunch has the background.
Using Informed Awareness to Transform Care Coordination and Improve the Clinical and Patient Experience
This eBook, in collaboration with Care Logistics, details how hospitals and health systems can facilitate more effective decision-making by operationalizing elevated awareness.
Photo from flickr user leoncillo sabino
