Current medical news and unique business news for anyone who cares about the healthcare industry.
Considering the ethics of clinical trials in developing countries. As the number of clinical trials in developing countries surges, legal and ethical frameworks to protect participants aren’t necessarily following. For pharmaceutical companies, developing countries are attractive candidates for clinical trials because of lower costs and more patients who have not been exposed to other drugs or trials. For these countries, access to the newest medications seems promising. But a high percentage of participants have reported feeling uninformed about the nature of the study, and many do not feel free to quit trials, according to Sonia Shah’s book The Body Hunters.
Unnecessary angioplasties? New research in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that doctors are performing too many stent procedures.
A Personalized Approach to Medication Nonadherence
At the Abarca Forward conference earlier this year, George Van Antwerp, managing director at Deloitte, discussed how social determinants of health and a personalized member experience can improve medication adherence and health outcomes.
Corporate health programs survive financial woes. Despite financial strains, large companies don’t seem to be wavering on their investment in corporate health programs in order to curb high healthcare costs. The Los Angeles Times just reported on the surge of on-site health clinics, and the Washington Post reported on a steady number of corporate fitness programs during the recession.
Immucor acquisition. Blood screening and equipment company Immucor has agreed to be bought by private-equity firm TPG Capital for $1.97 billion. Immucor holds more than half of the market for blood reagents and equipment that promotes safe transfusions.
