Current medical news and unique business news for anyone who cares about healthcare.
New strong, addictive painkillers could hit the market in 2013. Four companies are testing pain drugs that contain a pure form of the highly addictive painkiller hydrocodone, and one of them could be on the market in early 2013. This would be the first time the opiate would be available in pure form — pain drugs currently on the market combine it with other non-addictive painkillers. The pain management market was valued at $20 million in 2011 but isn’t expected to grow because of generic competition.
Critics worry this powerful drug — which could be crushed to produce an immediate high — will become the next OxyContin, the most abused drug in the country. Pharmas maintain that a pure hydrocodone pill wouldn’t cause liver problems associated with certain ingredients in painkillers like Vicodin and would be more closely supervised because patients would need to visit their doctor for more pills.
Survey on the Healthcare Financial Landscape Offers a Roadmap for Stakeholders
Zelis highlights how employers, payers, and consumers are integrating digital tools to manage healthcare costs.
Hidden gender bias in tech transfer? A Case Western Reserve University professor and colleagues conducted an interesting experiment on 239 university technology transfer officers: They randomly assigned either a male or female name and picture to an invention disclosure and inventor description, and then asked the technology licensing officers: “If the inventor wanted to start a company to commercialize this technology, how much would you try to dissuade the inventor?” Both male and female transfer officers were significantly more likely to dissuade female inventors.
The cost of a faulty hip implant. Tens of thousands of U.S. patients may have to undergo follow-up surgery due to the failure of metal-on-metal hip implants, The New York Times reports. They’ve resulted in thousands of lawsuits and thousands of patients left with astounding hospital bills and limited mobility, and potentially billions of dollars in additional healthcare costs.
The year ahead for HIT. The majority of healthcare providers will use electronic health records, and more payment systems based on clinical performance and outcomes will be implemented by the end of 2012, predicts IDC Health Insights in its list of 10 predictions for health IT in 2012.
Rick Perry’s remarks about Obamacare. In a last-ditch effort to redeem himself to Iowa voters, Rick Perry told an anecdote Tuesday implying the healthcare reform law enacted by president Obama could kill patients by not allowing them the treatment they need.