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What We're Reading: Global Drug Spending Will Hit $1.3 Trillion in 2020
What we're reading, November 18, 2015: global drug spending is expected to grow 30% in 5 years; Robert M. Califf, MD, sits through mostly friendly senate confirmation hearing for FDA nomination; and moderate coffee consumption could reduce some risks of death.
Global Drug Spending Will Hit $1.3 Trillion in 2020
Sharp increases in drug spending it not an American phenomenon. According to an IMS Health report, global spending on medicines will rise between 3% and 6% annually over the next 5 years. The increase, to global spending of about $1.3 trillion in 2020, will be driven by expensive new drugs, price hikes, and aging populations. The spending increased would have been more except for a wave of patent expirations for expensive brand-name drugs during that time, the AP reported.
FDA Nominee Dr Califf Breezes Through Senate Committee
Robert M. Califf, MD, a cardiologist, clinical trial expert from Duke University, consultant to drug companies, and President Barack Obama’s nominee to lead the FDA came under scrutiny for his industry ties during his 2-hour hearing with the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, reported the New York Times. However, largely, the committee seemed to support his candidacy with the only exceptions being Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), the presidential hopeful.
Moderate Coffee Consumption Reduces Risk of Death
Need a little coffee to get your day started? People who drink moderate amounts of coffee—between 1 and 5 cups a day—had a lower risk of mortality compared with people who don’t drink any coffee, according to a study in Circulation. Coffee consumption was associated with decreased risk of deaths due to cardiovascular disease, neurological diseases, and suicide. However, there was no associated decrease risk in mortality from cancer.
Government agencies have created an online portal for the public to report potential anticompetitive practices in health care; there are changes coming to the “boxed warning” section for chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies (CAR T) to highlight T-cell blood cancer risk; questions about the safety of obesity medications during pregnancy have arisen in women on them who previously struggled with fertility issues.
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Gene, Light Therapy Combo Shows Promise Against Prostate Cancer Cells in Proof-of-Concept Study
April 18th 2024In their preclinical model, the researchers found efficacy both in vitro and in vivo by using CRISPR-Cas9 to mimic porphyria and combining the technology with light therapy.
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Many Patients With Psoriasis in Clinical Trials Experience Nocebo Effects, Study Finds
April 18th 2024Half of patients exposed to placebo in clinical trials experienced adverse events (AEs), which may be partially explainable by nocebo effects, according to a recent review and meta-analysis.
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