Popular Articles

Willingness By Patients To Trade Hands-On Medical Care For Computer Consultations
As President Barack Obama calls for streamlining heath care by fully converting to electronic medical records and as Congress prepares to debate issues of patient privacy, one question has largely gone unasked: What do patients want?

Poniard Rally To Continue: Strong Efficacy And Safety Data From Picoplatin
Poniard announced positive Phase II data from its two trials in CRC and CRPC with picoplatin this morning, including efficacy that was comparable to the current standard of care, with a significantly improved safety profile. We believe that these data provide further evidence of picoplatin"s favorable efficacy and safety profile in two more large oncology markets, in addition to SCLC, and position picoplatin as a platform treatment that can provide solutions in multiple oncology settings. We believe that given these data from CRC and CRPC, in addition to the anticipated Phase III SPEAR data in SCLC, will attract the interest of multiple players and we expect that Poniard will be able to at least secure a large pharma partnership sometime this summer, unless a company like Sanofi (SNY Not Rated), Takeda (TKD Not rated), or Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY Not Rated) decide to step in and acquire the whole company, for rights to both the IV and oral version of picoplatin.
News of the day
Member Support Helps Breakthrough In Decriminalisation Of Dispensing Errors Campaign
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society"s campaign to change the unjust law which automatically criminalises any dispensing error has reached a significant milestone after the Department of Health announced plans to amend the Medicines Act 1968 at the earliest opportunity.
Public Health

Study Estimates Cost Added To Private Health Insurance Premiums To Cover Uncompensated Care

The average U.S. family and their employers paid an additional $1,017 in health care premiums in 2008 to pay for care of the uninsured, according to a study released on Thursday by Families USA, USA Today reports (Kim, USA Today, 5/28). According to the study, which examined federal data, the uninsured received $116 billion in health care from hospitals, physicians and other providers in 2008 and paid 37% of that amount. Government programs and charities covered an additional 26%, which left another 37%, or about $43 billion, unpaid. The study then estimated how those costs are when spread across the insured through higher premiums, the study found. According to the study, prepared by the actuarial firm Milliman, the average additional amount paid under private coverage for single individuals was about $370 per year (Werner, AP/Austin American-Statesman, 5/28). Families USA Executive Director Ron Pollack said, "This is a hidden tax on all insurance premiums, whether it is paid by business for their work or by families when they purchase their own coverage" (USA Today, 5/28).The study is available online. Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. © 2009 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


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