HealthDot Pharma Report - March 10, 2007
In Episode I of the HealthDot Pharma Report we talk business with Ogilvy Healthworld’s Frank Hone, explore Genentech’s Macular Degeneration conundrum with Dr. William Rich, Medical Director of Health Policy at the American Academy of Opthalmology, discuss drug re-importation and follow congressional debates surrounding biologics.
Topping the show is drug reimportation. At issue is that the United States accounts for $200 billion a year in prescription drugs sales, or just over half the world total.
It’s been that way for a while and Congress and the pharmaceutical lobby are debating whether to allow US consumers to buy cheaper prescription drugs from other Western countries.
We go through the back and forth of it all and it appears to be a story that will be with us for the foreseeable future as healthcare issues stay at the forefront of the presidential campaigns.
Another debate in Congress concerns Biologics, the wonder drugs based on living organisms and cells. Because of their cost, there’s increased pressure to bring generics to market. This is all good. How to do so safely is another question.
Somewhat unrelated, but worth mentioning here (since we don’t in the show), is that The Carlyle Group, Bain Capital and Apax Partners are all thinking of making a bid for the generics unit of Merck KGaA. The unit’s worth is over $5 billion.
We turn our attention to business and marketing with an interview with Ogilvy Healthworld’s Frank Hone. In particular, we discuss integrated marketing strategies for pharmaceuticals.
While we edited this segment to keep things short, we know there are viewers who want to see the whole interview. We’re loathe to dissappoint: you can view Frank in his entirety here.
One of the important issues facing the industry today involves Genetech. Elsewhere, we called the story Genentech’s Two Headed Monster: Lucentis and Avastin.
Genentech, the Biotech powerhouse, has a problem. They’re too good at what they do. The company has two drugs that both do a fantastic job treating the same disease - age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in Americans age 65 and older.
One drug, Lucentis, received its FDA approval to treat macular degeneration in June 2006. Lucentis costs $2,000 per injection (the drug is injected into the eye). Avastin, the other drug, has been around for a few years to treat various forms of cancer and only costs $20 per injection.
Federally funded trials between the two drugs are now in store. The first time a company has had one of its drugs pitted against another. We talk to Dr. William Rich, Medical Director for Health Policy, American Academy of Opthalmology, to get his take on the matter. You can listen to the complete interview here.
We conclude our show with a UN report that states that pharmaceuticals are now more abused than “traditional” illegal drugs.
A United States report says that Utah leads the nation in non-medical use of pharmaceuticals. Overdose fatalities from drugs such as painkillers greatly outweigh those from all illegal drugs.
Hope you enjoy. Leave your comments below. And if you have stories you think we should cover, send us an email at pharma [at] scribemedia [dot] org.
what a nice piece….I found it very interesting to say the least….very worthwhile.
Thanks
George D. Theodorakos
Bayer Oncology
National Accounts