Archive for March 27th, 2012
Pharma businesses should learn from IBM for continued success
March 27th, 2012 | 
Author: In order to guarantee future success, pharmaceutical companies need to shift from a product-focused business model to one that centers more on customers, much like IBM did in the late 1980s, says health business expert Dave Chase. He suggests drugmakers redefine themselves as being in the disease prevention business and look to providing technology-based services that help in disease management and prevention.
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At the bacterial frontier
Humans are a minority in their own bodies. For every human cell, there are at least 10 times as many bacterial cells living inside and outside of the body. Millions of individual cells from thousands of species inhabit the digestive system, body cavities, and the surface of the skin. Yet, until recently, little was known about how these ecosystems sustain health or cause disease.
Nudge nudge, think think
“FREAKONOMICS” was the book that made the public believe the dismal science has something interesting to say about how people act in the real world. But “Nudge” was the one that got policy wonks excited. The book, first published in 2008, is about the potential for behavioural economics to improve the effectiveness of government. Behavioural economists have found that all sorts of psychological or neurological biases cause people to make choices that seem contrary to their best interests. The idea of nudging is based on research that shows it is possible to steer people towards better decisions by presenting choices in different ways.
Study: Pregnant women more likely to have heart attacks
Pregnant women were three to four times more likely to suffer heart attacks compared with women who are not pregnant, researchers reported at the American College of Cardiology meeting in Chicago. Researchers said hormonal and other physiological changes associated with pregnancy, including increased blood volume, exacerbate the risk of heart attack in the population.
Analysis: Older Kidneys Work Fine for Transplants
For most transplant patients, a kidney received from a donor as old as 64 is just as likely to be successful as one from a younger person, an analysis has found.
“Fair trade” labels affect nutrition beliefs, studies show
U.S. and French researchers said that when people see food labels touting products as "fair trade," meaning workers receive appropriate compensation, they also may assume the food is lower in calories…researchers found not only was fair trade perceived as lower-calorie, but … chocolate was also judged as lower-calorie when a company is described as treating its workers ethically.
FDA looks into possible safety-trial requirement for obesity drugs
An FDA panel is set to discuss this week whether or when obesity medicines should undergo cardiovascular safety tests before receiving marketing approval.