More than 30 years ago, to foster drug innovation for rare diseases, Congress passed the Orphan Drug Act. The law helps drug companies make big profits on drugs that treat rare diseases–orphan...
Diane Archer
Life expectancy projected to rise in 35 countries, with smaller...
Life expectancy is projected to rise in 35 countries, with smaller gains in the U.S., according to a recent report in The Lancet. Researchers believe that the chance of people born in 2030 living...
World’s oldest female bodybuilder is most inspiring
Born in 1936, Ernestine Shepherd is a bodybuilder. In her 60s, she had been a “couch potato.” Then, she and her health care buddy, her sister, decided to take weight training. Their goal...
Research costs provide no basis for high drug prices in U.S.
Pharmaceutical companies often argue that they need to charge high prices for their drugs in the U.S. to offset their research and development costs. A new study published in Health Affairs looks at...
Four things you may not know about generic drugs
Tylenol, Advil, Lipitor are common household names. And, millions of people buy them, along with many other brand name drugs. But, according to Consumer Reports, the generic versions of these drugs...
Trumpcare drives up costs for older adults
The Republican leadership has rolled out its plan for repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act. If enacted, the American Health Care Act (AHCA) or “Trumpcare,” drives up costs for...
Sanders bill would allow drug importation, lower costs
The way to ensure prescription drugs are affordable in the U.S. is for the government to establish fair prices for these drugs, just as virtually all other nations do. In the meantime, Senator Bernie...
Can your pacemaker be hacked?
An article on Wired.com describes the scary security issues that come with high-tech medical devices. These health technology devices can be super “smart,” allowing remote control...
Are disease groups industry fronts?
During the health care reform debate, the overwhelming majority of groups representing people with particular diseases–so-called “patient-advocacy” organizations–opposed...
The latest on ACA, Medicaid and Medicare
This year, Trump’s budget does not include cuts to either Social Security or Medicare. But, sadly, that’s likely irrelevant given that the Republican leadership plans to repeal the...