Lawmakers explore using opioid settlement money to study the drug ibogaine
A high-ranking lawmaker is asking Mississippi to use $5 million of opioid settlement money to explore the medical potential of ibogaine, a drug with mixed evidence of its ability to safely treat addiction. At a meeting Thursday of the House and Senate committees that deal with public health, Republican Rep. Sam Creekmore of New Albany […]
Opinion | ‘Numerous Studies Prove Them Wrong’: What We Heard This Week
“Physicians believe they can extract money and information from industry without being influenced, but numerous studies prove them wrong.” — Adriane Fugh-Berman, MD, director of PharmedOut at Georgetown University Medical Center, discussing the billions of industry dollars paid to physicians in recent years. “It’s not when everything is dark. It’s when you let your guard […]
Opinion | ‘A Perfect Recipe for Money, Money, Money’: What We Heard This Week
“It’s a perfect recipe for money, money, money, big dollars.” — Colleen Auer, JD, an Arizona lawyer speaking about for-profit nursing schools. “The glimmers of hope and possibility quickly fade.” — Eleonora Teplinsky, MD, of Valley-Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Care in New Jersey, recounting hard conversations with patients who can’t be guaranteed chemotherapy amid ongoing […]
Do Orphan Drugs Really Need Development Incentives?
Drugs approved for an “orphan” indication ended up making just as much money as their non-orphan counterparts, even though they were helped by incentives during development, researchers found. There was no significant difference in median 5-year net sales between orphan and non-orphan drugs ($719 million vs $812 million, P=0.09), reported Benjamin Rome, MD, MPH, of […]
Opinion | ‘A 400% Price Increase Is Preposterous’: What We Heard This Week
“Why do you need this much money? A 400% price increase is preposterous.” — Senator Mike Braun (R-Ind.) pressing Moderna’s CEO to lower the price of its COVID-19 vaccine (Spikevax) during a hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. “This is the way that medicine should be practiced.” — Diana Nole, of […]
Senate Eases Medicare Cuts as Part of $1.7 Trillion Spending Bill
WASHINGTON — As the clock ticked down the hours before the federal government was due to run out of money, the Senate on Thursday afternoon passed — by a 68-29 vote — a $1.7 trillion spending package that included partial relief from pending cuts in Medicare physician payment. The omnibus bill, which the House was […]
A Week of Spending for a Pharmacy Resident in Richmond Making $47.5K
Welcome to the MedPage Today “Med Money Journals,” providing readers a look into the finances of doctors, nurses, medical students, PAs, NPs, and others practicing medicine. Each post offers information about one person’s financial background, wages, and spending over a 7-day period. Anonymously share your own Med Money Journal here. Job: Post-graduate year one (PGY1) […]
What Is the Time Value of Money?
We most often think of money in terms of its monetary value. And this obviously makes sense in a lot of ways. Unfortunately, however, monetary value does not capture the whole picture and can lead to bad decisions and worse outcomes. That is why, especially as physicians, we need to consider the time value of […]
A Week of Spending for a Biomedical Engineer in Minneapolis Making $185K
Welcome to the MedPage Today “Med Money Journals,” providing readers a look into the finances of doctors, nurses, medical students, PAs, NPs, and others practicing medicine. Each post offers information about one person’s financial background, wages, and spending over a 7-day period. Anonymously share your own Med Money Journal. Job: Biomedical engineer for med-tech company […]
Could a computer diagnose Alzheimer’s disease and dementia?
It takes a lot of time — and money — to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease. After running lengthy in-person neuropsychological exams, clinicians have to transcribe, review, and analyze every response in detail. But researchers at Boston University have developed a new tool that could automate the process and eventually allow it to move online. Their machine […]