The Catalyst

Late Friday afternoon, PhRMA submitted our comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services about the agency's proposed rule for implementation of the Physician Payment Sunshine provision of the Affordable Care Act.

That's a mouthful - and so are our comments (we released a statement which links...

To help keep Catalyst readers well-informed with the latest news, I want to bring to your attention that a fake cancer drug is circulating in the U.S. drug supply system. According to press reports, the maker of the drug is not yet aware of how the counterfeit medicine got in the supply...

As you all know, one of PhRMA’s main purposes is to advocate for policies that help foster the discovery of new medicines for patients. In doing so, we often slip into the inside-the-beltway vernacular of legislation, guidances and rulemakings, backing up our positions with stats, scores and citations. All of which can sometimes be a bit impersonal (though less so in The Catalyst).

And then there are times when these policies and laws really hit home.

In an...

I really never had the interest to live in California until my husband and I visited the Golden State a few years ago. It wasn’t until our drive up Route 1 from Santa Barbara to San Francisco did I change my mind. Driving up the Pacific Coast Highway was literally a life-changing experience. We’d often pull over to the side of the road to take in the beautiful scenery – the ocean, the rolling hills and the sea lions (not to mention the great vineyards). Oh, how I miss thee...

The PhRMA Foundation recently announced its 2012 award recipients and one, Lindsay Garvin, is right in our backyard from the George Washington University’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She is a doctoral candidate pursuing a Ph.D...

In the coming weeks and months, we’re hoping to have some contributions to The Catalyst by PhRMA President and CEO John Castellani. Some of them may be quick interviews with me, and some may be thoughts that he wants to put down on paper.

To that end, I’d like to hear what our Catalyst readers would like to hear John discuss. Leave your comments below or Tweet me @KateAtPhRMA.

I can’t promise he...

If not, don’t worry: you are not alone. However, considering that more than 13 million Americans suffer from the disease and an additional 12 million likely have it without knowing it, it’s time to learn.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the most common lung diseases in the U.S. COPD is a progressive lower respiratory disease that encompasses two...