The Catalyst
Most Recent Posts
Report Highlights Importance of Intellectual Property Protections
05.23.13 | By Jay Taylor
With TPP, Indian and other IP infringement and innovation issues shaping international headlines in recent weeks, IP is increasingly being recognized as a central driver of growth, development and access to medicines. A report released today by the Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property reinforces IP's critical importance... Read more.
Bob Hugin's Call to Action: Protect Medical Innovation
05.23.13 | By Jennifer Wall
Bob Hugin, Chairman and CEO, Celgene and Chairman of the PhRMA Board, recently sat down with Life Science Leader magazine to talk about the value of medical innovation. If you haven’t read it already, I urge you to do so because Bob offers some very insightful thoughts on why we as a society should celebrate biopharmaceutical innovation because of the tremendous benefits it provides to patients and the U.S. economy. Read more.
Rick Smith Testified Before Congress Today About Why Part D Works
05.22.13 | By Liz Magsig
PhRMA’s Rick Smith, Executive Vice President of Policy and Research, testified today in a hearing called, “10 Years Later: A Look at the Medicare Prescription Drug Program,” hosted by the Senate’s Special Committee on Aging. Read more.
Protecting IP: Balancing Current and Future Interests
05.22.13 | By Chip Davis
With the 17th round of Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations taking place in Lima, Peru, the importance of strong U.S. trade and innovation policy is once again front and center. When it comes to protecting intellectual property, it’s critical that negotiators keep in mind the far-reaching implications of pro-IP measures on our economy, health and well being, and society overall. Read more.
Research in Your Backyard May Soon Be in Latin America
05.22.13 | By Jeff Trewhitt
In Colombia, unprecedented price controls in the private market are being contemplated and such policies – a threat to continued research and development of new medicines – are already in effect in El Salvador and also under consideration elsewhere in the region. Read more.
STEM Education and Future Innovators in America
05.22.13 | By Jennifer Wall
Did you know that fewer than 40 percent of students who enter college intending to major in a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) field actually graduate with a STEM degree? This is very troubling. According to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, the U.S. will need to produce one million additional STEM graduates over the next decade to maintain its position as the world leader in science and technology innovation. Read more.
New Study is Latest Proof That Medicare Part D Helps Save Money While Improving Health
05.21.13 | By Liz Magsig
This past weekend the American Journal of Managed Care released studytitled, “The Economic Impact of Medicare Part D on Congestive Heart Failure.” Read more
Uplifting Athletes: Raising Awareness, Patients' Spirits, and Funds for Research
05.21.13 | By Stephanie Fischer
Uplifting Athletes is a nonprofit organization that works with college football players to raise awareness of rare disease, raise funds for research and support individual rare disease patients. The chapters are run by student athletes at universities across the country. Read more.
I am Research. Progress. Hope - The Scientists Speak: Olof Larsson
05.20.13 | By Jennifer Wall
Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Olof Larsson, chief scientific officer, Eli Lilly and Company, to talk about what inspired him to get into science and what advice he has for students as they explore their future career path. Read more.
Week in Review: Finding Courage and Inspiration Through Personal Experiences
05.17.13 | By Kaelan Hollon
Within minutes of Angelina Jolie’s New York Times opinion piece going live on her preventative steps against breast cancer, nearly every major news outlet in the world was covering the highly personal story. Ms. Jolie is a carrier of the BRCA1 gene, which means she has a high chance of developing breast and ovarian cancer (87% and 50% respectively). Read more
Telling the Complete Story of Physician & Biopharmaceutical Collaboration
05.16.13 | By Jenni Brewer
It’s always tough reading biased coverage, especially when reporters continue to slam collaboration between physicians and biopharmaceutical companies. I was particularly taken aback by Roni Caryn Rabin’s treatment of the issue in New York Times’ Well blog this week. Read more.
Why Doctors Prescribe Medicines for Non-Approved Uses
05.16.13 | By Stephanie Fischer
A recent article in Scientific American which explains “Why Doctors Prescribe Off-Label Drugs” caught my attention since non-approved use, also known as off-label use, of prescription medicines is often mentioned in the news without the context of why doctors choose to recommend it. Read more.
National Women's Health Week: Can We "Have It All?"
05.16.13 | By Josie Martin
Can women really “have it all?” It is an age-old question that continues to generate significant societal interest and discussion. From a widely-shared and controversial article last fall in The Atlantic by Princeton University Professor Anne-Marie Slaughter, to a Wall Street Journal poll last month that found the number of women who believe they can “have it all” has increased 12 percent since 1997, society is constantly debating whether women can adequately balance their expectations at work with their expectations at home. Read more.
I Am Research. Progress. Hope. - The Scientists Speak
05.15.13 | By Michelle Seng
As part of our effort to inspire younger generations to get interested in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) fields, PhRMA launched a new effort called "I Am Research. Progress. Hope." This initiative gives biopharmaceutical company scientists a platform to tell their own stories of what inspired them to get into science and what advice they have for students as they make decisions about their future career path. Read more.
Know the Signs of Stroke and Act Quickly
05.15.13 | By Stephanie Fischer
May 15, 2003 came to be known as the Very Bad Day. It started off like any other, and I remember thinking in the morning that work was quieter than expected. Several hours later, I was in the ICU while doctors at George Washington University Hospital monitored my vital signs and ran tests to determine what had caused a stoke in a seemingly-healthy 29 year old (who didn’t smoke, use illegal drugs or abuse alcohol). Read more.
Week in Review: Communicating for Positive Patient Outcomes
05.10.13 | By Kaelan Hollon
Following our focus on young innovators this week, I’m reminded that ongoing research and innovation significantly improves the lives of patients and contributes to the health of our economy. The pace of innovation is staggering, and with so much information available at our fingertips, ensuring patients are utilizing reliable, accurate sources to make the best decisions for their health can be a challenge. Regular communication is essential. Read more.
05.10.13 | By Karl Uhlendorf
Nobody better represents the exciting science of our sector than those who are rolling up their sleeves and engaging in innovative biopharmaceutical research every day. As a result, we at PhRMA and our member companies are excited to highlight the stories and lives of some of our inspiring scientists. Read more.
05.10.13 | By Grady Forrer
Hurricane season is coming. It starts in less than a month. Now’s the time to get prepared. Here’s a clip from the Barometer Bob Show on the Weather Radio Broadcast Network. Read more.
Medicines are a part of the solution
05.10.13 | By Liz Magsig
IMS’ latest report, Declining Medicine Use and Costs: For Better or Worse, reasserts the value that medicines provide in improving patients’ health and saving money on future health care costs. It’s also a great example of how and why the life cycle of medicines works so well. Read more.
Vendor Profile: The Antibody, The Scientist, and an Adorable Sheep; The Story of Abcam
05.10.13 | By Kaelan Hollon
Last week I wrote about my experience at the US Chamber’s Small Business Summit, and noted that I would be profiling some smaller businesses who work with pharmaceutical manufacturing companies as vendors.These vendors are enormously important because as we’ve said before, researching and manufacturing medicine doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Read more.
Biopharmaceutical Scientists: Paving the Way for the Next Generation
05.08.13 | By John Castellani
As an industry, we need to do a better job of telling our story – who we are, what we believe in, and why the work we are doing is so important. Read more.
Merck Scientist Pioneered the Invention of More Than 40 Vaccines, Saving Millions of Lives
05.08.13 | By Kaelan Hollon
In the (now famous) picture, a mumps-ridden Jeryl Hilleman screams at the camera while older sister Kristen cautiously holds the baby still enough to endure the prick of a needle held by their father, Merck vaccinologist Dr. Maurice Hilleman. Read more.
Ongoing Research in Leukemia & Lymphoma
05.07.13 | By Preet Bilinksi
Blood cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma, can affect anyone, including children. Each year, nearly 150,000 Americans are diagnosed with a blood cancer—accounting for about 9 percent of all new cancer diagnoses according to the American Cancer Society. Read more.
The PFCD’s Mission – Improved Health, Lower Health Care Costs
05.07.13 | By Jeff Trewhitt
In a blog a couple of weeks ago, I summarized the many anti-chronic disease efforts PhRMA supports and explained why we’ve made those commitments. High on the list of programs we back is the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) and a recent statement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains why. Read more.
