I’m continuing to read about our US heath care system. It’s good bed time material. To make this fun and maybe a bit more interactive, I’ve designed a quick one page 5 question survey to test your heath care IQ. Please click on the link below.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=rHPY9Eo1NK_2fTqplS7RP7tA_3d_3d
It takes less than a minute to complete and doesn’t even have a place to include your name or comments. I’ll publish the answers and the survey results towards the end of this month.
Enjoy, take care, and good health to you all.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Cost of Bringing New Drugs to Market
Most of us have seen an email making the Internet rounds on the cost of manufacturing a drug (e.g., Advil), the retail price, and the huge markup… 100s or 1,000s of percent. What’s not factored in is the cost of actually bringing a drug to market.
According to a report by the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, the average total research and development cost for new drugs in the late 1990s was $897 million. THAT’S ALMOST ONE BILLION DOLLARS. THAT’S THE AVERAGE. That total was more than double the average total cost of bringing a new drug to market in the 1980s, and more than five times the cost in the 1970s.
Another recent study estimated that only 21.5% of drugs that began Phase I trials ever get to market. This boils down to just over one-fifth of the drugs that looked promising enough in animal trials to warrant human trials proved to provide an advantage over drugs currently on the market.
So, the next time you pop an Advil, Aleve, or Aspirin and think about how much money the drug companies are making, maybe you will factor in their R&D costs and the lives that were saved, prolonged, or improved along the way.
Enjoy, take care, and good health to you all.
According to a report by the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, the average total research and development cost for new drugs in the late 1990s was $897 million. THAT’S ALMOST ONE BILLION DOLLARS. THAT’S THE AVERAGE. That total was more than double the average total cost of bringing a new drug to market in the 1980s, and more than five times the cost in the 1970s.
Another recent study estimated that only 21.5% of drugs that began Phase I trials ever get to market. This boils down to just over one-fifth of the drugs that looked promising enough in animal trials to warrant human trials proved to provide an advantage over drugs currently on the market.
So, the next time you pop an Advil, Aleve, or Aspirin and think about how much money the drug companies are making, maybe you will factor in their R&D costs and the lives that were saved, prolonged, or improved along the way.
Enjoy, take care, and good health to you all.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Dust in the Wind
Hi. Sorry, but I wasn’t able to keep to my blog schedule. No excuses. My future plan is to publish when I have something to share.
One of the things that helps get me through tough times is listening to music. For those that know me, you know I’m completely tone deaf. That’s doesn’t seem to take away from music’s meditative effect. Some people like classical music. I’m not one of them, but I’m beginning to understand the appeal. I’m a child of the 60s and 70s and still love good ole rock and roll… as long as it’s not too loud. I listen with my eye’s shut. I also like lite country music, songs from Bonnie Raitt or the Dixie Chicks. My current favorite song is Dust in the Wind by Kansas. Here’s the song and lyrics on YouTube...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9vWvqUebfc
Give it a try. Sit back, shut your eyes, and go with the music.
Enjoy, take care, don’t take yourself too seriously, and good health to you all.
One of the things that helps get me through tough times is listening to music. For those that know me, you know I’m completely tone deaf. That’s doesn’t seem to take away from music’s meditative effect. Some people like classical music. I’m not one of them, but I’m beginning to understand the appeal. I’m a child of the 60s and 70s and still love good ole rock and roll… as long as it’s not too loud. I listen with my eye’s shut. I also like lite country music, songs from Bonnie Raitt or the Dixie Chicks. My current favorite song is Dust in the Wind by Kansas. Here’s the song and lyrics on YouTube...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9vWvqUebfc
Give it a try. Sit back, shut your eyes, and go with the music.
Enjoy, take care, don’t take yourself too seriously, and good health to you all.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
U.S. Financial Markets - The Stimulus Package
Although you didn't come here to read about the economy, since I’m not writing about cancer for now, I thought I’d chime in on a subject that has impacted many people… the state of the U.S. financial markets. Here’s my take. The stimulus package's goals were to 1) prevent the collapse of our financial system, 2) open up the credit markets (e.g., allow prudent borrowing), and 3) allow the free market (i.e., capitalism) to prevail without the ongoing need for government aid.
As a bit of background, I have worked in Washington. First as a summer intern for the Federal Energy Administration (now DOE) between my first and second year at graduate school where I earned a Masters degree in Public Administration from the Heinz School at Carnegie Mellon University and later as a consultant working at the Pentagon for the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization (SDIO - the Star Wars program). What I learned during my years in Washington is that it is very hard to get anything accomplished. The politics, the turf battles, the bidding process, congress, employee morale, you name it… It’s just not that easy.
Now, let’s turn our attention back to the stimulus package. I feel they have succeeded in goal number 1. The stimulus package averted the complete melt down and destruction of our financial system. This was to the initial credit of President Bush who recognized in time the true crisis nature of the situation followed by focused aggressive action on the part of President Obama. I’ve never seen Washington work so hard and so fast in all my years on earth. On goal number 2, the restoration of our financial markets, there is light at the end of this tunnel. And no, it’s not an oncoming train. I know people who are taking advantage of the first time home buyer credit of $8,000 to buy their first home, I know people who are refinancing their mortgages and in doing so are putting significant money into their pockets monthly. This restoration will not happen overnight, but there are positive signs that they are beginning to work. It took us years to get into this mess and it could take years to get us out. On goal number 3, allowing the free markets to prevail, this is the most controversial right now. There are many who would argue that the U.S. went too far in the “forced” resignation of Rick Wagoner (CEO of GM) this week. These are drastic times and drastic measures are needed. Mr. Wagoner seemed like a good guy, he seemed to be trying, but in the end, our government (which is us) decided he wasn’t being successful enough. They didn’t actually force him to resign. They said they would not lend his company any more money if he stayed in place. I don’t want the U.S. car companies to go out of business. I think our government is looking out for our interests. The answer to whether or not we will achieve goal number 3 will not been known for a year or two. I encourage people to have at least a modicum of patience in this area.
Let’s turn to the subject of our deficit. It’s terrible, the worst in history, our kids will surely suffer, and rampant inflation is a given. I’ve heard all of these remarks. They are all possible, but I am willing to support the current deficit when the alternative was a complete collapse of our financial system (see goal 1 above). A collapse of our financial system would have led us into a depression. We have some hard times ahead, future plans about our own personal spending, retirement, and even a child’s education may be altered. But, I say, at least for now, we live to fight another day.
Take care, be patient, and good health to you all.
As a bit of background, I have worked in Washington. First as a summer intern for the Federal Energy Administration (now DOE) between my first and second year at graduate school where I earned a Masters degree in Public Administration from the Heinz School at Carnegie Mellon University and later as a consultant working at the Pentagon for the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization (SDIO - the Star Wars program). What I learned during my years in Washington is that it is very hard to get anything accomplished. The politics, the turf battles, the bidding process, congress, employee morale, you name it… It’s just not that easy.
Now, let’s turn our attention back to the stimulus package. I feel they have succeeded in goal number 1. The stimulus package averted the complete melt down and destruction of our financial system. This was to the initial credit of President Bush who recognized in time the true crisis nature of the situation followed by focused aggressive action on the part of President Obama. I’ve never seen Washington work so hard and so fast in all my years on earth. On goal number 2, the restoration of our financial markets, there is light at the end of this tunnel. And no, it’s not an oncoming train. I know people who are taking advantage of the first time home buyer credit of $8,000 to buy their first home, I know people who are refinancing their mortgages and in doing so are putting significant money into their pockets monthly. This restoration will not happen overnight, but there are positive signs that they are beginning to work. It took us years to get into this mess and it could take years to get us out. On goal number 3, allowing the free markets to prevail, this is the most controversial right now. There are many who would argue that the U.S. went too far in the “forced” resignation of Rick Wagoner (CEO of GM) this week. These are drastic times and drastic measures are needed. Mr. Wagoner seemed like a good guy, he seemed to be trying, but in the end, our government (which is us) decided he wasn’t being successful enough. They didn’t actually force him to resign. They said they would not lend his company any more money if he stayed in place. I don’t want the U.S. car companies to go out of business. I think our government is looking out for our interests. The answer to whether or not we will achieve goal number 3 will not been known for a year or two. I encourage people to have at least a modicum of patience in this area.
Let’s turn to the subject of our deficit. It’s terrible, the worst in history, our kids will surely suffer, and rampant inflation is a given. I’ve heard all of these remarks. They are all possible, but I am willing to support the current deficit when the alternative was a complete collapse of our financial system (see goal 1 above). A collapse of our financial system would have led us into a depression. We have some hard times ahead, future plans about our own personal spending, retirement, and even a child’s education may be altered. But, I say, at least for now, we live to fight another day.
Take care, be patient, and good health to you all.
Monday, March 30, 2009
A Favorite Experience Recalled - Jill Sobule
I’m not sure where this blog is headed. Since I don’t really want to talk about cancer right now, I thought I’d share with you one of my life’s favorite moments. A friend called me today. We started talking about music and concerts, etc when I shared the following story with him.
It was a dark and stormy night. Yes, it really was. It was a Sunday. We lived outside of Washington DC in a Virginia suburb at the time. This took place about 8 years ago. My wife asked if I’d like to go see Jill Sobule play. By then, she had two number 1 songs out… “I Kissed a Girl” and “Super Model.” She also had 5 or 6 CDs at the music stores. I loved her music. She was doing a women’s benefit at a restaurant / bar in downtown DC that night. There was a torrential downpour with lots of heavy thunder and lightening. That may explain why only 20 to 30 people showed up to hear her play. We had gotten there early and had a seat at a table right in front and just slightly left of the stage. Jill came on at about 9 PM. She played for almost 3 hours. Her music was amazing. She did all her music solo. For three hours she stared directly at me. No kidding. At the time, my wife said, “she keeps staring at you.” Towards the end of her set, she invited me up on stage to hold some sheet music for a song that was under development. Although I was a bit nervous, the couple of Long Island Ice Teas I’d consumed and a steady hand kept me from shaking the sheet music. After the show, we bought a CD (although I already had all of them), which she autographed to my daughter with her love. My daughter was a fan of hers as well. Jill has a website at http://www.jillsobule.com/. She’s a terrific entertainer. If you ever get a chance to see her, I highly recommend it. I have my wife to thank for taking me out that evening and my sister to thank for introducing me to Jill's music.
Take care and good health to you all.
It was a dark and stormy night. Yes, it really was. It was a Sunday. We lived outside of Washington DC in a Virginia suburb at the time. This took place about 8 years ago. My wife asked if I’d like to go see Jill Sobule play. By then, she had two number 1 songs out… “I Kissed a Girl” and “Super Model.” She also had 5 or 6 CDs at the music stores. I loved her music. She was doing a women’s benefit at a restaurant / bar in downtown DC that night. There was a torrential downpour with lots of heavy thunder and lightening. That may explain why only 20 to 30 people showed up to hear her play. We had gotten there early and had a seat at a table right in front and just slightly left of the stage. Jill came on at about 9 PM. She played for almost 3 hours. Her music was amazing. She did all her music solo. For three hours she stared directly at me. No kidding. At the time, my wife said, “she keeps staring at you.” Towards the end of her set, she invited me up on stage to hold some sheet music for a song that was under development. Although I was a bit nervous, the couple of Long Island Ice Teas I’d consumed and a steady hand kept me from shaking the sheet music. After the show, we bought a CD (although I already had all of them), which she autographed to my daughter with her love. My daughter was a fan of hers as well. Jill has a website at http://www.jillsobule.com/. She’s a terrific entertainer. If you ever get a chance to see her, I highly recommend it. I have my wife to thank for taking me out that evening and my sister to thank for introducing me to Jill's music.
Take care and good health to you all.
Friday, March 27, 2009
The Cancer Time Warp
I began seeing a Therapist earlier this year. I see her once every two weeks. It is helping. One “ah ha” moment from my last session emanated from a statement I made to her. I said, “It feels like my diagnosis was just last week [it will be 4 years ago next month] and everything else in my life seems like they happened a lifetime ago." She said it is not uncommon to be self absorbed and engrossed in a personal traumatic event. The event becomes all consuming and most everything else takes a backseat. This resonated with me. It has been like a time warp. The world, events, and people around you continue on with their lives and somewhat gradually (figuratively speaking), I’m coming out of a coma. It feels good to be here.
Updates to this blog will be posted on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Take care and good health to you all.
Updates to this blog will be posted on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Take care and good health to you all.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Random Remarks
Hi. Having run out of things to write about regarding my cancer for the time being, yet wanting to continue writing this blog, I thought I’d share a few somewhat random activities I’ve enjoyed recently. I also decided, somewhat randomly as well, to try to write 3 blog entries a week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Random item #1: I finished a good book this week. It is non fiction and titled, “The Best Practice – How the New Quality Movement is Transforming Medicine.” It was written by Charles Kenney with a copyright date of 2008. The book covers the time period from the early 1980s to the present. It is based on the premise that there are 98,000 preventable deaths each year in the U.S. due to health care mistakes. Mistakes include infections picked up while in the hospital, prescription drug problems (too little, too much, or the wrong drug altogether), surgical mistakes (operating on the wrong side of a patient's brain), and the list goes on and on. The second premise is that regardless of one’s socioeconomic status, only half the Americans on average receive the care and treatment that is needed. The author walks us though how the medical establishment has been trying to transform itself into an organization that is continually striving for improvement and excellence. It’s a good read for anyone interested in health care in the U.S. Coincidentally, I watched the movie Sicko by producer/director Roger Moore the day I finished this book. It presents a similar story as to issues within our health care system without realistically addressing ways to address their causes.
Random item #2: I finished a great fiction book today titled, “Replay.” The copyright is 1986 by author Ken Grimwood. The premise was somewhat like the movie Groundhog Day (Bill Murray 1993), but taking place over a span of 25 years and in a much more complex and intriguing way. It had enough twists and turns to make this a 2 day page turner. If you’re looking for a fast read with great character development, this is it.
Random item #3: I found a website this week that has been gaining incredible traction. It was non-existent 6 months ago and is now rated in the top 3,000 most visited websites in the world. It is based on the premise that one person’s misery can be another person’s entertainment. Somewhat like clips from the old show America’s Funniest Home Videos. Except, these aren’t videos; they are short (300 character or less) stories submitted by people about funny, sad, awkward, etc. situations that happen to them in their day-to-day lives. The website is www.Fmylife.com. If you’re a little down and would feel better under the heading of misery loves company, give this website a try.
That’s it for today. See you again on Friday. BTW- Thanks to all of you that have posted comments recently. If you have any topics that you would like to hear about, please post them or send them my way. Take care and good health to you all.
Random item #1: I finished a good book this week. It is non fiction and titled, “The Best Practice – How the New Quality Movement is Transforming Medicine.” It was written by Charles Kenney with a copyright date of 2008. The book covers the time period from the early 1980s to the present. It is based on the premise that there are 98,000 preventable deaths each year in the U.S. due to health care mistakes. Mistakes include infections picked up while in the hospital, prescription drug problems (too little, too much, or the wrong drug altogether), surgical mistakes (operating on the wrong side of a patient's brain), and the list goes on and on. The second premise is that regardless of one’s socioeconomic status, only half the Americans on average receive the care and treatment that is needed. The author walks us though how the medical establishment has been trying to transform itself into an organization that is continually striving for improvement and excellence. It’s a good read for anyone interested in health care in the U.S. Coincidentally, I watched the movie Sicko by producer/director Roger Moore the day I finished this book. It presents a similar story as to issues within our health care system without realistically addressing ways to address their causes.
Random item #2: I finished a great fiction book today titled, “Replay.” The copyright is 1986 by author Ken Grimwood. The premise was somewhat like the movie Groundhog Day (Bill Murray 1993), but taking place over a span of 25 years and in a much more complex and intriguing way. It had enough twists and turns to make this a 2 day page turner. If you’re looking for a fast read with great character development, this is it.
Random item #3: I found a website this week that has been gaining incredible traction. It was non-existent 6 months ago and is now rated in the top 3,000 most visited websites in the world. It is based on the premise that one person’s misery can be another person’s entertainment. Somewhat like clips from the old show America’s Funniest Home Videos. Except, these aren’t videos; they are short (300 character or less) stories submitted by people about funny, sad, awkward, etc. situations that happen to them in their day-to-day lives. The website is www.Fmylife.com. If you’re a little down and would feel better under the heading of misery loves company, give this website a try.
That’s it for today. See you again on Friday. BTW- Thanks to all of you that have posted comments recently. If you have any topics that you would like to hear about, please post them or send them my way. Take care and good health to you all.
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