I have nothing wrong with accountants. They pay attention to the little details in numbers that I some how don't understand. I have an accountant I use to do my taxes and take care of my financial stuff. My husband has an MBA and he can explain all the financial stuff on a level that I need to understand.
I used to work for a company where each year when I had to present my budgets to accountants, they drew straws on who would have to deal with me. Because I wasn't enough of a numbers person for them. I know they are important. But they also can be too focused on numbers and not on people.
Now we have a problem. Big pharma companies are beginning to focus on their profits and not on creating better medications for patients. Why? Because now that the accountants are beginning to rule.
In the last few decades it has not been unusual for pharma companies, and others, to merge, move, and streamline themselves for financial reasons. Have a competitor? Buy him out, problem solved. Some one designed a good product? Buy them out and take advantage of their technology.
But now big pharma companies are taking it a step farther. They are letting their accountants take over and make BIG financial decisions to take better care of their bottom line. First they are moving to countries with lower tax rates. Then they will lose a lot of staff and potentially stifle innovation as they hire new scientists who start over in development, but they will save a lot of money over all. And example of this is Pfizer which is buying Allergan.
"Pfizer is the largest drug maker in the United States, but after striking a deal on Monday to buy Allergan, the company is on the verge of becoming Irish.
For shareholders, this may be their lucky charm. After the merger, Pfizer will be able to shift its legal headquarters from New York to Dublin and pay lower taxes, which should bolster its bottom line.
But in the process, scientists are likely to lose their jobs, innovation may suffer, and consumers could pay more for Pfizer medicines."
To me this deal sounds like only the accountants and share holders will be happy. So I must ask: What about the patients?
Maybe its time for the politicians to step forward and say the US will negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for their medications, only if they are based in the US, paying US taxes, and hiring American citizens to work there? Just an idea.
Dec 11, 2017
Dec 5, 2017
How Generous!
Back in September, I blogged about the lovely 'gentleman' who bumped up the price of a drug from $3.50 per pill to $750 because they felt like it essentially. Because of a bit of ensuing 'bad press', they then announced they would reduce the price but never said how much.
Now they have finally made a decision on their price decrease. It will be a generous 50%. So since they raised the price somewhere around 5000%, the 50% decrease will really be about 2500% increase from the original price.
"Still, even a 50% discount would only bring the price for hospitals down to $375 per 25 mg pill.
The typical Daraprim dosage is between 50 mg and 75 mg a day for one to three weeks and can be followed by an additional 25 mg a day for four to five weeks if needed, according to the FDA. So even with the discount, a normal course of treatment for toxoplasmosis could cost between $5,200 and $36,700."
I still don't like this guy and don't think he's generous.
Now they have finally made a decision on their price decrease. It will be a generous 50%. So since they raised the price somewhere around 5000%, the 50% decrease will really be about 2500% increase from the original price.
"Still, even a 50% discount would only bring the price for hospitals down to $375 per 25 mg pill.
The typical Daraprim dosage is between 50 mg and 75 mg a day for one to three weeks and can be followed by an additional 25 mg a day for four to five weeks if needed, according to the FDA. So even with the discount, a normal course of treatment for toxoplasmosis could cost between $5,200 and $36,700."
I still don't like this guy and don't think he's generous.
Dec 4, 2017
Aggravations
My little world is feeling very aggravated this morning. First of all my damn laptop is having way too many technical issues. I have been working on it for days. It keeps running too slow. It is running a little faster but still has hiccups. I need to pull some more tricks out of my sleeve to fix it.
Also, my damn prescriptions are aggravating me. A few weeks ago, I had prescription issues when it took weeks to get one filled. Last Tuesday I called in another prescription and today I had to call again... I have 1, yes ONE, pill left. Which means I have until tomorrow at about 6 pm before I completely run out. Just damn aggravating.
Then I read in this morning's paper (yes I read the paper newspaper every day - the comics are better in the paper than online, and if you don't read the comics, life would be too boring) about how many unvaccinated children there are these days.
Who knew that most children do not get their vaccinations before their second birthday? Vaccinations are one of the greatest advances in modern medicine and people don't get their kids vaccinated. I don't get this. People who stop eating fast food to be healthier but then don't get their kids vaccinated? They would have their children's best interest at heart if they got the shots.
I just don't understand this. Its the same for people who go macrobiotic and skip going to the doctor. Maybe I'm just good and aggravated already before I read the paper
Also, my damn prescriptions are aggravating me. A few weeks ago, I had prescription issues when it took weeks to get one filled. Last Tuesday I called in another prescription and today I had to call again... I have 1, yes ONE, pill left. Which means I have until tomorrow at about 6 pm before I completely run out. Just damn aggravating.
Then I read in this morning's paper (yes I read the paper newspaper every day - the comics are better in the paper than online, and if you don't read the comics, life would be too boring) about how many unvaccinated children there are these days.
Who knew that most children do not get their vaccinations before their second birthday? Vaccinations are one of the greatest advances in modern medicine and people don't get their kids vaccinated. I don't get this. People who stop eating fast food to be healthier but then don't get their kids vaccinated? They would have their children's best interest at heart if they got the shots.
I just don't understand this. Its the same for people who go macrobiotic and skip going to the doctor. Maybe I'm just good and aggravated already before I read the paper
Nov 27, 2017
Inaccurate Medical Tests
With new medical research, medical 'tests' are springing up all over to test for genetic defects in unborn babies, best treatments for medical conditions, and risks of certain diseases, among other issues. The problem is not all these tests are accurate and are leading to unnecessary surgeries, putting patients on unneeded medications, and raising medical costs.
The problem is when tests are run at a single facility so the FDA is relying on manufacturer reported problems including deaths or injuries to patients.
"Diagnostic tests are now regulated differently depending on where they were developed and manufactured. Products that will be sold to multiple labs — “commercial test kits” — are typically subject to FDA review before they go on the market.
Manufacturers are supposed to inform the government if they learn that their products may have contributed to a death or a serious injury, and they may have to notify the government if they recall defective products.
But for tests manufactured and used within a single laboratory, the agency has not actively enforced regulatory requirements, even though doctors around the country may submit samples to that lab for testing."
The tests included here are the OncotypeDX for breast cancer recurrence risk and the CA-125 test for ovarian cancer. Using the CA-125 test as an example:
One blood test to help detect ovarian cancer was never shown to be effective, the report said, but was used anyway. False-positive tests may have led to “unnecessary surgery to remove healthy ovaries.”
According to the American Cancer Society:
"In studies of women at average risk of ovarian cancer, using TVUS and CA-125 for screening led to more testing and sometimes more surgeries, but did not lower the number of deaths caused by ovarian cancer. For that reason, no major medical or professional organization recommends the routine use of TVUS or the CA-125 blood test to screen for ovarian cancer."
There are also studies out looking at the validity of these two tests and others. The current administration as well as much of Congress is looking at ways to close loopholes and require additional testing and validation of the tests to ensure patients are not harmed or subject to unneeded treatments.
My doctors have never mentioned either of these two tests for me. I do not think they are used at the hospital where I am treated either. Sometimes I have wondered why these tests were not offered. But now I am happy I didn't make any decisions based on their results.
The problem is when tests are run at a single facility so the FDA is relying on manufacturer reported problems including deaths or injuries to patients.
"Diagnostic tests are now regulated differently depending on where they were developed and manufactured. Products that will be sold to multiple labs — “commercial test kits” — are typically subject to FDA review before they go on the market.
Manufacturers are supposed to inform the government if they learn that their products may have contributed to a death or a serious injury, and they may have to notify the government if they recall defective products.
But for tests manufactured and used within a single laboratory, the agency has not actively enforced regulatory requirements, even though doctors around the country may submit samples to that lab for testing."
The tests included here are the OncotypeDX for breast cancer recurrence risk and the CA-125 test for ovarian cancer. Using the CA-125 test as an example:
One blood test to help detect ovarian cancer was never shown to be effective, the report said, but was used anyway. False-positive tests may have led to “unnecessary surgery to remove healthy ovaries.”
According to the American Cancer Society:
"In studies of women at average risk of ovarian cancer, using TVUS and CA-125 for screening led to more testing and sometimes more surgeries, but did not lower the number of deaths caused by ovarian cancer. For that reason, no major medical or professional organization recommends the routine use of TVUS or the CA-125 blood test to screen for ovarian cancer."
There are also studies out looking at the validity of these two tests and others. The current administration as well as much of Congress is looking at ways to close loopholes and require additional testing and validation of the tests to ensure patients are not harmed or subject to unneeded treatments.
My doctors have never mentioned either of these two tests for me. I do not think they are used at the hospital where I am treated either. Sometimes I have wondered why these tests were not offered. But now I am happy I didn't make any decisions based on their results.
Nov 20, 2017
Can I be a person not a patient?
I often feel I spend a good portion of my life going from medical appointment to medical appointment. My calendar is full of doctor appointments, reminders to call different doctors, or notes on prescriptions.
My schedule is set for the rest of my life by medical appointments. Yesterday I wanted to go to the gym in the morning but had to wait until after the eye doctor for my dry eyes, which force me there twice a year. Those dry eyes, along with dry mouth, are a 'benefit' of my rheumatoid. Which is followed by a dentist appointment on Friday morning, which will also delay my getting to the gym. Or force me to get up early to go to the gym first.
I used to work with a woman who scheduled all her doctor appointments for the year in one week. I'm so jealous.
Normal people don't go to the doctor as often as I do. Their calendars are filled with friends, fun, and adventures. I get to go to the doctor.
My schedule is set for the rest of my life by medical appointments. Yesterday I wanted to go to the gym in the morning but had to wait until after the eye doctor for my dry eyes, which force me there twice a year. Those dry eyes, along with dry mouth, are a 'benefit' of my rheumatoid. Which is followed by a dentist appointment on Friday morning, which will also delay my getting to the gym. Or force me to get up early to go to the gym first.
I used to work with a woman who scheduled all her doctor appointments for the year in one week. I'm so jealous.
Normal people don't go to the doctor as often as I do. Their calendars are filled with friends, fun, and adventures. I get to go to the doctor.