What struck me most about the film was a segment where Mr Moore took some workers who were exposed to deadly toxins on 9-11 to Cuba for healthcare. Now of course I am sure the Cubans were playing him like an old fiddle and were trying to put their best impressions in front of the camera but still the people he brought with him were all given great medical care by Cuban medical people. Some were treated on the spot for conditions they had while others were diagnosed and taken off some of their medications that were prescribed in the US

Laura Meckler of the Wall Street Journal reports that President Barack Obama outlined a further $313 billion in cuts to government health-care spending over 10 years, largely impacting hospitals, as he hunts additional dollars to pay for expanded coverage for the uninsured…The new proposals would decrease payments to hospitals and others that provide Medicare services in a variety of ways. The

As of June 30, 2008, there had been 9,749 VAERS reports of adverse events following Gardasil vaccination. Of these, 94% were classified as reports of non-serious events, and 6% as serious events

Before President Obama made his speech to the AMA, upon which only 25% of US doctors are members, he might have wanted to take a look at the demographics of general practice physicians to see exactly what they are earning.

Ten cents of every dollar go to prescription drugs yet for some reason the President and Congress want to reduce drug costs even more. … Well, pharma is the long hanging fruit and it’s actually quite easy to go after corporate America, especially when they are in the news all the time about problems with drug marketing and unreported side effects

In its annual report on the biotechnology industry, Ernst & Young warns that the global financial crisis threatens to render the business models that have driven the sector to date unsustainable. The funding drought is placing these business models that fueled biotechnologies growth since its inception under unprecedented strain, the reports says.

FDA has just released a new draft guidance document: “Presenting Risk Information in Prescription Drug and Medical Device Promotion” (find the pdf file here ). I haven’t read the guidance yet, but according to a Reuters report, the guidance has some specific to TV ads: “Television ads for drugs and medical devices should avoid distracting images and music that can reduce viewers’ comprehension of potential side effects, U.S.

For some, comparative effectiveness is the cure for a healthcare system ailing from runaway costs. For others, it is a bureaucrat’s dream that provides a tool to reign in spending by limiting access to expensive new drugs. This week at the 2009 BIO International Convention, the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions released a new report that compares comparative effectiveness systems in countries where such systems are well established