Friday, December 12, 2008

Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy or Recessions and Depressions

Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy

Author: Stuart O O Schweitzer

The pharmaceutical industry is praised as a world leader in high technology innovation and the creator of products that increase both longevity and quality of life for people throughout the world. At the same time, the industry is also criticized for its marketing and pricing practices and for its apparent anticompetitive responses to generic competition. Even its research and development priorities are criticized as being too closely driven by the goal of maximizing shareholder value, rather than the health of the public. Unfortunately, many of the critics of the industry fail to understand the complexities of the industry and its role in the nations healthcare system. This book uses the tools of economic analysis to explore the conflicting priorities and aims of the pharmaceutical industry, from both an American and worldwide perspective.
This is the second edition of a uniquely comprehensive and balanced discussion of pharmaceutical policy issues. All the chapters of the former edition have been fully re-written and extensively updated.
In addition, the book includes six new chapters on emerging topics such as the broadened role of FDA regulations and the increasing diversity of the industry. An entire chapter is devoted to the biotechnology industry and one to alternative medicines, often called "nutraceuticals." Another new chapter discusses segments of the industry that specialize in particular activities including generic drugs and drug delivery systems. The recent controversial expansion of Medicare to cover outpatient drugs is discussed in depth. The introduction is also updated to address the volatile pace of pharmaceutical innovation and how thepharmaceutical industry has responded to the emergence of managed care.

Daniel E. Hilleman

This book is the first in-depth evaluation of the economics of the U.S. and world-wide pharmaceutical industry in more than 25 years. It evaluates the pharmaceutical industry, marketing strategies of the pharmaceutical industry, the demand for pharmaceuticals, the pharmaceutical market, and interventions in the pharmaceutical market, including regulation, patient protection, new drug evaluation, and future health policy. The purpose is to explore conflicting priorities and aims of the pharmaceutical industry. This text, using an economic framework, examines the supply and demand sides of the pharmaceutical market as well as policies that attempt to alter market performance. The audience for this book is broad and will include healthcare professionals and students interested in health economics, health administration, pharmacy administration, and public policy. In addition, individuals working for healthcare regulatory agencies, pharmaceutical industry, health delivery organizations and healthcare insurance providers will find this information valuable. Highlights of the text include an in-depth discussion of pharmaceutical industry research and development practices, pharmaceutical marketing strategies, pharmaceutical pricing strategies, and patient protection issues. This book represents a worthwhile effort in discussing the economics and market forces that shape the pharmaceutical industry in the U.S. and abroad. Although some of the chapters appear to be disjointed from others, each contains useful and relevant information. The discussion of foreign regulatory affairs, foreign drug development, and pharmacoeconomic evaluations of new drugs tend to be less in-depth than otherissues. The book may have faired better if the global perspective were eliminated. Given these relatively minor detractions, the text is a welcome addition to those readers who deal with the pharmaceutical industrial and public policy issues.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer: Daniel E. Hilleman, PharmD (Creighton University School of Pharmacy)
Description: This book is the first in-depth evaluation of the economics of the U.S. and world-wide pharmaceutical industry in more than 25 years. It evaluates the pharmaceutical industry, marketing strategies of the pharmaceutical industry, the demand for pharmaceuticals, the pharmaceutical market, and interventions in the pharmaceutical market, including regulation, patient protection, new drug evaluation, and future health policy.
Purpose: The purpose is to explore conflicting priorities and aims of the pharmaceutical industry. This text, using an economic framework, examines the supply and demand sides of the pharmaceutical market as well as policies that attempt to alter market performance.
Audience: The audience for this book is broad and will include healthcare professionals and students interested in health economics, health administration, pharmacy administration, and public policy. In addition, individuals working for healthcare regulatory agencies, pharmaceutical industry, health delivery organizations and healthcare insurance providers will find this information valuable.
Features: Highlights of the text include an in-depth discussion of pharmaceutical industry research and development practices, pharmaceutical marketing strategies, pharmaceutical pricing strategies, and patient protection issues.
Assessment: This book represents a worthwhile effort in discussing the economics and market forces that shape the pharmaceutical industry in the U.S. and abroad. Although some of the chapters appear to be disjointed from others, each contains useful and relevant information. The discussion of foreign regulatory affairs, foreign drug development, and pharmacoeconomic evaluations of new drugs tend to be less in-depth than other issues. The book may have faired better if the global perspective were eliminated. Given these relatively minor detractions, the text is a welcome addition to those readers who deal with the pharmaceutical industrial and public policy issues.

Rating

2 Stars from Doody




Table of Contents:
Introduction3
1Pharmaceutical Industry Research and Development21
2Marketing Pharmaceuticals43
3The Demand for Pharmaceuticals73
4Pharmaceutical Prices93
5The Worldwide Market for Pharmaceuticals113
6Pricing Pharmaceuticals in a World Environment117
7The Timing of Drug Approvals in the United States and Abroad153
8Pharmaceutical Regulation and Cost Containment171
9Patent Protection195
10Evaluating New Drugs207
11Pharmaceuticals and Health Policy: A Look Ahead225

Books about marketing: Entrepreneurship or Strategic Logistics Management

Recessions and Depressions: Understanding Business Cycles

Author: Todd A Knoop

The economy of any nation is an intricate web of relationships among the factors determining supply and demand--and everything that affects them, from inflation to taxes to the stock market. The study of business cycles attempts to explain why economies grow and contract, experiencing periods of prosperity and pain. Consistent with the popular conception of economics as the "dismal science," economists secretly long for recessions (periods of negative growth) and depressions (severe contractions), not because they enjoy their devastating impact on human welfare, but because these downturns serve as excellent laboratories for observing what happens when markets break down. Despite over two centuries of debate, no one has yet definitively unlocked the secrets of economic downturns and how they might be prevented. In Recessions and Depressions, Todd Knoop takes us on a fascinating journey through the history of economic thought, tracing the evolution of business cycle theory. In the process, he presents an accessible introduction to what makes the economy tick, and offers new insights into understanding such historic economic events as the Great Depression, as well as more recent ones, such as the Asian meltdown in the 1990s, the financial crises in Latin America, and the U.S. recession of 2001, from which the United States is still recovering. Knoop reminds us that economists' track record in forecasting business cycles leaves much to be desired, and the quest to fully understand what causes economic downturns--and their effects on individuals and families--continues.



No comments: