Pharmaceuticals
Why Democratic convention viewers saw so many drug ads | STATDemocratic politicians made a few jabs at the pharmaceutical industry at their convention this week, but viewers tuning in at home saw something of a counterargument during commercial breaks: a stream of ads promoting drugs – and the drug industry.
Pfizer acquires Bamboo Therapeutics to beef up gene therapy arsenal | Reuters
Pfizer said it had acquired privately held gene therapy developer Bamboo Therapeutics Inc. in a deal worth up to $645 million to boost its presence in the treatment of rare diseases.
Safety, quality and clinical practice
Immunotherapy offers hope to a cancer patient, but no certainty | The New York TimesThe New York Times highlights a cancer patient's struggle to receive immunotherapy treatment to fight Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Opioid dependence leads to 'tsunami' of medical services, study finds | Kaiser Health News
In one of the first looks at privately insured patients with opioid problems, researchers paint a grim picture: Medical services for people with opioid dependence diagnoses skyrocketed more than 3,000% between 2007 and 2014.
Racial minorities short-changed on stroke care | MedScape.com
Stroke patients from racial minorities receive fewer procedures shown to improve outcomes and more procedures that keep patients alive but are often associated with poor outcomes.
Physicians
Doctors are improperly billing some on Medicare, U.S. says | New York TimesDoctors are improperly billing poor people on Medicare for deductibles, copayments and other costs from which they are supposed to be exempt, the Obama administration says.
