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What We're Reading: Pfizer, GSK Combining OTC Units; NIH's Collins Under Pressure; VA Suicide Prevention Efforts Lag
In a deal that will allow both companies to focus more on their prescription drug business, Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline plan to combine their over-the-counter (OTC) consumer healthcare units; 2 antiabortion groups want National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Director Francis Collins, MD, to resign after he defended the agency’s funding of fetal tissue research; despite the fact that 20 veterans die a day from suicide, suicide prevention efforts at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have slumped.
Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline to Combine OTC Businesses to Focus on Prescription Drugs
In a deal that will allow both companies to focus more on their prescription drug business, Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline plan to combine their consumer healthcare units and eventually spin off the joint venture, The Wall Street Journal reported. The venture will become the world's largest seller of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines.
Antiabortion Groups Want NIH Director Collins to Step Down
Two antiabortion groups, March for Life and Live Action, want National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Director Francis Collins, MD, to resign after he defended the agency’s funding of fetal tissue research. The Hill reported that he told Science magazine that fetal tissue would “continue to be the mainstay” for research. HHS is conducting a review of more than $100 million in federal funding of these projects and is expected to reach a decision in the coming months. It did cancel a contract with 1 fetal tissue firm after facing pressure from the antiabortion groups.
VA Suicide Prevention Efforts Dropped Amid Agency Chaos
Despite the fact that 20 veterans die a day from suicide, suicide prevention efforts at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have slumped, according to a Government Accountability Office report. The report blamed bureaucratic confusion and key vacancies, The New York Times said. The VA spent just $57,000 of its $6.2 million media budget, and its presence on social media, mostly paid posts, declined by 77% from the levels of 2015. In a response, the VA agreed with the assessment and said that it was already working on correcting the problems.
Urticaria Diagnosis Challenged by Overlapping Pruritic Skin Conditions
April 23rd 2025Urticaria is complicated to diagnose by its symptomatic overlap with other skin conditions and the frequent misclassification in literature of distinct pathologies like vasculitic urticaria and bullous pemphigus.
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New Research Challenges Assumptions About Hospital-Physician Integration, Medicare Patient Mix
April 22nd 2025On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Brady Post, PhD, lead author of a study published in the April 2025 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care®, challenges the claim that hospital-employed physicians serve a more complex patient mix.
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Personalized Care Key as Tirzepatide Use Expands Rapidly
April 15th 2025Using commercial insurance claims data and the US launch of tirzepatide as their dividing point, John Ostrominski, MD, Harvard Medical School, and his team studied trends in the use of both glucose-lowering and weight-lowering medications, comparing outcomes between adults with and without type 2 diabetes.
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ACOs’ Focus on Rooting Out Fraud Aligns With CMS Vision Under Oz
April 23rd 2025Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are increasingly playing the role of data sleuths as they identify and report trends of anomalous billing in hopes of salvaging their shared savings. This mission dovetails with that of CMS, which under the new administration plans to prioritize rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse.
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