The absence of government regulation in the US has left pharmaceutical companies free to set their own prices based on a number of market considerations. Historically, these have included not only ingredient, research and development costs, but also advertising, the drug's marginal...

Although the advantages of disseminating health information on the world wide web are well recognized, there has been considerable concern about the quality of online information. There has also been some debate as to whether organizations with a vested interest in a product, such as...

Specialty pharmacy service (SPS) companies are filling a new niche in the expanding role of chronic disease management (DM). These companies distribute expensive biotechnology drugs to patients who have relatively uncommon but very expensive chronic diseases. Although there are considerable...

The Internet has changed healthcare practice and has just begun to influence pharmaceutical consumers and providers. The Internet firstly affects the pharmaceutical consumer through the five main functions it offers to all consumers of care. These functions are: 1. to provide and distribute...

Hypertension and diabetes mellitus are significant and independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Antihypertensive therapy reduces cerebrovascular and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with hypertension. Tight blood pressure (BP) control [target diastolic BP (DBP)...

The increasing speed at which new knowledge is generated and disseminated means that we have to learn knew ways of handling this information. Instead of trying to remember information in case we need it at a later date, we need to develop the skills of finding, appraising and using information...

There is now conclusive evidence to support the widely prescribed application of disease management programs in heart failure care. These strategies result in significant improvement in many barometers of care, including admission rates, prescription of disease modifying therapy, and improved...

Patients with health insurance do not make the most cost conscious healthcare decisions since they bear only a fraction of the total cost of medical care. Managed care advocates point to financial incentives as a way to reduce wasteful resource use. However, physicians with managed care...

The poor efficacy and tolerability of conventional antipsychotic treatment in schizophrenia, together with discovery of the

Screening programs for sickle cell disease, when effective, can reduce morbidity and mortality as a direct consequence of patient education and optimized clinical management. However, informed patient or parental consent is necessary prior to the screening process as a person's sickle status is...