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July 20, 2008

Rocket Man

On NASA, BBC and GSK

The industry’s image takes another hit in Britain. Unsolicited advice on avoiding similar encounters.

Business As Usual

Wyeth on FDAAA

Joseph Camardo spoke at the Post-Approval Summit at Harvard, and was wicked smart. Even so, what he didn’t say perturbed us. 

Litigation Into Perpetuity?

Drug Safety: A Lawyer’s View

A lawyer says litigation illuminates how the pharmaceutical industry thinks and conducts itself. A few forward-looking statements.

Trasylol, Bayer & Three Mile Island

Drug Safety Story Time

Reflections on the power of narrative and the industry’s wobbly reputation.

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Rocket Man

On NASA, BBC and GSK

June 03, 2008

By Mark Uehling

Is there a more wasteful federal program than NASA? Does it matter if a robot can land on some planet and take a picture of itself digging a small hole? It’s clear that NASA is both useless and popular. Which…

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Business As Usual

Wyeth on FDAAA

May 20, 2008

By Mark Uehling

Because of the random sighting of Ira Spector at one conference or another, we’ve always had a soft spot for Wyeth. We don’t know Spector—no need to fret he has been consorting with the news media. But from remarks by…

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Litigation Into Perpetuity?

Drug Safety: A Lawyer’s View

March 05, 2008

By Mark Uehling

When will the drug safety wars end? How will they end? A new president? A Supreme Court decision? We thought Tom Lamb might know. He’s an attorney based in Wilmington, North Carolina. Like it or not, lawyers like Lamb are…

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Trasylol, Bayer & Three Mile Island

Drug Safety Story Time

February 22, 2008

By Mark Uehling

With the Oscars upon us, it’s time to reflect on something simple. Our brains store information and make sense of the world in stories. This is true in all cultures, all individuals. “She saved my career.” “They worked it out.”…

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The V-Word

Merck’s Win, Industry’s Loss

November 26, 2007

By Mark Uehling

Earlier this month, after months of negotiations, Merck announced a large but manageable $4.85 billion settlement of an unknown number of Vioxx plaintiffs who can prove they took the drug and suffered strokes or heart attacks. Those plaintiffs still have…

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The Case For Outreach

Stopping Drug Safety Spin Cycle

October 12, 2007

By Mark Uehling

A few years ago, thinking the way all journalists think, we had an epiphany. The reportorial brain is the one we’re happily stuck with. But it often adopts a harshly negative, critical outlook that transcends age, geography and political affiliation.…

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Post-Approval Summit

Politician, Serono Speak at Meeting

May 02, 2007

By Mark Uehling

The Post-Approval Summit at Harvard, now in its third year, is the most cerebral conference on our calendar. It is also the meeting most larded with VIP speakers, including a preponderance of physicians who run a) large swaths of international…

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Nonsense About Ketek

Ex-PPD Employee Testifies

February 14, 2007

By Mark Uehling

There’s another wrinkle in the Ketek story. The Wall Street Journal reports on the Congressional testimony of Ann Marie Cisneros. She’s a former employee of Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD), a leading contract research organization with $1.26 billion in revenues in…

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Themes For 2007

The Demonization of Pharma

January 02, 2007

By Mark Uehling

In the aftermath of 9/11, Newsweek did a cover story on the roots of Islamic hostility to the U.S. That story was titled “Why They Hate Us.” As 2007 begins, the same unsettling question can be asked of the life…