Pharmaceutical Executive-12-01-2004

"The worst thing in the world that any of us could do would be for one part of our CME enterprise to interfere with either the professional or legal obligations of other parts of the enterprise," Murray Kopelow, chief executive of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), said in his opening remarks as he addressed an initially antagonistic-if not hostile-crowd on the second day of Pharmaceutical Executive's Second Annual Med Ed Forum last month in Philadelphia.

This is the time of year to not only reflect on the past, but to ponder the future.Forget soothsayers, prophets, and fortune tellers' crystal balls. Inside are predictions from some of industry's key thought leaders.

Magic Molecules

China's large patient base and concentrated specialty hospitals make it easier to recruit patients for clinical trials in than in the United States. On average, companies can save from two to five months by conducting a Phase I study in China.

The British trade association says the cuts are unnecessary because drug prices have fallen in real terms by 10-15 percent during the last 10 years while the UK government's budget has remained steady.

Expanded coverage for the uninsured and Medicaid reform are low priorities at the White House.

Journalists try to tell both sides of a story. That's fine when there are two groups in conflict. But how do you tell the story right when the real conflict is between the two halves of one ambivalent opinion.

Pharm Exec's Pipeline Report is packed with 25 of the year's most eye-catching experimental drugs. What's their secret? No smoke or mirrors-just innovative science, therapeutic value, and good business sense.