“Good news on the cancer front: Death rates are dropping faster than ever, thanks to new progress against colorectal cancer.
Among the report's other findings:
• Cancer mortality is improving faster among men, with drops in death rates of 2.6 percent a year compared with 1.8 percent a year for women.
• Lung cancer explains much of the gender difference. Male death rates are dropping about 2 percent a year while female death rates finally are holding steady after years of increases. Smoking rates fell for men before they did for women, so men reaped the benefits sooner.
• Overall, the rate of new cancer diagnoses is inching down about one-half a percent a year.
• New breast cancer diagnoses are dropping about 3.5 percent a year, a previously reported decline due either to women shunning postmenopausal hormone therapy or to fewer getting mammograms.
The annual report is a collaboration of the American Cancer Society, National Cancer Institute, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and North American Association of Central Cancer Registries.”
Amidst all of the talk of overhauling the current state of the industry, especially during the most recent presidential campaign, it’s important to note that there are a lot of things that are extremely right with the industry as it is. Statistics like these are awesome and whether or not you have a personal story that goes along with this or any other report, we can all agree that it adds to our peace of mind.
There is a song by the precocious and prolific songwriter John Mayer on his most recent release, Continuum, entitled Stop This Train, that is unbelievably touching and speaks so much to our very own thoughts. At the onset of the song, the lyrics follow:
“No, I'm not colorblind
I know the world is black and white
Try to keep an open mind
But I just can't sleep on this tonight
Stop this train
I wanna get off
And go home again
I can't take the speed it's moving in
I know I can't
But honestly, won't someone stop this train?
Don't know how else to say it
Don't want to see my parents go
One generation's length away
From fighting life out on my own”
Whether it is your own parents or the others in your life that you are close to and love, we can all relate to these lyrics. I’m certainly not in the business of depressing people, but I think you should all be proud to be in an industry that helps heal and comfort our loved ones. No matter the ailment, from Cancer to Lyme Disease to Hemophilia to snake bites to Malaria, our industry is helping countless numbers of people worldwide every single day.
Although we may not be able to stop the train of life, it’s comforting to know that the pharmaceutical industry is doing all that it can to make the ride that much more enjoyable...
...and perhaps a stop or two longer.
For Your Space,
Steven.
8 comments:
Nice work Steve.
It's nice to be reminded of this from time to time.
Bravo!
I must say that I am impressed with your blog. I come here frequently but not as frequently as I'd like. I like that every day is something new and I always stop in for the topic of the week. I am always using the left side of the blog for news.
Thanks a bunch!
It's refreshing to hear a positive perspective on the contributions of the Pharma industry. So frequently, the public is quick to point out the high cost of drugs and conveniently leave out the cost-lowering affect pharmaceuticals have had overall. Consider the cost of one quadruple bypass vs. the expense of a cholesterol reducing drug - never mind q2uality of life. Conveniently, that same public doesn’t recognize the R&D dollars and related expenses to bring new drugs to market. Most of us have been touch indirectly, if not directly, by a cancer diagnosis. How important do those R&D dollars become, when it’s someone you love waiting for treatment or a cure? I often want to ask, where do you want to spend your money on R&D to develop another feature for your phone (maybe it can do your laundry or train your dog) or pharma R&D to maybe, just maybe, find a cure. Like John Mayer, I’m not color-blind either but every once in awhile it’s really important to point out all the great things pharma brings! So thanks for doing that!
You are a softee, but I must say it was well written!
All we need is the proof...
In the past few decades, hundreds of innovative new drugs have entered the marketplace. They help: improve quality of life; save millions of lives; increase labor productivity leading to more robust economies; and, provide cheaper, less invasive solutions to chronic diseases, such as heart disease. The improvements to quality of life and life expectancy have been significant. Studying US life expectancy between 1970 and 1991, Lichtenberg (1998) conservatively estimates a $15 billion increase in pharmaceutical R&D expenditures saves 1.6 million life-years per year, valued at $27 billion. Lichtenberg also finds pharmaceutical innovation decreases costs in other areas within the healthcare industry. For example, Lichtenberg (1996) estimates for every $1 increase in spending on pharmaceuticals there is a subsequent decrease of $3.65 in hospitalization costs, yielding a savings of $2.65. Additionally, by reducing the age of utilized drugs from 15 to 5.5 years, pharmaceutical expenditures increase $18, but yield a $129 savings in non-drug expenditures for a net savings of $111 (Lichtenberg 2002).
Very well said.
My thanks to everyone today for their kind and informative comments!
Steven.
Post a Comment