By Michael Auerbach, Editor in Chief
David Letterman made a career out of his top ten lists. Oh sure, he was funny, and a rather good interviewer, but his claim to fame was his nightly top ten lists. Ranging in topics from current events to the downright silly – his regular top ten list countdown was a staple of his show.
Taking a feather from Letterman’s hat, I decided that as this was the last issue of the year, I would put together a top ten list of my own. So, here, in no particular order, is my top ten “wish list” for the pharmaceutical industry in 2018.
- No more pharm bros
- No more pricing scandals
- Better drugs
- Faster approvals
- Fewer recalls
- Better understanding from the general population as to how hard/expensive it is to bring a drug to market
- Less vitriol from lawmakers aimed at the pharma industry. They are just pandering to their constituents and looking for good sound bites.
- Make a reasonable, bipartisan effort, to make healthcare available to all. We are the richest country in the world. We can afford it.
- Less drug advertising. Too much advertising leads to the “tail wagging the dog”. Doctors/healthcare providers should make prescription decisions, not consumers who base their decisions on TV ads viewed during half-time.
- More research devoted to devastating diseases. Especially those that afflict children.
Thinking about my wish list made me think of another wish list, this one being the song Wish List by Pearl Jam. This song, which is one of my favorite Pearl Jam numbers, was, in fact, performed by the band on Letterman’s show about 10 years.
I like it when things work out like this.
For your viewing pleasure, here’s a link to the performance.
Finally, I want to wish all my readers a happy holiday season and a happy and healthy new year.