Is it possible to have cheaper drugs and preserve the incentive to innovate? The benefits of privatizing the drug approval process

In this paper, we argue that lower prices for pharmaceuticals can be achieved by fostering a new type of competition in the pharmaceutical industry. Lower drug development costs, and hence prices, can be brought about by abolishing national drug administrations and replacing them with private certification boards that compete on the basis of safety, efficiency and cost of their drug approval process. A major benefit of this type of privatization is that it would not necessitate limits on data exclusivity in order to achieve lower prices. Drug approval privatization could achieve the same positive results as generic competition, in terms of lower costs and prices, without the negative effects of intellectual property rights violation and the consequent discouragement of innovative activities.

Improving the quality of drug court clinical screening: a call for performance measurement policy reform

Despite the widespread use of the drug court model, standardized performance measures for drug courts are not uniformly utilized, and rarely include process measures. To ensure that drug courts are being implemented in the most effective manner, the use of performance measurement tools should be considered for wide scale adoption. Drug court effectiveness is moderated by participant characteristics, and is most effective for individuals with the highest substance use needs. Therefore, having quality clinical screening processes is crucial to ensuring that drug courts are serving the population for which they are effective. This paper examines clinical screening in drug courts, to answer the following 1) what is the current state of screening, 2) what works, and 3) why measurement matters. It also proposes a clinical screening performance measure to improve fidelity and ensure appropriate participant enrollment. The creation of a performance measure would create opportunities to improve drug court outcomes, and leverage pay-for-performance models.     

有偿采供血或吸毒致艾滋病毒携带和艾滋病人群的舌象特点

目的 通过临床调查研究因有偿采供血、吸毒致艾滋病毒(human immunodeficiency virus, HIV)携带和(或)艾滋病(acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, AIDS)人群的舌象特点. 方法 运用舌象拍摄和专家分析相结合的方法,对有偿采供血或吸毒致HIV携带和(或)AIDS人群的舌象特点进行比较和分析. 结果 有偿采供血或吸毒致HIV携带和(或)AIDS人群中出现率较高的舌象有:热象舌色出现率分别为63.64%和65.71%,瘀象舌色出现率分别为33.64%和41.14%,胖大和(或)齿痕舌分别为40.45%和45.14%,裂纹舌分别为35%和26.86%;两类人群均以白苔居多,黄苔出现率分别是23.18%、28.00%,厚苔的出现率分别是40.45%和31.43%,腻苔出现率分别是65.91%和82.29%. 结论 两组人群的舌象表现较为一致,HIV携带者和(或)AIDS患者常见舌象特点是:舌质红;苔厚腻,以白腻居多;舌体胖大或有齿痕;有瘀象.