The Worlds Health Care Crisis
From the Laboratory Bench to the Patients Bedside
At present, human society is facing a health care crisis that is affecting patients worldwide. In the United States, it is generally believed that the major problem is lack of affordable access to health care (i.e. health insurance). This book takes an unprecedented approach to address this issue by proposing that the major problem is not lack of affordable access to health care per se, but lack of access to better, safer, and more affordable medicines. The latter problem is present not only in the United States and the developing world but also in countries with socialized health care systems, such as Europe and the rest of the industrialized world. This book provides a comparative analysis of the health care systems throughout the world and also examines the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.
Hardbound, 296 Pages
Published: July 2011
Imprint: Elsevier
ISBN: 978-0-12-391875-8
Reviews
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"This book is an excellent summary of the health-care crisis facing the world today, comparing health care in wealthy, industrial countries to that in poor, underdeveloped countries. Sánchez-Serrano, a Panamian health-care adviser/consultant, covers the history of health care, including pharmaceutically driven treatments; challenges with new drug discoveries; unmet medical needs; and profits. The author also emphasizes the high cost of research and development for new drugs. He explores the issues related to government-supplemented research and summarizes the interaction of government-sponsored basic research, academic (pure) science research, venture capital investors, and industry . The author provides many specific examples of successes and failures of past/present systems and discusses the evolution of pharmaceutical company philosophies in the past 150 years and future challenges. This book is fact based and nonpartisan. The only areas not explored are the modern diagnostics industry, the phenomenal advances in medical devices, and the cost of modern physician care (and the cost of physicians' education). Summing Up: Highly Recommended"-- CHOICE
Contents
PART I: THE GLOBAL HEALTH CARE CRISIS
1. The Worlds Health Care Crisis: The United States Leadership
2. The Health Care Crisis in Other Parts of the World
PART II: UNDERSTANDING THE BIOPHARMACEUTICAL BUSINESS3. Brief Commercial History of the Biopharmaceutical Industry up to the Year 2000
4. The Biopharmaceutical Industry in the Twenty-first Century: Titanic Challenges Ahead5. Understanding Research and Development and Marketing in a Biopharmaceutical Company
6. The Pharmaceutical RegulatorsPART III: THE COMPLEXITY OF INNOVATION
7. The Academia-Industry Relationship8. Translating Academic Innovation into Health Care Products
9. The Biotechnology World and Its Challenges10. Causes of the Pharmaceutical Crisis
PART IV: MORALITY AND DUTY ON A LONELY PLANET11. Wealth versus Poverty
12. Social Responsibility, Governmental Role, and Nongovernmental OrganizationsPART V: REINVENTING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
13. Time for Reorganization
