Why Is Lamar Alexander (R-TN) Confused?

Mike Magee The Medical-Industrial Complex in the United States is expert at feigning cross-sector competition while quietly signaling to members that there is plenty of graft and profit in the $4 trillion (20% of GDP) for all. The net output, more evident than it ever was in the days of ’90 era “Harry and Louise” […]

The Basics of Pharma Kickbacks – Opaque & Complex

Mike Magee With great fanfare, the New York Times announced this week that UnitedHealthcare “would stop keeping millions of dollars in discounts it gets from drug companies and share them with its customers.” For awhile, pharma, insurers, pharmacies and PBMs have been pointing fingers at each other over escalating costs. That’s become more difficult of […]

Disrupter in Chief – CVS, Aetna, or Amazon?

Mike Magee In 1964, a purveyor of general merchandise based in Rhode Island, coalesced 17 locations under one entity. They were focused on market data, inventory management, and economy of scale. Within five years, they were successful enough to have 40 locations, three with in-store pharmacies. Within another decade, they had standardized their information, data, […]

The Story Behind The Pharma Savings Coupon.

Mike Magee As I’ve said before, complexity is the friend of the Medical Industrial Complex. Whether hospital, insurer, organized medicine, pharmaceutical or government agency, profitability, market advantage and career advancement can be found in the cracks of the deliberately Byzantine network. For those intent on regulating or managing the American system as it is, just […]

Pharma Patents – A Good Bet For Casino Heavy Native Americans.

The Latest Pharma Campus? Mike Magee In the immediate aftermath of WW II, the U.S. government decided to join hands with industry and academia and fund a campaign to “defeat disease” as they had defeated the Nazi’s. Defeat disease and health will be left in its wake was the thinking of the day. What they […]

Compounding Our Weaknesses – Gray Market Drug Collusion.

Mike Magee In the realm of pharmaceutical disaster deja vu, Tennessee deserves special recognition. In early September, 1937, the S.E. Massengill Company of Bristol, Tennessee, distributed tainted elixir of sulfanilamide nationwide. Before the disaster ended, 104 patients, most of them children, had died. Nearly 80 years latter to the date, Dr. April Petit put in […]

The U.S. Pharmaceutical Supply Chain – The Gray and Black Market

Mike Magee With the U.S. Pharmaceutical supply chain, what you see is not what you get. As we saw last week there are roughly 4 1/2 billion prescriptions filled each year. Just under 50% of American residents have filled 1 prescription in the past 30 days. The 1st Tier drug supply chain above […]

keep looking »