Published by clickbroker.blogspot.com.
UK NICE Rejects Three More Cancer Drugs
Nature Reviews Drug Discovery reports that NICE will be rejecting Bristol Myers-Squibb’s (BMY) Sprycel, Novartis’ (NVS) Tasigna, and UCB’s Cimzia. NICE would be open to additional comparative benefit studies combined with risk sharing by the pharmaceutical companies.
Healthcare Stories: UK Rejects More Cancer Drugs as too Costly, Cost/Benefit Coming to US, and Tough Implementations not New
Porsche Receives Little Sympathy on New Fuel Economy Rules
Published by clickbroker.blogspot.com.
The Wall Street Journal’s “Porsche Presses for Easier Fuel Rules” quotes Daimler’s Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche: “We have to stretch but we will get there, and so we don’t complain. And I would prefer if others complain, they not do it in the name of their neighbors.” Speaking in reference to the new US fuel economy fleet wide average of 35.5 MPG and carbon-dioxide average of 250 grams per mile, all luxury and specialty car companies don’t have a uniform voice.
Healthcare Reform’s Illusionary Winners: Merck and Pfizer
Published by clickbroker.blogspot.com.
Pfizer (PFE) has repeatedly told us during the “great recession” that pharma cannot sell drugs to patients that don’t go to their doctors. This is especially true of the lifestyle drugs such as Pfizer’s Lipitor and Merck’s (MRK) Vytorin that require regular follow up. Whether you believe cholesterol is a real disease or not, you can understand that taking these drugs does not constitute a medical emergency.
Healthcare Choices beyond Spend Till the Benefits Run Out
Published by clickbroker.blogspot.com.
The Wall Street Journal’s “Health Insurers Toughen Stance in Disputes Over Hospital Rates” brings to light that the problem of market concentration does not uniquely rest with private health insurers, but also is in hospitals and other medical service providers. Over the last few decades hospitals have merged to form monopolies or duopolies in smaller and medium metropolitan areas to strengthen their negotiating power. So now we have the dominate medical service providers in a standoff with the dominate health insurers in each region.
Economic Drag of Mortgage Deficiencies Long Tail
Published by clickbroker.blogspot.com.
You can get whipsawed by the politicians, economists and media predictions of the housing bottom and recovery. Most of the government’s foreclosure prevention programs have unquestionably failed. But the GSE 30-year mortgage security spread over 10-year treasuries is hovering at a record low 63 basis points. And investors are outbidding owner-occupiers for choice foreclosures.
Will the Federal Reserve actually end its Fannie (FNM) and Freddie (FRE) securities purchases as promised? We have already experienced the Fed’s twisted promise of liquidity to Bear Stearns which was reminiscent of former President Bill Clinton’s “it depends on what the definition of 'is' is.”
Banks are getting hit from both sides. Private mortgage insurers are refusing claims based on warranty breaches and mortgage securitization trusts (MBS and CDO) and forcing buybacks for the same reason. Bank of America (BAC), JP Morgan (JPM), and Wells Fargo (WFC) could be liable for the majority of a projected $20B in buyback demands. How does Countrywide and WaMu look now?
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