Allergies: nothing to sneeze at

The continuing rise in the prevalence of allergic diseases, such as asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema, will place considerable strain on the NHS in the UK. Insufficient numbers of allergy specialists and inadequate allergy training in medical schools will severely restrict access to disease modifying treatments like immune therapy.<BR />

Published By Datamonitor

Celiac disease: improved diagnosis potential highlights untapped market

A new study has highlighted the benefit of routine antibody testing in suspected cases of celiac disease. While these data prove the merit of serological testing, awareness of the disease remains a significant issue. Indeed, with almost no treatment options available, the development of an effective pharmacological therapy offers the potential to reap significant returns from this untapped market.

Published By Datamonitor

Clinical decision support tools set to fundamentally change the way medicine is practiced

Clinical decision support tools, technologies that provide information to aid the diagnosis and treatment of patients, are set to make dramatic changes to the practice of medicine, according to a new report by Datamonitor. However, the report also predicts that aspects of medical culture will prove barriers to adoption.

Published By Datamonitor

Coronary surgery: UK procedures to increase 1%

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Corporate sector will drive UK health insurance market

New Datamonitor research finds the individual private medical insurance market sustained its seventh consecutive years of falling numbers. There were 82,000 fewer individual policyholders in 2003 compared to 1999. There is little doubt that ever-increasing premiums have suppressed demand, driving some consumers to give up their cover and preventing others from taking it out in the first place.

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Cytotoxics: new regime out on a limb

By isolating the cancerous limb from the rest of the circulatory system, ILI allows doctors to step up chemotherapy doses significantly. ILI is also far less invasive than similar procedures such as ILP. The combination of greater efficacy and lower cost is likely to drive strong uptake among physicians, in turn boosting the usage of cytotoxic therapies.

Published By Datamonitor

Drug reps must embrace technology to avoid missing sales opportunities

In a pharmaceutical market where the days of the primary care blockbuster-selling drug appear numbered, the days of pharma sales representatives having time to visit physicians with drug samples are also waning. Reps must now embrace internet technology to ensure samples are efficiently distributed to physicians and also take on the role of educators in their dynamic relationships with physicians.

Published By Datamonitor

Electronic health records: crucial for a modern healthcare system

Despite the bad publicity surrounding the implementation of electronic health records in some cases, effectively managing patient information will be key to the modernization of today's healthcare systems. Datamonitor expects the overall global electronic health records market to grow to almost $13 billion by 2012 - a compound annual growth rate of 23.8%.

Published By Datamonitor

eProcurement: Medical Columbus may suffer in the New World

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GlaxoSmithKline: smoke blows both ways

A new study suggests that without physician support, OTC nicotine replacement drugs may be useless. This is interesting reading for GSK, which is the biggest producer of anti-smoking drugs. The news should boost prescription-only Zyban, but GSK may have to invest in physician support to maintain sales of NRT drugs Nicorette and NicoDerm.

Published By Datamonitor