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 />

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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.

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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.

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Health insurance: bringing the Brits back

The number of people taking out private medical insurance in the UK continues to fall, because of rising premiums. But premiums are on the rise because the number and cost of claims is rising. Insurers are trying to cut premiums through better claims management, but the real market opportunity is in developing innovative new products with lower premiums.

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Hospital infections: safety drive may scare off investment

The increasing incidence of antibiotic resistant hospital-acquired infections is to be tackled with a GBP12 million government scheme to monitor antibacterial use and improve infection reporting. However, plans to increase drug longevity by limiting their use could dissuade pharmaceutical companies from further investment in the field.

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Infectious diseases: defeating superbugs with surveillance

The UK also provided the smallest number of individual hospital responses to the survey of antibiotic-resistant S. aureus, which is a significant cause of death in hospital patients. Meanwhile, Sweden provided the highest response rate and one of the lowest infection rates. While this may be coincidence, it seems to imply that improved surveillance is the best way to defeat the problem.

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iSoft: Torex takeover is a shot in the arm

iSoft Group cannot help but prosper with the government showering money on IT in the UK's National Health Service in the wake of its $1.2 billion merger with Torex last year. Over the longer term though, iSoft will need to turn its attention to the crucial US market.

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Liver cancer: adding radio waves may cut bleeding

Surgeons have shown a new technique to cut blood loss during removal of liver tumors. It involves delivering radio waves to the tumor site during the operation, speeding the rate at which blood clots. Since the blood loss associated with liver tumor removal currently reduces survival rates, this is positive news both for patients and the drug industry.

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