The Real Economy Blog

Health Care

From hospital systems to home care providers, the health care sector is replete with middle market companies. The health needs of an aging population assure that this industry will continue to grow in coming years.

5 things to know in life sciences: Week of June 14

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Given the high volume of mergers and acquisitions in life sciences, changes in the leadership and focus of the Federal Trade Commission will be closely watched in the coming months as scrutiny could shift to the technology industry. We examine the possible impact below. We also look at CureVac’s COVID-19 vaccine trial results, how events at a plant in New ... READ MORE >

5 things to know in life sciences: Week of June 7

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the Alzheimer’s drug, aducanumab, ushered in both a likely blockbuster for developer Biogen and sparked a debate both within the biopharma industry and among health care providers. We also look at a major medical device acquisition, investment in synthetic biology, a White House report on supply chain risk, ... READ MORE >

To solve shortage of nurses, first understand why they leave

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As nurses’ critical role in health care rapidly evolves, they are becoming harder to find. A 2018 study published in the American Journal of Medical Quality estimated a shortage of 510,394 registered nurses by 2030. This shortage is driven by both supply and demand factors. On the supply side, the nursing workforce is aging out and colleges are not ... READ MORE >

5 things to know in life sciences: Week of May 17

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While COVID-19 does not discriminate in infecting patients, the data actually shows that virus outcomes have disproportionately affected minority communities. Further, despite a focus on improving diversity in trials for the disease, the trials fell short of diversity goals. A new study looks at why and how biopharma companies can improve. This week we also ... READ MORE >

5 things to know in life sciences: Week of May 10

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There are a few key milestones in the life cycle of a biopharma: raising your series A, starting your first clinical trial, going public and, for an increasing percent of companies, launching your first drug on your own. But developing a drug and successfully launching it requires different expertise and exposes the company to different risks. This week we ... READ MORE >

5 things to know in life sciences: Week of May 3

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Public health experts are raising new concerns that achieving herd immunity in the United States looks increasingly unlikely. Although this doesn’t reduce the urgent need to get as many people vaccinated as possible, it does mean that we may need to begin planning for how we will live with COVID-19 as an endemic part of life. This week in our five things ... READ MORE >

5 things to know in life sciences: Week of April 26

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Getting people vaccinated can be a public health challenge. Getting them to come back for a second dose at the right time can be even more difficult. This week we highlight why people may be skipping their second COVID-19 dose and how challenging getting that second dose can be even for people motivated to receive it. We also look at a Food and Drug ... READ MORE >

5 things to know in life sciences: Week of April 19

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This week we look at comments from acting Food and Drug Administration commissioner Janet Woodcock on perceptions that the agency is getting tougher on drug companies during the approval process. We also highlight new uses of CRISPR to control gene expression, venture funds focused on life sciences, newly approved remote monitoring devices and a $17 billion ... READ MORE >