Warren Ross

Call it the law of unintended consequences or the perfect storm or a bad hair day or any other cliché you can think of, but as 2009 came to a close we once again faced a cluster of bad news for the pharma industry.

American consumers are used to warranties. If you buy a TV set and it stops working within a specified time, you can ask for a replacement or to have it fixed.

Mr. Ross, when you headed KPR Informedia, did you submit articles to medical journals that were ghostwritten?

Pharma and biotech companies are competing to have enough vaccine on hand for the next swine flu (H1N1) outbreak. They missed the one last winter and spring, and their response has uniformly been: We'll be ready next time.

What the FDA euphemistically calls "guidances" are usually received by industry with something less than cheers. Despite the name, the guidances are often perceived as directives to be ignored at your peril.

Again and again you see the statement that information technology will not only avoid medication errors but stop (or even reverse) the upward trend of healthcare costs.

As of the first of the year the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA code) forbade the distribution of such goodies as pens or mugs with product logos.

I remember the pleasure I took in watching my children learn to climb stairs.

No, not that kind of rehab. On October 4 I had a stroke.

Disclosure: My father and mother were both physicians so I obviously have a pro-doctor bias.