INSIGHTS AND PERSPECTIVES

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — The forward-looking vision employed by Gov. Jay Nixon in exploring “next steps” in fighting methamphetamine abuse before even the last step has been put into place and enacted is, in a matter of speaking, extremely short-sighted. It doesn’t even make fiscal sense, because the National Precursor Log Exchange will do more to curb many of the costs associated with fighting meth addicts without conversely increasing the costs associated with fighting a cold.

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BURLINGTON, Mass. — A growing drug-treated population will cause the Type 2 diabetes drug market in China to increase to $2.5 billion by 2014, according to a new report by Decision Resources.

The Type 2 diabetes market in China totaled $1.4 billion in 2009, Decision Resources said.

WASHINGTON — The Institute of Medicine on Tuesday issued a report on the dietary reference intake levels for vitamin D and calcium at the behest of both the U.S. and Canadian governments. IOM recommended a slight increase in vitamin D intake, but also suggested that the need for either vitamin D or calcium may be overstated.

NEW YORK — The spate of recent product recalls may be eroding consumer confidence in the Food and Drug Administration, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers survey of 1,000 Americans released Tuesday.

Approximately one-half of respondents reported they think the FDA does a good job, but more than one-third (36%) of U.S. consumers said they have lost confidence in the FDA over the past two years as a result of high profile safety concerns and product recalls.

NEW YORK — Recent public perception that the Food and Drug Administration had not been doing its job — ensuring that Americans' approved medical devices and medicines are relatively safe — may be impeding fast approval processes, according to a new PricewaterhouseCoopers report published Tuesday.

The report, “Improving America’s Health V,” determined that the FDA’s renewed vigor for enforcing regulations may be straining the working relationship between regulator and the industry being regulated.

ST. LOUIS — Since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the early 1980s, one of the greatest advances has been antiviral drugs that have helped extend the lives of patients with viral infections.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — Most of the newly elected and re-elected Republican members of Congress, Tea Party candidates in particular, vowed to whittle down or repeal healthcare reform once in office, but the healthcare companies that stand to benefit hope to change their minds, as some of their lobbying activities last quarter have shown.

(THE NEWS: Report: PhRMA's lobbying efforts total more than $5 million in Q3. For the full story, click here)