Allowing the producer-dominated market to set drug prices has spiraled the cost of cancer drugs out of control. Drug pricing can be reduced while preserving the profit-making incentive, by linking price to a true measure of quality: preservation and meaningful prolongation of life.
Altering the Medicare policy on injectable drugs is one way to reduce Medicare expenditures. Allowing self-administration will also free up hospital and clinic capacity for other patients.
Despite the political nature of stem cell research, this area of science continues to flourish in the United States. In 2011, the NIH funded approximately US$1.2 billion in stem cell research — a steady increase from past years — with US$123 million devoted to human embryonic stem cells. According to the ISI Web of Science, more than 4,000 U.S.-authored stem cell publications were produced in 2011, accounting for approximately 38 percent of the world total. Approximately one-quarter of these publications were collaborations with authors from other countries.
In the face of a persistent decline and stagnation in research and development funding, scientists and engineers must devote more time and effort toward keeping the economic and societal value of science in the public and advocate for it to hold a higher standing in the federal budget. Published in vol. 2, issue 1, of The Journal of Science Policy and Governance.
Kenneth M. Evans, Kirstin R.W. MatthewsMay 6, 2012
A rise in the average age of biomedical researchers might inhibit research potential and novel projects that could impact biomedicine and the next generation of scientists in the United States.
The NIH, which has an annual budget of over US$31 billion, is the world’s largest biomedical research agency and is a major strength for science in the U.S. Despite the political nature of stem cell research, this area of science has flourished across the country. In 2010, the NIH funded approximately US$1.3 billion in stem cell research. According to the ISI Web of Science, more than 4,000 U.S.-authored stem cell publications were produced in 2010 — approximately 40% of the world total. The average citation rate was 4.12 per article, with six articles amassing 100 citations in less than 18 months after release.
The Science and Technology Policy Program reviews the complex federal R&D budget process. Published in July 2011 by Science Progress, a project of the Center for American Progress.
Kirstin R.W. Matthews, Kenneth M. Evans, Neal F. LaneJuly 22, 2011
This article, published in the online journal PLoS ONE, examines the impact of collaboration on publication significance in the United States and the United Kingdom, world leaders in stem cell research with disparate policies. The findings suggest that national stem cell policy differences and regulatory mechanisms driving international stem cell research in both countries did not affect the frequency of international collaborations, or even the countries with which the U.S. and U.K. most often collaborated.
Elaine Howard Ecklund, Kirstin R.W. MatthewsMarch 8, 2011
As the scientific community globalizes, it is increasingly important to understand the effects of international collaboration on the quality and quantity of research produced. While it is generally assumed that international collaboration enhances the quality of research, this phenomenon is not well examined. Stem cell research is unique in that it is both politically charged and a research area that often generates international collaborations, making it an ideal case through which to examine international collaborations.
Kirstin R.W. Matthews, Elaine Howard EcklundMarch 1, 2011
In this article, the authors compare two different approaches to establishing stem cell policy: a defined policy (U.K.) and a changing policy (U.S.). The U.K. has a clear and precise policy, agreed upon and supported by lawmakers, scientists and the public. By contrast, U.S. federal policy is continuously being updated based on balancing political ideologies and advances in science, and it only regulates federal funding. By investigating these contrasting policy approaches, the authors hope to demonstrate the impact of policy on stem cell research and public opinion.