Remembering Chesterton’s Fence

“Don’t ever take a fence down until you know the reason it was put up.” -G.K. Chesterton Writer G.K. Chesterton wrote about the importance of understanding the reasoning behind something before tearing it down. Without knowing why it came into being in the first place, we risk haphazardly tearing it down and worsening things compared to when...

May 2020

Embracing Uncertainty

In order to make progress, one must leave the door to the unknown ajar — ajar only. – Richard Feynman The late, great Richard Feynman had a deep-rooted philosophy which I believe contributed just as much to his success as a brilliant physicist as talent and opportunity. Central to Feynman’s outlook was the recognition that uncertainty is ubiquitous...

Dec 2017

Here I go

I believe that writing is an important part of the thinking process. It helps us organize our thoughts, to see them in a different medium, to figure out how to communicate them to others. I do it from time to time in trying to think through various things, but not with the consistency which I would like. That is partly because I worry about the finished...

Dec 2017

A Legend Passes

Last week, biotech and orphan drug development pioneer Henri Termeer passed away. While I never had the privilege of meeting Termeer, I have read much about him and heard even more. A few terms that seem to consistently come up in describing him are patient-centered, undeterred, and passionate. There are many stories of Termeer’s intense focus on patients...

May 2017

Welcome

After some thought, I have decided to reboot this website with a new blog centered on biotech, pharma, and healthcare. The primary focus will be on sharing insights and lessons from my readings on the industry, including thoughts on relevant news, history, books, etc. I am a new pharmacist, currently completing a health economics/outcomes research fellowship...

Dec 2015

Coming May 2014

Stay tuned. See old posts here.

Apr 2014

Payers and Clinical Trial Transparency

It has been a rough month for Big Pharma. Johnson & Johnson settled several Federal cases concerning Risperdal for a whopping $2.2B after the giant unethically and illegally promoted off-label uses for its anti-psychotic drug a decade ago. Among the findings was the news that J&J may have withheld some trial data, which prosecutors tackled in part by...

Nov 2013

Funding Education Through Equity

Earlier this week, the Oregon Legislature approved a plan that could pave the way for college students to finance their education by selling equity stakes in their future income. The idea is an intriguing one that has been bounced around before, but has never made it far in the United States, until now (a short stint by Yale in the 60s is the exception). What...

Jul 2013

Financing Scientific Discovery

When it comes to financing research and with the goal of societal benefit in mind, the question often arises of whether private or public funding is optimal. Many argue based on efficiency models that they believe in or the longstanding private sector vs. public sector arguments that are all too common in macroeconomic discussion. When it comes to funding...

Jun 2013

Applying the Laffer Curve

The IGM Forum expert economist panel was recently asked about the Laffer Curve and the effect that reduced Federal income taxes might have on revenue and GDP. The results (partially reproduced below) mostly produced either “uncertain” or agreeable answers when asked if GDP would increase and were overwhelmingly one-sided on the tax revenue front with...

Jun 2013