Ch-Ch-Changes

The struggles of print media are well chronicled. In a world where the New York Times teeters on the edge of bankruptcy, where several major American cities may lose their only daily newspaper this year, and where almost 1,000 magazines and academic journals folded in 2008 and 2009, I am grateful to be able to write this column. Beginning with this issue, I will be writing this column every third month. We have endured many of the same difficulties our print brethren have, but by shifting to a quarterly publication schedule, Biotechnology Healthcare will be able to provide you with deeper coverage of the impact of biologics on health, business, and benefits. This is no time to go away. Not when biologics are consuming an ever-increasing share of healthcare costs even as they become an undeniably significant part of 21st century medicine. Some of them are nothing short of wonder drugs that address crucial deficiencies in medical care. No one pretends they are inexpensive, and few third-party payers would block access to them for people who really need them. So payers and their employer clients seek information that can guide them in providing high-cost, high-tech therapies in the most cost-effective way possible. That’s why we’re here. It has been the focus of our coverage since we launched publication in 2004. Recognition of the importance of the biologics beat is evident in our selection by the National Institutes of Health for inclusion in PubMed Central (PMC). PMC is a digital archive of the biomedical and life sciences journal literature. Inclusion in PMC is an honor reserved for publications that demonstrate a certain scientific quality. Our editorial index (page 51) gives you a sense of what PMC saw in our coverage in 2009. Part of the credit for our success is due to our editorial board, which advises on manuscripts and makes suggestions for topics to cover. I like to say that our publication is able to maintain high standards, because I have a lot of smart people behind me. (Who are they? See page 2.) You, too, are an essential ingredient in our success. Our readers are an important source of coverage topics. If you are a third-party payer or an employer, government, or union purchaser, what issues are you struggling with? What would you like to learn from your peers? If you are a biopharma manufacturer, what tools can you provide to help payers and purchasers understand the value of your wares? If you make molecular diagnostic tests, what is it about your product that bridges the gaps between biopharma companies and payers? Let us hear from you at « moc.erachtlaehygolonohcetoib@srotide.» All the best to you in 2010. Thanks for reading.